The author describes how a New Brunswick board set up an early French immersion program. (Editor)

A discussion of French foreign language instruction in the elementary schools (FLES) in the United States looks at the rationale behind and proliferation of FLES programs and the diversity of program models, including exploratory, traditional second language, and immersion. (MSE)

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)

A specialist conceptualization of French-language teacher education is proposed for Western Canada where French is a minority language. The discussion addresses the philosophical basis for this approach, the three forms of French language schooling, contributions of bilingual educational methods, and program design. (MSE)

The report evaluates a Swiss bilingual education program in the City of Sierre/Siders in which 19 Francophone children aged 5-6 years received half their instruction in French and half in German over a period of a year. Participants were evaluated for their German language skill development in November, February, and June. Results indicate that…

A student exchange program in which Italian secondary students of French visited Lyon is described, including the impetus for the trip (a European Community initiative to promote international exchange), the search for an exchange partner institution, program design and planning, the trip itself, and evaluation of the effort. (MSE)

Existing empirical research on core French instruction is reviewed, and research directions are proposed in four areas: program design, program objectives and outcomes, curriculum issues, and teacher education. Experimentation with alternative instructional designs for delivery of core French is seen as a high priority. (84 references) (Author/MSE)

Examples of four kinds of elementary school programs in second language instruction are described: eight Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) programs, one Foreign Language Experience or Foreign Language Exploration (FLEX) program, one partial immersion program, and one total immersion program. An introductory section provides…

The conceptual framework within which Alberta's elementary school French immersion programs are designed is presented. The first of three main sections outlines the evolution of the concept of language and some second language instructional approaches, including the structural, formalist, functional, and communicative approaches. It also discusses…

A study investigated the elementary school programs in French as a second language in Louisiana, Quebec (Canada), and New Brunswick (Canada). The objective was to learn about the programs' underlying goals and philosophies, examine the teaching materials used at this level, evaluate the teaching situation, and survey teachers for their…

The curriculum guide for French second language programs (FSL) in the State of Louisiana, presented in French with some English introduction, outlines the objectives and design of newly mandated FSL instruction in grades four through six. It was constructed for use with any method or combination of methods of instruction in school systems having…

An experiment in programed language instruction based on the "Basic French" method of T. Mueller and H. Niedzielski is reviewed in this paper. Seventy-two civil servants participated in the program which provided for 60 hours of taped instruction. Experiment description, objectives, modifications, and a review of the structuring of lessons 1-20…

Louisiana's elementary school French second language program is described. An introductory section gives background information about program history. The second contains a statement concerning the foreign language crisis in American education, written to be used as a public awareness presentation. Section 3 outlines the state's overall program…

The University of Ulster (Northern Ireland), a multicampus university in an economically depressed area highly dependent on international trade, and France's University of Caen, developed a program in European business studies with French as a key discipline. The four-year undergraduate program enrolls Irish students with good French proficiency…

This curriculum guide outlines Prince George's County (MD) schools' seventh and eighth grade program of exploratory foreign language. Topics presented include: administrative and instructional policy statements; course overview; notes on concepts, skills, and content; timetables for fall and spring semester courses; rationale and goals; student…