Kansas English
type: channel
description: Kansas English is the peer-reviewed journal of the Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE). It publishes articles and materials on subjects of interest to English teachers, including scholarly articles, reflective/practitioner essays, opinion pieces, interviews, book reviews, and creative works (including photos and artwork). The editor in chief is Dr. Katie Cramer, Professor of English Education at Wichita State University. Kansas English is published annually. ISSN 2997-4712 DOI: https://doi.org/10.62704/ke58x
publisher: Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE)
language: en
publication name: Kansas English
issn: 0739-0157
items: Reading Response Framework for Student-Led Discussion in an English Methods Course
items: The Support Services Listicle
items: Poetry Workshop Ideas
items: Online Discussion Tools for Socratic Seminar
items: Resilience in the Face of Traumatic Brain Injury in Jacqueline Woodson's Before the Ever After
items: Creating Remembrance in Alice Hoffman's When We Flew Away
items: Show Me a Sign
items: Diving into the World and Going Beyond the Screen
items: Weaponizing Written Thought
items: Lawn Deer
items: Dawn over a Small Town
items: Jem Touches the Wall
items: Something More
items: Storytelling and Safe Places
items: Closing the Word Gap
items: Choosing Words Wisely
items: All American Boys Has Staying Power a Decade Later
items: Dualities of Dual Enrollment
items: Sound Foundations
items: 2025 KATE Conference Preview and Invitation
items: Presidential Perspectives
items: From the Editor
items: Revising Writing Assignments in Response to Generative AI
items: Back on Track
items: A Glimpse of McCurdy
items: Monumental Stories Found in We Deserve Monuments
items: A Road Trip of Acceptance and Love
items: Unveiling Courage
items: Directed Reading Thinking Activity
items: Heads Up! and Collaborative Sentence Writing

Reading Response Framework for Student-Led Discussion in an English Methods Course
type: item
description: The author describes the impetus and context for a change to her in-class reading response learning activities and shares a reading response framework that prepared students to lead class discussions.
subject: Teaching Tips
  topic: section
subject: reading response framework
  topic: keywords
subject: student-led discussion
  topic: keywords
subject: teacher education course
  topic: keywords
creator: Katherine Mason Cramer
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25a

The Support Services Listicle
type: item
description: The author describes a “listicle” writing activity in which students write about campus support services in a “five things you should know” format in order to share with their classmates. This fosters a sense of audience as well as a connection to the campus.
subject: Teaching Tips
  topic: section
subject: listicle
  topic: keywords
subject: community building
  topic: keywords
subject: introduction to research
  topic: keywords
creator: Beth Gulley
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25b

Poetry Workshop Ideas
type: item
description: Poetry is meant to be shared, to provide an emotional experience for readers. It is difficult to define and explain. In a workshop, one might begin with some basic generalizations about openness, how readers participate in its creation, how to some degree it involves magic, both for poet and reader. During a first workshop experience, the group might begin with a few general questions to begin to dig below the surface.
subject: Teaching Tips
  topic: section
subject: poetry
  topic: keywords
subject: emotion
  topic: keywords
subject: energy
  topic: keywords
creator: Thomas Reynolds
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25c

Online Discussion Tools for Socratic Seminar
type: item
description: The author describes an educational technology tool called Kialo (https://www.kialo-edu.com) that may increase participation in classroom discussions.
subject: Teaching Tips
  topic: section
subject: educational technology
  topic: keywords
subject: Socratic method
  topic: keywords
subject: Socratic seminar
  topic: keywords
subject: online discussion
  topic: keywords
subject: Kialo
  topic: keywords
creator: Andrew Bellamy
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25d

Resilience in the Face of Traumatic Brain Injury in Jacqueline Woodson's Before the Ever After
type: item
description: The author reviews the middle grades novel in verse Before the Ever After (2020) by Jacqueline Woodson, providing a brief summary, essential questions, and teaching ideas.
subject: Young Adult (YA) Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: middle grades
  topic: keywords
subject: novel in verse
  topic: keywords
subject: Jacqueline Woodson
  topic: keywords
subject: Before the Ever After
  topic: keywords
subject: tackle football
  topic: keywords
subject: concussions
  topic: keywords
subject: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
  topic: keywords
creator: Katherine Mason Cramer
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25e

Creating Remembrance in Alice Hoffman's When We Flew Away
type: item
description: The reviewer addresses the middle grade novel When We Flew Away (2024) by Alice Hoffman, including explication and justification for including the book in a middle school English Language Arts curriculum.
subject: Young Adult (YA) Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: Amsterdam
  topic: keywords
subject: Anne Frank
  topic: keywords
subject: Anne Frank House
  topic: keywords
subject: concentration camps
  topic: keywords
subject: deportation of Jews
  topic: keywords
subject: diary
  topic: keywords
subject: Holocaust
  topic: keywords
subject: Otto Frank
  topic: keywords
subject: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  topic: keywords
creator: John Franklin
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25f

