Reviews conditions and practices found in effective core French programs, which are potentially useful to teachers. The review includes elements related to provincial curricula, organization for instruction, instructional planning, instructional strategies, and student evaluation. (MSE)

The second-year French course at Dalhousie University was divided into two semesters and redesignated as separate, half-credit courses, allowing science students to complete the basic program in less than two years and allowing the others more options for the second semester. (RM)

Proposes a model for a French phonetics course in Canada based on Canadian usage, using an inventory of segmental features in published descriptions of Canadian French that has been modified based on comparison with features common to television news readers. The resulting model is of an unstigmatized Canadian French. (Author/MSE)

Four questions concerning the communicative approach are addressed: (1) What are its theoretical foundations? (2) How does the new approach force teachers to reexamine the stated goal of helping learners communicate? (3) How does it modify teaching methods? (4) What are the implications of adopting a European teaching model? (MSE)

The stages of development of an adult communicative course in French are outlined, including the principles used in course content selection, structural progression, and the means found for encouraging student participation. The primary influence for the course came from the Council of Europe and experience with adult students. (Author/MSE)

This paper presents a French-as-a-Second-Language writing course for non-Francophone students at an advanced university level. Because this approach to teaching writing focuses on the writer (and on the reader's expectations), as well as on textuality, the organization (i.e., the architecture) of this course is as complex as writing. (32…

Structures of first-year French courses in Canada are similar except for contact hours. Enrollment is generally increasing, despite staff funding problems. Textbook choices change slowly, and eclectic methodology predominates. Institutional enrollments, trends, class hours, and course types are charted, and a list of textbooks is included. (MSE)