Describes an intermediate-level college course based on authentic, unedited, German television murder mysteries that lend themselves well to language instruction and maintain student motivation, improve listening comprehension, and, through accompanying exercises, support speaking, reading, and writing skills. (four references) (Author/CB)

After the passage of a resolution by the South Dakota Board of Regents to place greater emphasis on the study of foreign language, Northern State College introduced commercial video programs in Spanish for classroom use. After installing a parabolic antenna and the other necessary equipment, the department selected and edited a series of programs,…

A French television program using puppets for political satire is discussed and its instructional applications are examined. (MSE)

Satellite television is proposed as a useful source of authentic materials for French language instruction at the college level. It is argued that this medium illustrates to students that the language is used in a wide variety of everyday situations and contexts. The discussion begins with a brief description of common satellite technology,…

Language class activities are outlined, including a class project to develop a detective story, a study of political advertising, creative story-writing, and the viewing of Italian television films about France. (MSE)

In a Japanese business communication course taught at Clemson University (South Carolina), Japanese television drama is used to help language students understand the style of Japanese communication and improve their communicative ability. The course design was based on the following: (1) research on Japanese perceptions of the language needs for…

A teacher describes the use of closed-caption decoding of television melodramas to teach English as a second language (ESL). The approach uses evening soap operas that afford a range of English usage and accents, realistic dialogue, entertainment, and coverage of current social issues and are closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired. The programs…

This volume outlines potential uses of many of the topics associated with daily newspapers, music, film, theater, and sports for vocabulary development and grammar review in French language instruction. The emphasis is on the advantage of using authentic, current materials prepared for the general public but somewhat familiar to students. The…

Articles on second language teaching and learning include: "Creativity with a Small 'c'" (Alan Maley); "National Standards & the Role of the Imagination in Foreign Language Learning" (Rebecca M. Valette); "Who Am I in English? Developing a Language Ego" (Jean Zukowski/Faust); "Steps to Dance in the Adult EFL…