Show Me a Sign
type: item
description: The author reviews the middle grade novel Show Me a Sign (2020) by Anne Clare LeZotte, providing a summary, character analysis and arguing for its accessibility to middle school readers.
subject: Young Adult (YA) Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: middle grades
  topic: keywords
subject: deaf communities
  topic: keywords
subject: Martha's Vineyard
  topic: keywords
subject: sign language
  topic: keywords
subject: social attitudes toward disabilities
  topic: keywords
creator: Halle Harbers
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25g

Diving into the World and Going Beyond the Screen
type: item
description: The author reviews the young adult novel The Epic Story of Every Living Thing (2022) by Deb Caletti, providing analysis and suggestions for teaching.
subject: Young Adult (YA) Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: clipper ships
  topic: keywords
subject: Hawaii
  topic: keywords
subject: scuba diving
  topic: keywords
subject: social media
  topic: keywords
subject: surrogate parenting
  topic: keywords
creator: Laney Roller
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25h

Weaponizing Written Thought
type: item
description: The author reviews the young adult historical novel I Must Betray You (2023) by Ruta Sepetys, providing a summary, personal connection, and potential audiences and applications.
subject: Young Adult (YA) Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: young adult historical novel
  topic: keywords
subject: I Must Betray You
  topic: keywords
subject: Ruta Sepetys
  topic: keywords
subject: communism
  topic: keywords
subject: isolationism
  topic: keywords
subject: endurance
  topic: keywords
creator: Amanda K. Stinemetz
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25i

Lawn Deer
type: item
description: A poem titled Lawn Deer.
subject: Creative Works
  topic: section
creator: Dave Malone
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25j

Dawn over a Small Town
type: item
description: A poem titled Dawn over a Small Town.
subject: Creative Works
  topic: section
creator: Dave Malone
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25k

Jem Touches the Wall
type: item
description: A poem titled Jem Touches the Wall.
subject: Creative Works
  topic: section
creator: Deborah McNemee
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25l

Something More
type: item
description: A poem titled Something More.
subject: Creative Works
  topic: section
creator: Jayden Mitchell
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25m

Storytelling and Safe Places
type: item
description: Author Lisa Fipps appeared as the featured speaker at the Literature Festival held on the campus of Washburn University in fall 2022. During this interview, discussion ranged from the impact of winning a Printz Honor to the influence of her background in libraries and journalism to the challenges and benefits of writing for an audience of young readers. The interview focuses on the prominent role of safe places and storytelling in Fipps’ debut verse novel Starfish (2021); following the interview, the article explores these same themes in her second verse novel And Then, Boom! (2024). In her books and in this interview, Fipps explores the reasons why young people need to count on having safe spaces in their lives to help them deal with a difficult and challenging world, and she explores the important role that storytelling can hold in the lives of her protagonists as well as her young readers.
subject: Interviews
  topic: section
subject: young adult literature
  topic: keywords
subject: Lisa Fipps
  topic: keywords
subject: safe spaces
  topic: keywords
subject: storytelling
  topic: keywords
creator: Kevin B. Kienholz
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25n

Closing the Word Gap
type: item
description: This literature review examines the effectiveness of explicit morphological instruction in improving vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension for middle and high school students. Socioeconomic disparities in early language exposure contribute to a significant word gap, limiting students’ ability to access complex academic texts. Morphological instruction—focused on teaching roots, prefixes, and suffixes—provides students with strategies to analyze unfamiliar words and build word consciousness. Research supports the use of derivational morphology to strengthen comprehension, especially for English learners and struggling readers. The review draws on two theoretical frameworks—atomistic and abstractive—to explain how students process word structure. Evidence suggests that embedding morphology within meaningful literacy tasks leads to improved outcomes. Instructional recommendations include prioritizing high-utility morphemes, integrating vocabulary across content areas, and supporting teachers through professional development. Despite time constraints and the need for foundational training, morphology-based instruction offers a high-leverage approach to addressing literacy gaps and promoting academic equity.
subject: Scholarly Articles
  topic: section
subject: morphological awareness
  topic: keywords
subject: vocabulary instruction
  topic: keywords
subject: reading comprehension
  topic: keywords
subject: academic language
  topic: keywords
subject: English learners
  topic: keywords
subject: word study
  topic: keywords
subject: literacy equity
  topic: keywords
subject: derivational morphology
  topic: keywords
creator: Whitney Wrestler
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-11-13
publication date: 2025-11-13
doi: 10.62704/ke25o

