The choice of an appropriate foreign language dictionary should be based on careful evaluation of its construction, intended uses, and intended audience. (MSE)

A project making French language children's books available to German students of French is described. The objective was to make second-language reading an ordinary activity, using the familiarity and pleasure of books to encourage exploration of the world and of the self. (MSE)

Using a recent, acclaimed French novel about the history of a family for illustration, techniques for literary study in the language class are presented. The approach addresses not only the historical and familial substance of the story but the novel's format, construction, and style. (MSE)

Picture dictionaries and word books published in France and intended for preschool or primary school children are listed and discussed. Their usefulness in promoting foreign language interest is noted, and observations are made about the contents' reflection of social reality. (MSE)

An issue devoted to the use of science fiction in the French language classroom discusses such topics as the development of the genre, literary techniques, themes, imagery, sociolinguistic elements, and potential classroom activities. (MSE)

An approach to literary analysis of foreign language texts uses the tools provided by the study of semiotics. The technique is illustrated in the analysis of an excerpt from a French novel. (MSE)

Techniques for using French history textbooks as materials for teaching French culture are provided, including ideas on selecting texts, uncovering the author's viewpoint, attending to cultural symbols and myths, discovering perspectives on the United States, assessing intellectual style and method, and understanding the French educational system.…

The potential classroom uses of the foreign language dictionary as a cultural object and source of information about language usage, cultural perceptions, and documentation of attitudes are explored. (MSE)

Eight French dictionaries and encyclopedic reference books are reviewed, focusing on their formats, characteristics, and intended uses. They include references for language, geopolitics and economics, economic history, signs and symbols, and an almanac. (MSE)

This document consists of the three issues of "FLESNews" published during school year 1993-1994. This newsletter of the National Network for Early Language Learning contains articles on a variety of topics in elementary school second language teaching, listings of instructional materials, classroom instructional activities, and…

Essays that consider the way that women are portrayed in foreign language textbooks are presented. The selected essays were submitted to a competition sponsored by the Federation Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes, which requested that language teachers assess such concerns as: (1) whether women were described in a stereotyped way;…