Internet memes--usually taking the form of an image, GIF, or video with text--have become an important type of semiotic tool for meaning making. Due to the fact that memes can help learners leverage semiotic modes in social contexts, they hold great potential for language education. Integrating ecological social semiotic frameworks, this…

For many students learning English as a second/foreign language is an uninteresting, dull experience. Quite often teachers present words, sentence patterns, and grammar rules in a very mechanical manner. As a result, people come to think of the teaching of grammar and vocabulary as a monotonous job. But a resourceful, imaginative and creative…

Explores the use of cartoons as a means of teaching American culture and demonstrates how a discussion of the cartoons can be carried out. Examples are given of the presentation of cartoons in the regular classroom. (FB/Author)

This brief article discusses how carefully selected comic strips can become great teaching aids for (English Second Language) ESL instructors. They are beneficial in part because they provide brief conversations in English with pictures that help convey the meaning of the words. ESL teacher Dina Dahbany-Miraglia, author of Speaking American…

The use of comics in the classroom is examined as an aid for foreign language instruction, teaching English as a second language, and remediating learning disabilities. A selected bibliography is included. (CMV)

Four short articles are combined: "Adding Discourse-Level Practice to Sentence-Level Exercises" (Eric S. Nelson); "Presenting Picture Books in the ESL Classroom" (Lijun Shen); "Role Playing in a Large Class" (Ellen Rosen); and "Calvin and Hobbes and Other Icons of Americana" (Daniel J. Conrad). (Contains seven references.) (LB)

American comic strips and cartoons can be useful in English-as-a-second-language classes. They introduce variety and provide an inside look into American life and thought. Many current popular comic strips have cultural, social, and political significance and discuss the American way of life, society, and the individual. The…