Noting that some educators are calling for a whole language approach to teaching Spanish reading to replace the traditional word approach, reviews various methods of teaching Spanish reading and summarizes research that supports a psycholinguistic view of reading. Suggests specific guidelines and materials to help teachers move toward a whole…

The exploratory study determined whether Spanish language-use patterns employed on a television program accurately reflected language use patterns of the target culture as perceived by members of that group. Findings indicated over 50% approved of the show's language use because they attributed to it the intent of legitimizing bilingualism. (NEC)

Describes longitudinal case study of the developmental sequence of certain English forms and the influence of input frequency on their acquisition by three-Spanish speaking elementary students. Reports findings which suggest that developmental sequence is variable and that input frequency does not influence it particularly. (NEC)

Finds the test useful but criticizes its lack of generalizability of norms and the absence of reliability, validity, or normative information for the Spanish version. (FL)

A program for gifted Hispanic children in the Worcester, Massachusetts, public schools is designed to increase participants' exposure to cultural and community resources, encourage creativity and imagination, and foster language and literacy skills. Potential participants are identified by bilingual teachers and by peer, parent, and…

Practical information on how to teach severely retarded and severely retarded autistic students of limited English proficiency is presented. Specific information is given on developing a functional word list for these students that utilizes both Spanish and English. Other helpful techniques for teaching students in both languages are offered.…

A study investigated the effect of relevant background knowledge on the reading comprehension of students of Spanish. Students with limited knowledge of baseball took a comprehension test on a Spanish-language report of a baseball game. Results indicate that background knowledge is possibly more important than language level for comprehension.…

Describes an adaptation of the Guided Reading Procedure which was used both to help bridge the gap between students' abilities in Spanish and the reading material contained in their content textbooks and to prepare them for taking the Advanced Placement Spanish Language Examination. (SED)

Discusses organization of community college Spanish courses around themes, such as geography, life sciences, arts, holidays, in conjunction with techniques such as the Natural Approach and Total Physical Response. The discussion includes examples of class activities, suggestions for materials, and notes on accommodating different levels. (SED)

Tested the correspondence of interests of Spanish-speaking clients to Holland's theory using the English and Spanish versions of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory administered to 94 bilingual Hispanic high school students. Results suggested that the two forms of the inventory correlated .79, and supported Holland's (1973) structure of…

Describes a study intended to determine whether providing special reading time with a wide variety of reading materials in Spanish affects the reading abilities, reading attitudes, and academic self-concept of Hispanic high school students. US-born Hispanics rarely made use of the materials, but recent Hispanic immigrants used them extensively.…

Describes the stimulation of the literary market in Spain and the promotion of a national children's literature.(EL)

Compares academic outcomes for 24 Spanish-dominant and 118 English-dominant Mexican American children in primary grades. Assesses impact of the experimental group's exposure to the transitional bilingual education program by examining their Spanish and English academic performance. Discusses implications for the education of bilingual learners.…

Reports the results of an experiment which tested the ability of native English-speaking students of Spanish and native Spanish speakers to comprehend an oral passage, in Spanish, and remember the word order of certain sentences. The findings indicate that word order significantly affected the degree of the English speakers' comprehension.…

This annotated bibliography lists 35 books (by 31 authors), 9 films, and 8 filmstrips appropriate for use in planning library programs for Hispanic children up to age nine. The appropriate age or grade level is indicated for most of the books. Addresses of 12 distributors of Spanish books are included. (EJS)