Reflecting a constructivist approach to teaching and learning, this book presents the content of the language arts curriculum and the most effective strategies for teaching this content. The processes of reading and writing provide the foundation for the three instructional approaches presented in the book: literature focus units, reading and…

The report, entirely in French, describes Alberta's curriculum for ninth-year French immersion, as revised in 1998. An introductory section offers background information on the curriculum revision, links between the core curriculum and French immersion, underlying principles of second language instruction, the revised curriculum's objectives and…

Aligned with its 1998 standards for first and second language learning, Alberta Learning has published lesson plans that aim for a closer relationship between learning and evaluation. Each volume in this series presents a specific task for students that involves planning, carrying out and evaluating their work. The task for seventh grade students…

Reports the results of a Speech Communication Association Task Force investigating communication skills needed by community college graduates. Summarizes relevant literature and survey results from state instructional offices and community college committee members in various occupational areas. Findings indicate a strong need for group…

The thematic integrated teaching method for second-language learning weaves together the four skills by using a topic encountered in everyday living to explore and adjust to a new environment and language. The theme of food is used to illustrate curriculum structure, vocabulary, and activities. (MSE)

Describes the development and evaluation of a communication program which, through speaker-listener settings, aims to give children strategies for recognizing and conveying critical attributes, ignoring redundant information, and sequencing information. (Author/BW)

This study determined if mildly mentally retarded secondary school students could respond to a verbally presented multiple-choice test of social and personal knowledge. Teacher ratings were also obtained. Results supported the use of two- and three-alternative multiple choice tests. (Author/JKS)

This article discusses a battery of tests, the "Short Tests of Linguistic Skills," which was developed by the Chicago Board of Education to help teachers determine the language dominance of Spanish bilingual children between the ages of 8 and 13. (CFM)

Presents a longitudinal study on the acquisition of first-, second-, and third-person pronouns in 12 French- and 12 English- speaking children. Findings revealed that the mastery of pronouns did not follow the developmental sequence predicted by the speech-role hypothesis; the person-role hypothesis was valid when children were speaking; and the…

Examines the effects of different kinds of rich contexts for vocabulary learning based on second language oral input. The article compares the number and kinds of words learned through exposure to a dialogue or video, or by first listening to an oral account of the dialogue situation and then hearing the audio soundtrack without visual support.…

This study extends previous research on the relationships among intelligibility, perceived comprehensibility, and accentedness. The researchers obtained accent and comprehensibility ratings and transcriptions of accented speech of Cantonese, Japanese, Polish, and Spanish intermediate English-as-a-Second-Language students from native English…

Explores the role of sonority in constraining the word identification errors of normal listeners by examining the phonological relationships between response errors and stimulus targets. Findings indicate that sonority and lexical phonostatistics may constrain coda-driven word-search processes. (35 references) (Author/CK)

This article discusses the affective needs of gifted students and provides information about what counselors can offer to gifted adolescents and their teachers, including affective curriculum, training in active listening, and co-facilitation of discussion groups. Other strategies for addressing social and emotional concerns in programs are also…

Reports on a study that investigated possible effects of visual information on non-music students' cognitive responses to music. One group rated the affective response of musical excerpts from the film "Fantasia" without the accompanying video while another rated the excerpts with the video. Reveals little significant difference between…

Discusses subvocalization and other ways in which people read silently. Comments on authorial voice and offers ways to experiment with creative reading aloud. Notes how the proliferation of advertising, the media "explosion," and the influence of modernism in literature has changed the fundamental sense of what reading is and how to do…