Notes that one way to ensure that students understand the importance of developing communicative abilities is to utilize Spanish language resources in the United States, as in an excursion to a "tienda" (shop), where they negotiate with the Spanish-speaking owner. (seven references) (Author/CK)

A Manitoba program of linguistic improvement for French teachers is described. In the program, teachers focus on communicative skills, the reflection on the language's resources and constraints, varied activities, and activities that can be readily adapted for their own classrooms. (MSE)

Argues that the cultural content of a course derives from official language policies and national educational ideology, and that cultural studies in the classroom center on a balanced relationship between foreign and native cultures and include the management of attitudes towards foreignness and the construction of a new perception of learners'…

Discusses the pedagogical advantages in using live dramatic sketches in the classroom. These include drama as an interactive activity, repetition of language points, use of body language as an effective visual aid, personalized messages to the students, and a display of language in action. (CK)

Examines the role of the video camera in the teaching of languages. Video recording is potentially valuable in language teaching because it allows learners to view their own performance and also offers a stimulating medium in which they can express themselves. Two case studies of the use of video recordings in a classroom environment are…

Four language classroom activities are described, including a food game, a culture and language activity based on a Paris Metro ticket, an exercise in the use of definite and indefinite articles using a film poster, and a classroom adaptation of a fairy tale for dramatic oral presentation. (MSE)

A variety of classroom activities using songs to enhance French language learning are described. Strategies include sensitizing learners to aspects of the music; looking at themes, key words, and symbols; and manipulating music and language in relation to current cultural issues. A list of singers and themes is offered. (MSE)

This article describes how a course viewing East German literature from the perspective of the new Germany can be planned and taught, with special attention to text selection, class activities, and testing strategies designed to raise linguistic proficiency of students of different language levels in one literature class. (Author/AB)

Reports the steps and findings of a mini-action research study conducted by a Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center language teacher. Focused on how this teacher varied classroom activities. Participants were U.S. military personnel studying Turkish at the advanced beginner level. (Author/VWL)

Presents an approach to language and culture instruction for North American students of Spanish that centers on student-led investigations of cultural identity in the Americas, designed to allow students to overcome possible stereotypes and generalizations concerning the target culture(s), and to examine their own cultural identities at the same…

Investigates the context of writing instruction in a second-year, second-semester German course. Focusing on a children's story project, the researchers describe how writing is taught in the course; the relationship of writing assignments to the rest of the course curriculum; and the perceptions of foreign language writing, including its purpose,…

Discusses the need to start second-language learning in the primary grades and the budget constraints impeding implementation of early second-language education. The article advocates using the young children themselves to persuade school administrators and parents to support the teaching of second-language courses in the primary grades. (CK)

Spanish is the language recommended for "at-risk" students because of the correlation between the oral and written language. Students with dyslexia and other language problems can benefit from a suitable teaching method coupled with instructional materials and class activities that address their particular learning disorders. (four references)…

Examines arguments for "focus on form," a term referring to the incorporation of implicit grammar instruction within communicative English-as-a-Second-Language lessons, and suggests ways to adapt this approach to English-as-a-foreign-language settings where grammar instruction has never left the classroom. Several types of form-focused activities…

Discusses the use of American films and television programs for teaching English. To develop fluency, teachers must provide students with structured activities and discussion used in combination with the videotaped material. Recommends using viewing sheets that consist of easy, multiple-choice questions that students answer as they watch the…