Discusses instructional strategies to: promote language and literacy development; enhance comprehension of content area material; and make informed decisions that effectively meet the individual needs of each second language student. Reviews six instructional principles in the area of second language learning and a lesson incorporating the…

Although second language textbooks rarely provide songs or many song-related exercises, music excels at alleviating students' tension, enlivening the atmosphere, and offering teachers opportunities to emphasize pedagogical concepts, whether linguistic or cultural. A series of easy-to-use activities is provided that will work with most songs and is…

Reports on a content-based elementary Chinese as a foreign language program. Focuses on classroom language activities that are designed and implemented to serve the dual goals of language development and cultural learning. Investigated how classroom activities are organized to integrate culture/content and language learning for young beginners.…

Two language teachers offer guidance to help other English-as-a-Second-/Foreign-Language educators incorporate pronunciation activities into oral communication courses as well as other instructional settings. (Author/VWL)

Suggests that classroom activities that emphasize interaction help students to use language. Interaction allows students to practice being effective speakers by developing two needed sets of skills: managing an interaction and negotiating meaning. Provides examples of problem solving activities for use in the language classroom. (Author/VWL)

Describes four techniques for using a video camera to generate higher levels of student interest, involvement, and productivity in beginning foreign language courses. The techniques include spontaneous discussion of video images, enhancement of students' use of interrogative pronouns and phrases, grammar instruction, and student-produced skits.…

Presents daily activities that facilitate complete sentence response, promote oral production, and aid the learning of vocabulary in foreign-language classes. Because speech is the primary form of communication in the foreign-language classroom, it is important to stimulate students to converse as soon as possible. (Author/CK)

Natural and enthusiastic communication among students is a goal of every second-language class. Whole-class interaction activities promote interpersonal sharing as well as intense oral practice of targeted linguistic structures in a relaxed atmosphere. Examples are given. (Contains four references.) (Author/LB)

Teletext or videotex can be used for second-language learning, with the second language as either the medium of communication or its objective. Potential uses include consultation of databases, on-line instructional exercises, games, and electronic mail and networking. (MSE)

Offers a group approach method to learning new structures in German. Students practice one pattern by constructing sentences in a simple, mildly competitive board game that can easily be put together by the teacher. (GLR)

These activities focus on the following topics: winter olympic sports; women on the French ski team; French winter sports resorts; and sport, drugs, and politics. (SR)

Three exercises in the use of newspapers in the French classroom encourage attention to such things as page layout and composition as well as content. There are suggestions for using French radio news magazine shows and television news to develop a sense of the larger organization of language and information by the media. (CNP)

Examines major principles and characteristics of cooperative learning, various instructional approaches, and the findings of cooperative learning studies in elementary and secondary schools. The relationship between cooperative learning and language learning is discussed. An annotated bibliography is included. (46 references) (LET)

Proposes activities involving the World Wide Web that reflect the emphasis in the national standards for foreign-language learning on learning about other cultures and the necessity for becoming a lifelong learner. Proposes learning scenarios at the three grade levels for six standards covering all five Cs, using French as the target language.…

Focuses on the connection between students' learning styles and preferences and draws a distinction between learning and cognitive style. Six major styles are outlined: deep/surface/strategic approach, holist/serialist, converger/diverger, concrete/abstract/, reflective/active, and solitary/social. Further research is recommended. (23 references)…