The U.S. Census bureau projects that by 2023, minorities will comprise more than half of all children. The population of school-aged Hispanic children is already the largest ethnic group, and the sheer number and rate of increase of these linguistically and culturally different students creates unfamiliar cultural challenges for school leaders.…

Using a low-inference observational instrument, the authors empirically described and compared pedagogical behaviors in bilingual and structured English-immersion programs serving Spanish-speaking English language learners in a large urban school district in Southeast Texas. The two programs included both intervention/control of each type during…

Dubbed a "dialogue of life," community immersion in preservice science-teacher education aims at providing a true-to-life and empowering opportunity for prospective science teachers (both elementary and secondary) to become active participants in community life through field and service-learning experiences. It consists of a three-unit…

Most research on language awareness in a second language (L2) has been carried out with adult learners. This research presents data showing that pedagogical techniques can be devised enabling children as young as 8 to develop metalinguistic awareness of their emerging L2 system. Building on existing work by Canadian researchers, this…

This paper reports on the changes in understandings and appreciations of pre-service elementary (K-8) teacher education students who participated in a week-long cultural immersion experience in Alaska Native communities and their schools. For this group of pre service teachers, the experience developed new and deeper understandings about the…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a dual language immersion program had a significant effect on the reading literacy achievement of Spanish and English speaking seventh and eighth graders who were in the program for three years. The research design was a quasi-experimental, nonrandom quantitative research using ex-post facto data.…

A national movement is afoot to revitalize the hundreds of native languages that once flourished across North America and the Hawaiian islands. Experts say that because the majority of native language speakers are passing away, almost all of these languages could be gone by 2050. While universities have been a reservoir for the study and research…

This workbook contains "skill sharpening" math problems presented in Spanish. These problems have been designed as supplementary work for students at the eighth grade level. Functions and topics such as addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, decimals, scientific notation (exponents), fractions, symmetry, angles, the metric…

Guidelines are provided to assist teachers of grade 3 French immersion pupils in developing a concentrated English language arts program which will enable pupils to attain competency in the essential basic skills. The introduction of English language arts into the early French immersion program represents the pupils' first encounter with formal…

Describes a program in which native English-speaking students were immersed in a Spanish-only environment for a week. The program was so successful that teachers asked for, and got, their own program. (IRT)

Describes the type of team staffing used in the Virginia Tech foreign language camps and the way in which the staff is rewarded. The staff is composed of a high school teacher, a native speaker, and a junior counselor. Describes how the teams function during precamp planning and during the camping week. (SED)

Examines several of the key decisions to be made when designing a program model for an elementary school foreign language program and relates them to the three most common forms of elementary school programs: FLES, FLEX, and immersion, and to the resources that may be available to a local community. (SED)

Many times summer language immersion administrators and instructors overlook the rich collections housed in various town libraries. Students of French immersion programs have an opportunity to utilize local libraries. This essay describes the facilities and services of five libraries in La Pocatiere, Quebec. A series of interviews of librarians…

Describes immersion program in foreign languages at Boston College which allows students to select a standard curriculum from courses in many departments but to have curriculum taught in a foreign language. Provides brief description of program and its history, explains how it works, and gives assessment of the past year and a prediction about the…

Presents an evaluation of the partial French immersion program offered in the English schools of the Ottawa Roman Catholic Separate School Board from grades one to four. Variables under study include pupil skills in English and French, teacher ratings of classroom behavior, and parental views. (Author/MES)