This report describes the implementation and evaluation of a 12-week oral vocabulary development curriculum for use with transitional first graders. The transitional first grade is a class between kindergarten and first grade to provide students with an extra year of academic instruction to learn the skills needed to enter first grade. A natural…

One teacher of English as a second language found that Gertrude Moskowitz' humanistic approach to instruction brought about significant changes in her small and diverse class. The direct results she perceived included very strong ties within the group, mutual trust and interest, values changes, and expressions of sentiment. Indirect results, those…

Employed extensively in some Soviet bloc countries to teach a variety of subjects, the Suggestive-Accelerative Learning and Teaching (SALT) method uses a combination of physical and mental relaxation exercises, music, and suggestive principles to increase learning. However, in spite of research showing its effectiveness in teaching reading skills…

The vocabulary used in textbooks and standardized tests for English as a second language (ESL) is examined to determine how much variation exists. Word lists were compared for six difficulty levels in five frequently-used ESL textbook series (a total of 30 books). Three series of standardized proficiency/placement tests at different levels were…

Although suitable for students of all ages, this illustrated resource booklet is specifically intended to help teach young children the Ojibwe names of 19 familiar domestic and wild animals. Three brief, simple English sentences offer clues describing an animal, and these are followed by a final sentence stating the animal's Ojibwe name. The…

An intermediate level course in a university French program, entitled "Problems in Language and Style," is intended to develop students' skills in reading, writing, and speaking French through extensive work in building vocabulary and idioms. After a thorough and methodical reading of one novel and one play, the students are expected to read most…

Advertisements can be used in many ways to facilitate the teaching of a commercial language. If reproduced as slides or other visual aids, they serve as a visual warm-up exercise for each class period, either reinforcing previously discussed topics or introducing new ones. Catchy headlines in commercials promote rapid expansion of vocabulary and…

Intended to help students improve their vocabulary and word usage skills, this book of games offers students an opportunity for group interaction and the option of reinforcing skills in an interesting manner. The first part of the book contains ideas for determining and building content vocabulary, using a dictionary, and previewing texts, and…

Developed to form the basis for a state-wide public school student assessment program, this manual outlines course performance standards based upon intended outcomes in language arts courses which are part of the state-adopted curriculum frameworks, grades 9 through 12. The standards are for courses in English skills, English, and English honors…

In the past, phonics instruction has done little to lessen the difficulties that many poor readers have with decoding words quickly and accurately enough to construct meaning from text. Based on an analysis of the research literature in decoding and a four-year cycle of program development, a new program was created for teaching decoding to poor…

To determine if people analyze words in online reading, an experiment was conducted with 12 congenitally deaf, second generation sign language users with a reading level of 6.64 on a standardized reading achievement test. The hearing controls included seventh and eighth grade students who were matched for reading level. Both groups were split in…

A business French course developed at Utah State University was designed to meet the students' need for knowledge of the specialized vocabulary and expressions in a French-speaking business environment. These vocabulary needs include language for use at work, in daily living, and in employment-seeking. A business French text was chosen and…

Intended for use by curriculum specialists, administrators, resource teachers, classroom teachers, and teachers of special reading programs, this guide for language arts in grades 9 through 12 offers general suggestions and specific activities for integrating the language arts. Skill areas covered include (1) imagining, (2) describing, (3)…

A study examined acquisition of new vocabulary through oral stories in first-, third-, and fifth-grade children. Each subject heard four stories, each including four nonsense words repeated three times. These novel words represented common nouns whose meanings could be derived from propositional information associated with their occurrence. The…

A discussion of the use of science activities as a technique for second language instruction focuses on its application in both immersion and more traditional pull-out programs in the elementary school. First, a rationale for the use of hands-on science experiences in grade school second language classes is presented, noting the value of the…