This paper focuses on the current developments in regard to the assessment of language proficiency in children who are from non-English speaking backgrounds. Instruments currently used to assess language proficiency for placement in English programs usually fail validity and reliability tests. These tests usually measure formal aspects of language…

The growing emphasis on reading in the foreign language classroom is examined from the standpoint of learning theory, learning strategies, and classroom practice. The reading process in the native language, the origin and application of new learning strategies in foreign language reading, and modifications and revisions in teaching practices are…

The Spanish SL strand of unit five for second graders provides the English-dominant child with the structures and vocabulary he will need for effective communication in a bilingual environment. This teacher's guide contains assessment activities, activities for oral language development, and activities for listening and related skills of…

The growing practice of beginning instruction in a modern foreign language in the elementary school has created a need for many classroom teachers to become oriented to a whole new field of foreign-language teaching methodology and materials. Since teachers tend to think of language instruction in terms of the English-language arts, the language…

Questions Kenyan language instructional policy, arguing exclusive use of English for science instruction confuses students and impedes learning. Offers examples the authors observed in elementary classrooms in Kisii and Kwale districts when teacher use of English synonyms rather than Kiswahili words led to confusion, misunderstanding, and…

The literature review is an academic genre that has a natural place in theses, dissertations, and other genres such as the lab report. The typical final (fourth) year project in the engineering curriculum is an example where such an extensive review can take place (Krishnan & Kathpalia 2002). Second language students may have special…

Resource materials and program planning guidelines are set forth for the creation of a multi-level, modular program in English as a second language for adult learners. An overview of the modular system briefly discusses staff requirements, program designs, and laboratory materials. The role and duties of the teacher aide are treated. Seven…

This paper examines the questions of whether or not previous knowledge of Spanish (oral and/or written) interferes with an English as a second language (ESL) student's acquisition of English reading skills, which skills are affected, and what classroom techniques are successful in dealing with it. Two contrasting views of reading are examined:…

Spanish for second graders is explored in the instructional and assessment activities of the unit six Spanish as a Second Language strand. The function of the strand is to help provide the English-dominant child with the structures and vocabulary needed for effective communication in a bilingual environment. Focus, objective, and materials for…

Vocational English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in San Francisco serve at one time a variety of students with differing language levels. Programs fall into three types, based on their trainees' current employment situation: unemployed and without a job site; unemployed but with a job site and verbal commitment to hire if performance during…

This video workshop with auxiliary classroom videos will show intermediate elementary teachers how to help their students transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Eight half-hour workshop video programs feature leading experts who discuss current research on learning to read and teaching a diverse range of students. The research…

The title, "Making Connections: From the Classroom to the World Beyond", underscores one of the basic principles of language teaching echoed in the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) "Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century". Teachers are constantly making connections in their…

This collection of essays, most followed by comments, reflect some aspect of the general theme: reading is a multifacted, complex, interactive process that involves many subskills and many types of reader, as well as text, variables. Papers include: "The Eclectic Synergy of Methods of Reading Research" (Ulla Connor); "A View of…

Papers from the Proceedings of the 17th meeting of the AIMAV (Association internationale pour le developpement de la communication interculturelle) are collected in this volume. Conference papers appear either in English, in French, or in Russian. For purposes of this abstract, all titles below have been translated into English. The…

The question of the relationship between children's play and more formal, literate uses of language is explored in the 9 studies described in this volume. Chapter titles and authors are as follows: (1) "The Influence of Discourse Content and Context on Preschoolers' Use of Language" (Lucia A. French, Joan Lucariello, Susan Seidman, and Katherine…