Choosing Words Wisely
type: item
description: The study explores the challenges English teachers in Oklahoma’s secondary schools face when including diverse perspectives in their classroom literature selections. There is a disconnect between state standards that encourage inclusivity and the pressures from the local community, including conservative opposition to DEI initiatives, increasing political restrictions on curriculum content, and resource shortages. Through interviews, two English teachers explain how they work through these tensions, aiming to diversify the curriculum while also managing the expectations of more conservative viewpoints. Despite the challenges, the experienced English teachers actively strive to provide students with opportunities for self-reflection and exposure to diverse perspectives. Findings indicate a pressing need for increased institutional support, particularly in securing funding for contemporary and multicultural texts, and clearer guidance on navigating political and community pressures. Expanding thematic teaching approaches, such as integrating literature with broader discussions on social issues and fostering collaboration between educators, administrators, and local stakeholders, could help mitigate these barriers. Strengthening these areas would create more inclusive, critical-thinking classrooms that align with the intentions of state standards while addressing the realities teachers face.
subject: Scholarly Articles
  topic: section
subject: English curriculum
  topic: keywords
subject: high schools
  topic: keywords
subject: text selection influences
  topic: keywords
subject: teacher choice
  topic: keywords
subject: text selection practices
  topic: keywords
subject: literary canon
  topic: keywords
subject: non-canonical literature
  topic: keywords
subject: controversial texts
  topic: keywords
subject: teacher expertise
  topic: keywords
creator: Tyler Munson
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25p

All American Boys Has Staying Power a Decade Later
type: item
description: Four future English language arts teachers explain why Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s 2015 award-winning young adult novel All American Boys remains relevant a decade after its publication.
subject: Reflective Essays
  topic: section
subject: Jason Reynolds
  topic: keywords
subject: Brendan Kiely
  topic: keywords
subject: All American Boys
  topic: keywords
subject: police brutality
  topic: keywords
subject: social justice
  topic: keywords
subject: systemic racism
  topic: keywords
subject: young adult literature
  topic: keywords
creator: Kaitlyn Chain
creator: Avery Gathright
creator: Alice Huelskamp
creator: Sophia Loerke
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25q

Dualities of Dual Enrollment
type: item
description: The rise in popularity of dual enrollment/dual credit (DE/DC) programs offers both challenges and opportunities for students and faculty alike. The voices and experiences of faculty, while less often studied, provide insights into the nature of these programs and the ambiguities and liminalities they create. This reflective essay, while presenting the experiences of only one faculty member in only one of these programs, may be useful for faculty, administrators, and students.
subject: Reflective Essays
  topic: section
subject: dual enrollment
  topic: keywords
subject: dual credit
  topic: keywords
subject: outreach
  topic: keywords
subject: community college
  topic: keywords
subject: high school
  topic: keywords
creator: Lael Ewy
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25r

Sound Foundations
type: item
description: Phonological awareness and phonics are critical components of early literacy development, serving as foundational skills that support decoding and reading comprehension. This manuscript explores the integration of phonological awareness and phonics through explicit, systematic instruction. It highlights the importance of transitioning students from recognizing and manipulating sounds to connecting these sounds with written symbols. Using evidence-based practices, educators can effectively address diverse student needs, ensuring all learners build a strong foundation for reading. Practical applications, such as tailored lessons and activities, are provided to guide educators in fostering successful literacy outcomes.
subject: Practitioner Pieces
  topic: section
subject: assessment
  topic: keywords
subject: instruction
  topic: keywords
subject: literacy
  topic: keywords
subject: phonological awareness
  topic: keywords
subject: phonics
  topic: keywords
creator: Reagan Murnan
creator: Sandra Bequette
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25s

2025 KATE Conference Preview and Invitation
type: item
description: KATE Past President and Conference Committee Chair Nathan G. Whitman previews the 2025 KATE Conference, including keynote speakers Colby Sharp (educator and co-founder of The Nerdy Book Club) and NCTE Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick.
subject: Kansas-Specific Articles
  topic: section
subject: KATE Conference
  topic: keywords
subject: professional learning
  topic: keywords
subject: Colby Sharp
  topic: keywords
subject: Emily Kirkpatrick
  topic: keywords
creator: Nathan G. Whitman
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25t

Presidential Perspectives
type: item
description: KATE President Caleb K. Thornton reflects on transitioning into new positions—personally, professionally, and in a global sense—highlighting the transformative power of English education.
subject: The President's Column
  topic: section
subject: teacher community
  topic: keywords
subject: teacher connection
  topic: keywords
subject: teacher resilience
  topic: keywords
subject: growth
  topic: keywords
subject: advocacy for self and others
  topic: keywords
creator: Caleb K. Thornton
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25u

