Describes how to incorporate English as a second language (ESL) reading and listening comprehension strategies into an intensive ESL program using authentic materials about Canada. Instructional material selection and task design strategies for pairs and groups are illustrated through examples of methods using geography, map skills, and cultural…

Toddlers in the lowest 10th percentile for lexical production were compared with age- and language-matched controls on measures of phonetic complexity, lexical development, and grammatical complexity. Results indicate an overlap between phonology, lexicon, and grammar and suggest the importance of true consonant production for lexical development.…

An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention to increase vocabulary acquisition by 5 children (ages 7-9) with mild to moderate mental disabilities was evaluated. The AAC communication procedure resulted in higher rates of vocabulary and sentence selection for each of the children; improvement persisted above baseline levels…

Reports on a study of the color terms used in Setswana. The study compared terms used by children with those of adults and those used by people from rural areas with those used by people from urban areas. Results show a move away from traditional Setswana color terms toward the use of borrowed English terms, particularly among the young and…

Four activities for the French language classroom are described, including exploration of the relationships between the perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect tenses; an introductory French geography activity; vocabulary development through creation of new words; and exercises to enhance comprehension of the titles and subtitles of newspaper articles.…

Four activities for the French language classroom are described, including a comprehension game based on the cow's digestive system, a group journal exercise using current events, an economics vocabulary development activity, and a grammar exercise focusing on the use of determiners in news articles. (MSE)

Ten eighth grade U.S. history textbooks were evaluated with respect to factors such as readability level, global coherence, local coherence, questioning techniques, and vocabulary development. Findings indicated that texts had a mean readability level of 10.9; only 30 percent provided review of previous chapters; few offered introductory…

Four ideas for French language classroom activities include an exercise in the use of past tense in narrative, a children's vocabulary game, an introduction to the language of economics, and an activity combining self-expression and cultural awareness through photographs. (MSE)

Four ideas for French language instruction are described, including an exercise in summarizing or retelling something told to one; an exercise in descriptive and expressive language; an exploration of the different uses of the word "cadre"; and activities related to coffee in different cultures. (MSE)

A series of classroom instructional exercises to be used before, during, and after reading materials from the French press are described. The exercises are designed to develop a variety of reading strategies, and focus on format, construction, content, meaning, and vocabulary. Both reading and writing activities are included. (MSE)

Describes NEMATODE GLOSSARY, a hypertext glossary of terminology used in graduate nematology courses. Glossary definitions of anatomical terms are linked to color illustrations. Common names of plant and animal parasites and mnemonic codes for nematode genes are in separate appendices. (Author/MDH)

A study investigated the lexical knowledge of 40 Turkish-Dutch bilingual children aged 9 and 11 years and living in the Netherlands. Results indicate important differences between available lexical knowledge in the first language (L1) and second language (L2); children allot to L1 words less extensive and less varied meaning aspects than to L2…

Focuses on determining which semantic classes were being easily learned and which were causing difficulty for pupils in Brunei Darussalam's bilingual-education system. Also sought to determine, through analysis of pupil translation errors, which factors made a particular word or class of words difficult to learn. (Author/VWL)

Examined how child and family factors influence individual differences in the language development of African-American children between 18 and 30 months of age. Found that vocabulary and utterance length increased linearly. Children from more stimulating and responsive homes had larger vocabularies, used more irregular nouns and verbs, and had…

University English-as-a-Foreign-Language students in Hong Kong who participated in popular literature class that emphasized reading for content and enjoyment made superior gains on measures of vocabulary and reading rate compared to students enrolled in a traditional academic skills class. Eighty-eight percent of the literature students felt that…