Activities which focus on form and communicative outcome are suggested for developing accuracy and fluency in second language students. Examples of such activities (with focus on the English as a second language learner) that vary the circumstances of communication in the classroom are presented. (Author/CB)

"The Achiever" is a monthly publication for parents and community leaders from the Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education (ED). Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) President Sets Agenda for Education; (2) "Beating…

Explores the impact of a change in status in language programs and the culture of second language learning in Australian schools, particularly in light of declared goals such as a language other than English for all and the integration of language teaching and learning with Australia's external political and economic priorities. (32 references)…

Discusses the validity of a rating scale created by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages for the purpose of measuring the oral language proficiency of bilingual professionals who are speakers of English and Spanish. Notes that this scale measures various levels of competence and features of an individual's speech. (14…

Presents an overview of the contemporary struggle of American Indians to relearn their native languages. Examines the loss of native languages resulting from assimilationist policies at federal boarding schools; bilingual programs of the 1970s that emphasized writing, reading, and "survival" vocabulary; and recent tribal language programs…

Ways to develop "creative automaticity" for writing in a foreign language are examined. The paper focuses on transactional writing (i.e., writing with the purpose of transferring precise information by such means as telex messages, business letters, memoranda, and short reports), and its main features of clarity and conventionality. It is noted…

This paper examines the belief that as English rapidly infiltrates Native American cultures, school programs for teaching and maintaining native languages are not working. It suggests that Native American children who learn English first and their heritage languages second have difficulty learning the structures of their ancestral languages…

The task of planning, negotiating, and implementing an international training project differs according to setting. This article provides a checklist for international project facilitators that suggests thoroughly assessing in advance: objectives, sponsors, skill levels, evaluation methods, equipment needs, software language, copying services,…

Language learners' own intelligence, ability to concentrate, perseverance, cultural identity, high expectations, and organizational skills all play an important role in determining the ease with which students learn English while continuing to develop their first language. To accomplish the amazing task of acquiring a new language and culture,…

The admirable ideal of "total" immersion in a foreign culture privileges students who plan early on for foreign study, establish early language fluency and elect majors and activities that make it easier to leave campus. Other students often find that they lack the language skills to qualify for many foreign programs or are unable to reconcile…

This Native Language Arts-English as a Second Language Program funded under Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I was designed for economically disadvantaged students who were speakers of a language other than English, and whose ability to read and write in their native tongue and in English was not adequate to permit through June 1975 in 34…

Considers the degree to which scientifically acquired knowledge about language can be used in the design and execution of language teaching programs. Second language learners should become fluent speakers when they are exposed to copious linguistic data and have adequate opportunity for interaction in the language with other speakers. (CB)

Many would argue that the state of urban science education has been static for the past several decades and that there is little to learn from it. Rather than accepting this deficit perspective, this book strives to recognize and understand the successes that exist there by systematically documenting seven years of research into issues salient to…

A model service learning course for elementary teaching credential candidates is described. Preservice teachers taking a required university reading methods course studied scientifically-based reading instruction and volunteered in Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms during reading instruction time. Service learning experiences were…

Reports the results of a cross-sectional study of 67 short autobiographical essays by U.S. students of Russian at 4 levels. Linguistic measures differentiating the groups included fluency and syntactic fluency, but not accuracy. The article recommends further research into second- and foreign- language learning writing that accounts for different…