Describes a situation-centered approach to second language acquisition and provides examples of class activities, assignments, and exams. (EKN)

A notional syllabus places the greatest emphasis on the use of the language, unlike most foreign language syllabuses, which emphasize its structural form. Each entry defines a type of purposeful communication. When the student has mastered the syllabus, he has thus acquired a communicative competence. (CFM)

Describes how to become a better writing teacher, discussing strategies for students who do not finish their work, how to help children from other cultures write in their first language and in English, and how to help children with good ideas but poor writing and spelling skills. A game to help children understand conventions is included. (SM)

A college advanced speaking course designed with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines is described. Students prepared and performed many communicative tasks, including narrating, describing, hypothesizing, supporting an opinion, debating, and interviewing for a job. Other components include pair and small-group work, audio and videotaping, and pre-…

This guide offers advice on the assessment of the language development abilities of bilingual preschool children. A brief review of general bilingual child language development, including mixing and loss or semilingualism, is followed by a review of current assessment practices. A language assessment procedure developed for the State of California…

Materials compiled for a conference on the assessment of Japanese second language proficiency include a partially annotated bibliography of references concerning proficiency testing as it may relate to the Japanese language and an overview essay entitled "Towards the Development of Proficiency and Other Tests in Japanese as a Foreign Language…

A number of papers by secondary school German language teachers resulting from an institute on incorporation of literature into classroom instruction jointly sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Goethe Institute of Germany are collected here. They represent classroom methods and materials developed by institute…

This report calls for a major change in foreign language education in the state of Utah, moving from an instructional emphasis on the study of grammar to performance in speaking skills that can be sustained through instruction in reading, writing, and structural knowledge. This mastery curriculum will enable students to progress in language…

The University of Southwestern Louisiana initiated a commercial Spanish curriculum to serve the growing number of students in the business school. Two major factors were considered: (1) most business students had only taken language classes as electives and were concerned about the career relevance of those courses, and (2) language courses had to…

A handbook compiled for use in a one-day workshop on oral proficiency testing for teachers of Russian gives an overview of oral proficiency assessment principles and the available techniques. One section explains the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Educational Testing Service (ACTFL/ETS) Oral Proficiency Interview process and…

The purpose of this document is to spell out clear objectives in reading, writing, listening, and speaking for all students in Boston, Massachusetts, elementary and middle schools. The objectives include all of the Massachusetts Basic Skills; these are directly linked to competency tests and teacher observation at each level to measure students'…

The oral proficiency interview should be administered infrequently, but there are other measures than can be used between interviews to maintain oral proficiency and achievement as the organizing principles of instruction while placing fewer demands on the teacher/tester. One such measure is a semi-direct procedure that has two steps. First,…

The guide provides teachers of limited-English-proficient students in grades 4-6 with a communicative teaching unit integrating language, math, and computer skills. A model for integrating other content areas with English as a second language contains nine classroom activities, beginning with games that introduce and reinforce math vocabulary and…

This descriptive study examined practices in three Texas school districts concerning referral, assessment, and placement of limited English proficient (LEP) Hispanic students in programs for the mentally retarded (MR), and their impact on effectiveness of services for the LEP population. Subjects were 61 Hispanic LEP students (grades 2-5) enrolled…

A theoretical framework that distinguishes the knowledge, or competence, aspect of language proficiency from the skills aspect is outlined, and the factors in the language testing situation that affect performance on language tests are examined. The model is intended for use in assessing the construct validity of tests of language proficiency and…