The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, undergraduate institution that educates and trains its students (cadets) to become future leaders in the US Army officer corps. The Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) at West Point plays an integral role in developing cadets' cultural and linguistic competencies in preparation for…

During the 2013-2014 school year, a charter school in Central Florida (which will be given the pseudonym "The Unity School") known for its practice of full inclusion launched an unconventional project. The Unity School, which serves children from preschool through grade five, began offering foreign language to all pre-kindergarten…

Discusses implementation of a FLEX program called Beginning Foreign Language at Mooresville High School, including administrative scheduling, room assignments, budget, general and specific objectives of course, materials, testing, and grading. Concludes positive aspects outweigh unresolved problems. (BK)

To afford elementary school children in Louisiana the opportunity of attaining proficiency in French, the state legislature established in 1975 a state-wide French as a Second Language (FSL) Program. Learning goals were established for each grade, based on the use of specified instructional materials. The administrative structure of the program…

Suggests topics that require thorough consideration in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of a high-quality elementary school foreign language program, including a plan of action; program evaluation; program support; feasibility determinations; program philosophy, outcomes and goals, structure, and scheduling; curriculum and materials;…

This article addresses program design for foreign-language teaching. It examines the complexities of specifying the outcomes and selecting and sequencing the content, outlines the principal program types in existence today, and offers a general proposal for future programs. (MT)

Describes and reviews the Dutch National Action Programme (NAP) on Foreign Languages, instituted in anticipation of the demands of the 1992 Single European Market. The increasing demand for foreign languages is confirmed, some shortcomings of the current program regarding French and German language learning are identified, and recommendations for…

Content-based instruction, a communicative approach to language teaching, is defined as a curriculum (1) that is based on subject matter, (2) uses authentic materials, (3) promotes the learning of new information, and (4) considers specific student needs. The Spanish and Russian content-area programs at the Foreign Service Institute are described…

A discussion of the immersion approach to second language instruction contains: a description of the approach and its goals; a brief history of its introduction into public schools; a description of the most common immersion program designs (early total, early partial, middle or delayed, and late); a review of available information on program…

This report covers six areas related to the development of French second language (FSL) programs in Alberta: (1) background information on recommendations of the Curriculum Policies Board, including the plan for curriculum revision; (2) characteristics of newly developed French programs; (3) premises underlying the program development,…

Describes a regional effort in Northern California to provide high quality French instruction for kindergarten through sixth grade in cooperation with the public schools. The role of the National French Contest as motivation and as a learning experience for the students is also discussed. (MSE)

Describes the use of illuminative techniques in the formative evaluation of a sheltered immersion project in Geneva, Switzerland. Interviews and questionnaires with students and teachers were used in subsequent teacher workshops. This process resulted in positive feedback from the principal and the teachers involved in this project. (Contains six…

An ethnographic study of a Philadelphia elementary school program in English as a second language focused on the way children's first and second languages were used in the classroom, and how this use of language was connected to the learning process. It was found that despite teachers' claims of emphasis on communication skills, a number of…

Existing programs using language immersion strategies for teaching language-minority children in the United States are described. In those programs, instruction is conducted in English at a level understood by the limited-English-speaking students, the teacher is bilingual in the non-English home language, the teacher generally speaks only in…

A national survey investigated the extent and design of programs in which content instruction is combined with instruction in English as a Second Language (content-ESL). Findings are summarized here. Is was found that about 15 percent of all public schools, and all states, have such programs, with heaviest concentration in the south and southwest…