From the Editor
type: item
description: Kansas English Editor-in-Chief Katie Cramer is fed up with anti-DEI agendas at the state and national levels and urges readers to share their own efforts to uplift diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. She also previews the 2025 issue; offers thanks to outgoing YA Book Review Editor John Franklin and a warm welcome to incoming YA Book Review Editor Kevin Kienholz; and provides an update on indexing Kansas English in ERIC.
subject: From the Editor
  topic: section
subject: diversity
  topic: keywords
subject: equity
  topic: keywords
subject: inclusion
  topic: keywords
subject: DEI
  topic: keywords
subject: sociopolitical climate
  topic: keywords
subject: writing for publication
  topic: keywords
subject: KATE
  topic: keywords
creator: Katherine Mason Cramer
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-07-15
publication date: 2025-07-15
doi: 10.62704/ke25v

Revising Writing Assignments in Response to Generative AI
type: item
description: The author describes how she revised writing assessments in the university’s first-year writing sequence to emphasize rhetorical analysis of multimodal texts, prompts to which generative AI and ChatGPT struggle to respond.
subject: Teaching Tips
  topic: section
subject: generative artificial intelligence
  topic: keywords
subject: AI
  topic: keywords
subject: writing assessments
  topic: keywords
subject: ChatGPT
  topic: keywords
subject: first-year composition
  topic: keywords
subject: comparative analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: multimodal texts
  topic: keywords
creator: Carrie Dickison
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/j89nfm12

Back on Track
type: item
description: The author reviews the young adult novel Growing Season (2023) by James V. Jacobs, providing a brief summary, teaching ideas, and a list of similarly-themed texts.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: young adult novel
  topic: keywords
subject: Growing Season
  topic: keywords
subject: James V. Jacobs
  topic: keywords
subject: sports
  topic: keywords
subject: distance running
  topic: keywords
subject: college
  topic: keywords
subject: mental health
  topic: keywords
creator: John Franklin
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/ems7w557

A Glimpse of McCurdy
type: item
description: The author reviews Jennette McCurdy’s 2022 memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, providing a brief summary, personal connections, and potential classroom audiences and applications.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: young adult memoir
  topic: keywords
subject: I’m Glad My Mom Died
  topic: keywords
subject: Jennette McCurdy
  topic: keywords
subject: child actor
  topic: keywords
subject: iCarly
  topic: keywords
subject: mental health
  topic: keywords
subject: abuse
  topic: keywords
creator: Danika Pester
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/ems7w556

Monumental Stories Found in We Deserve Monuments
type: item
description: The author reviews the young adult novel We Deserve Monuments (2022) by Jas Hammonds, providing a brief summary, historical and contemporary connections, and instructional strategies.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: young adult novel
  topic: keywords
subject: Jas Hammonds
  topic: keywords
subject: We Deserve Monuments
  topic: keywords
subject: racial justice
  topic: keywords
subject: sapphic romance
  topic: keywords
subject: racial violence
  topic: keywords
creator: Haven Massey
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/ems7w555

A Road Trip of Acceptance and Love
type: item
description: The author reviews Amber McBride’s 2021 young adult novel Me (Moth), providing a brief summary, potential classroom audiences and instructional strategies, and similarly-themed texts.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: young adult novel-in-verse
  topic: keywords
subject: Amber McBride
  topic: keywords
subject: Me (Moth)
  topic: keywords
subject: self-discovery
  topic: keywords
subject: grief
  topic: keywords
subject: mental health
  topic: keywords
creator: Madilyn Kramer
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/ems7w554

Unveiling Courage
type: item
description: The authors review the children’s book Brave Every Day (2022) by Trudy Ludwig and illustrated by Patrice Barton, providing a brief summary, background information on Ludwig, and potential audiences and instructional strategies.
subject: Book Reviews
  topic: section
subject: children’s book
  topic: keywords
subject: Tracy Ludwig
  topic: keywords
subject: Patrice Barton
  topic: keywords
subject: Brave Every Day
  topic: keywords
subject: social-emotional learning
  topic: keywords
subject: anxiety
  topic: keywords
subject: courage
  topic: keywords
creator: Michelle Anderson
creator: Baylee Reyes
creator: Mattelyn Swartz
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/97gxfm28

Directed Reading Thinking Activity
type: item
description: The author describes an instructional strategy that deepens students’ understanding of and engagement with texts.
subject: Teaching Tips
  topic: section
subject: directed reading thinking activity
  topic: keywords
subject: reading comprehension scaffold
  topic: keywords
creator: LuAnn Fox
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/j89nfm15

Heads Up! and Collaborative Sentence Writing
type: item
description: The author describes two instructional strategies that strengthen students’ understanding of key vocabulary.
subject: Teaching Tips
  topic: section
subject: vocabulary instruction
  topic: keywords
subject: vocabulary games
  topic: keywords
creator: Rebecca Kastendick
rights: Copyright (c) 2024 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2024-06-25
publication date: 2024-06-25
doi: 10.62704/j89nfm14