Discusses the lack of emphasis on writing skills in elementary and intermediate language classes, the purpose and process of writing, and general recommendations for the incorporation of writing into the language curriculum. Contains specific examples of writing tasks, including the composition of telegrams, recipes, postcards, directions, and…

Identifies 60 heritage/international language documents available from (or being developed by) provincial ministries of education in Canada (except the two territories and Quebec). It lists, by province, documents related to languages other than English, French, or Native languages, and provides the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of…

Describes the Multidimension Curriculum Model for developing a language curriculum and suggests a generic approach to selecting and sequencing learning objectives. Alberta Education used this model to design a new French-as-a-Second-Language program. The experience/communication, culture, language, and general language components at the beginning,…

Identifies 30 heritage/international language documents available from the province of Quebec. The documents, in French, cover general language instruction, Arabic, Cambodian, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Laotian, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. Also provides the names, addresses and telephone numbers of contact people in the…

Supports the idea that second language teachers should "teach the test," provided that such tests meet the criteria of authentic assessment. Authentic assessment focuses on constructivist learning and communicative tasks; the integration of teaching, learning, and assessment; quality and coverage of content; and quality and fairness of standards.…