In order to build robust natural language processing systems that can detect and recover from miscommunication, the investigation of how people communicate and how they recover from problems in communication described in this artificial intelligence report focused on reference problems which a listener may have in determining what or whom a…

A study investigated the validity of an English listening skills test by comparing the results of native American and British English speakers with those of Dutch students of English as a second language. A hypothesis suggested that two-thirds of the items would test listening skills and the remaining third would test other knowledge. Test results…

A teacher describes the use of closed-caption decoding of television melodramas to teach English as a second language (ESL). The approach uses evening soap operas that afford a range of English usage and accents, realistic dialogue, entertainment, and coverage of current social issues and are closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired. The programs…

A total of 96 students identified as academically at risk were selected to participate in an extended-day kindergarten program featuring small class size and a whole-language approach to the curriculum and learning. High-risk students attended regular morning kindergarten classes as well as the extended-day sessions; comparison students attended…

Part of the Alberta (Canada) Education's "Program of Studies for Elementary Schools, 1978" (amended 1981), this publication presents the curriculum specifications for the grade six language arts achievement test. These curriculum specifications integrate a taxonomy of levels of thinking skills with a set of five communications…

This language arts curriculum guide for kindergarten combines the Basic Skills First Reading Guide and the Language Arts Guide to provide a comprehensive kindergarten curriculum. The objectives in the guide are categorized according to the strands (divisions of skill areas) for grades 1-12 to show how the curriculum in kindergarten prepares…

Authentic listening materials are appropriate and desirable for instruction in English as a second language (ESL) for business purposes for several reasons: they have high interest, leading to enhanced motivation and increased opportunity for learning; they contain many natural redundancies and repetitions that facilitate comprehension; and they…

An outline of the Spanish curriculum used in grades 4-7 in the Radford, Virginia schools is presented. It consists of outlines of the course content for each year of the four-year program. The content is divided into two categories: listening comprehension, geared to a specific textbook, and the grouped skills of speaking, reading, writing,…

One in a series on the status and progress of studies on the nature of speech, instrumentation for its investigation, and practical research applications, this document contains 17 research reports. Topics discussed in the reports are as follows: (1) dynamic modeling of phonetic structure; (2) coarticulation as a component in articulatory…

Four major categories are included in this annotated bibliography of materials for adult English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. The categories are: (1) general purpose ESL; (2) special purpose ESL; (3) teacher resources; and (4) ESL administrator resources. The criteria used in selecting the materials are that the materials are frequently…

This manual for first grade French instruction accompanies the early French immersion program. It is based on general and specific learning objectives for the four language skills the child needs to develop (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). The introduction to the manual provides an overview of the program for the primary grades and…

This manual for second grade French instruction accompanies the early French immersion program. It is based on general and specific learning objectives for the four language skills the child needs to develop. The introduction to the manual provides an overview of the program for the primary grades and learning objectives for the four language…

This manual for fourth grade French instruction accompanies the early French immersion program. It is based on general and specific learning objectives for the four language skills the child needs to develop. The introduction to the manual provides an overview of the program for the middle grades and learning objectives for the four language…

This manual for fifth grade French instruction accompanies the early French immersion program. It is based on general and specific learning objectives and addresses the four language skills the child needs to develop. The introduction to the manual provides an overview of the program for the middle grades and learning objectives for the four…

This manual for sixth grade French instruction accompanies the early French immersion program. It is based on general and specific learning objectives and addresses the four language skills the child needs to develop. The introduction to the manual provides an overview of the program for the middle grades and learning objectives for the four…