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)

Specific French teaching curriculum goals are suggested for grades 3-5. Several classroom games are presented for motivating students and encouraging use of new structures and vocabulary. Five evaluation techniques are presented; activities for each grade are discussed. (CHK)

The foreign languages segment of Arkansas' statewide curriculum guide outlines instructional objectives for French I and II and Spanish I and II in the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and culture. The guide does not recommend any specific material or method, but emphasizes skills and learning objectives to produce…

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 structure and philosophy of a college bilingual program is described within the context of Ontario's bilingual education system, differentiating between university-level education intended to meet the needs of Franco-Ontarians and bilingual education intended to produce graduates equally at home in the language and culture of both official…

Discusses a case of language program revitalization at a major metropolitan university. Results of a pilot study aimed at assessing students' needs and redefining the goals and objectives of a traditional French program are presented. (Author/VWL)

This guide outlines the Manitoban Department of Education's conversational French-as-a-second-language curriculum for second grade. The program is designed to introduce young children to the French language and culture through the learning of French sounds, vocabulary, and some sentence patterns. An introductory section explains the program's…

The curriculum guide for Alberta's six-year French language program, which spans grades 7 through 12 and is designed to increase program effectiveness through greater specificity, improved articulation, and increased instructional time, includes the following components: a set of objectives reflecting the province's goals of basic education and a…

Two papers concerning secondary school language training are presented. "Foreign Language Training: Bridging the Gap between High School and College," by Michele R. Morris, outlines some of the problems of high school-college second language articulation from the point of view of a college teacher. Student placement in college foreign language…

Discusses whether the goal of language proficiency is reasonable or even possible given the language textbooks available. Examines the description of the French language in college-level French language textbooks (all of which take a structural approach) to see if they lend themselves to the acquisition of a functional speaking ability. (SED)

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)

The Iowa guide to foreign language curriculum development, the result of a 1985 state mandate, is designed to help local teachers and administrators build on and improve current curriculum and instructional methods. An opening section outlines the rationale, philosophy, and goals of the guide, and subsequent sections focus on curriculum design and…

This guide outlines the Manitoba Department of Education's conversational French-as-a-second-language curriculum for kindergarten and first grade. The program is designed to introduce young children to the French language and culture through the learning of French sounds, vocabulary, and some sentence patterns. An introductory section explains the…

The curriculum guide for Alberta's nine-year French language program, which spans grades 4 through 12, includes the following components: a set of objectives reflecting the province's goals of basic education and a rationale to support the inclusion of French in a school program; specification of minimum expectations for each language skill…

The National Core French Study had the objectives of defining and developing four syllabuses and assessing their applicability in Core French classes in Canadian elementary and secondary schools. The communicative/experiential syllabus reported on here reflects real-life language use needs. The first chapter is introductory. The second elaborates…