A generation or two ago, the achievement of children who came to school knowing little or no English was not a prominent national issue. Today, with the increased focus on school accountability and educational equity, it is. This comprehensive resource explores the research on promoting academic success among language-minority students. The…

An approach is presented for providing students with communication practice by relating course material to the common purposes of language use. A system for classifying communication activities is outlined in order to insure realistic, varied practice. Examples are provided in Spanish. (SW)

Four instructional ideas for use in the French second-language classroom are described, including an exercise in the temporal aspect of French past tenses; part of a series on simulating a French village community; a verb tense drill set in the context of a murder mystery; and an exercise in current French street slang. (MSE)

It is proposed that a major obstacle for intermediate-level learners of English as a Second Language is the transition from thinking in the native language to thinking in English, that this transition must be made before proceeding from the intermediate level, and that it should begin as early as possible in language training. Early in-class…

The ways in which second language learners and teachers together can develop learners' ability to carry on conversation in the target language are examined. The discussion is based on the idea that practicing language skills, therefore creating opportunities to gain additional knowledge, is essential to continued learning, whereas using such…

About and for teachers, this book examines children's language acquisition from the time they are born throughout the years of schooling. It tracks first and second language acquisition from birth through the school years using the experiences of a number of different children to exemplify stages and sequences of development. Chapters in the book…

A book on second languages in primary education, designed to assist both classroom teachers and language specialists, is presented. The following topics are addressed: (1) reasons for studying a second language; (2) reasons for children to learn a second language; (3) language choices; (4) qualifications of teachers; (5) FLES, bilingual education,…

This guide offers ideas and techniques for projects designed to enhance the social and linguistic experiences of students participating in international exchanges. The first section outlines potential topics and procedures for projects conducted in the home, school, or local environment during stays in foreign countries. Most are based on site…

Materials presented here include a variety of resources for teachers of Esperanto: a brief guide to Esperanto teaching, including suggested teacher qualifications, a listing of instructional materials and resources, including serials, with details of publication, activities in preparation for teaching, grade-level class activities, notes on…

Recognizing that different groups of students have different reasons for learning a second language, different language needs, and different intellectual capacities and abilities, this guide presents recommended language skills for an eclectic approach to English as a second language instruction. The language and reading scope and sequence for…

This book is one in a series of publications intended to help improve secondary instruction by addressing a central educational issue: teaching children how to think. This volume focuses specifically on how students can be encouraged and helped to think critically from the outset of learning to read in a foreign language. It draws on both recent…

An introduction to contemporary views of second/foreign language course design is intended for even relatively inexperienced teachers wishing to meet the somewhat sophisticated current expectations for language training. First, it provides theoretical background concerning the concepts of communicative competence and second language proficiency,…

This book introduces the latest theories about second-language acquisition and tested teaching approaches and practices for use in elementary schools. It is intended for all educators interested in adapting their skills to help recently-arrived immigrants, students born in Canada, and students for whom a lack of English skills may be delaying…

The fundamental principles underlying the "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001" focus on high standards of learning and instruction with the goal of increasing academic achievement--reading and math in particular--within all identified subgroups in the K-12 population. One of these subgroups is the growing population of English…

Guidelines are offered for teachers with pupils whose native language is other than English. They are presented in the form of eight principles and related classroom practices, derived from current thinking and research on second language learning and culturally sensitive instruction. The principles are: (1) bilingualism is an asset and should be…