Describes an innovative method for teaching reading in French to adult students. The method consists of literal translations in English with the English words, gradually replaced by French. (Author/AM)

Observations on the current state of the teaching of writing to beginning foreign language students. Kinds of texts used, when and how to introduce reading, consideration of student needs, socio-cultural factors, the problem of motivation, and pedagogical implications are among the topics discussed. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Encouraging children to write helps bring out their feelings and develop positive self-concepts. (RB)

An investigation of the effect of nine instructional variables on rate of English language learning among 264 new students at National Technical Institute for the Deaf showed that the variables concerning teaching intensity and presentation design used by teachers for delivering English language lessons have a significant effect on rate of written…

Discusses the need for systematic exploration of claims about the advantages of language experience dictations; recommends that teachers guide the rereading and editing of early dictations to facilitate comprehending behaviors, and that they help children explore writing conventions as their dictations indicate a readiness to learn them. (ET)

Provides several suggestions for introducing a note of humor into the French classroom while at the same time providing writing practice. Suggestions are based on primary source materials, such as newspaper ads, advice columns, graffiti, popular literature, crossword puzzles, etc. (AM)

This article presents strategies, including communicative reading strategies, to facilitate holistic language learning in young children with language and learning disorders. Strategies include pairing oral and written language and using preparatory sets, semantic maps, flowcharts, and theme building. An example of narrative discourse demonstrates…

Most early childhood teachers support breaking away from the letter-a-week method of teaching the alphabet but question how to achieve that goal. Concepts related to how young children learn the alphabetic principle are reviewed and successful strategies for teaching the principle are presented. (LB)

Presents an approach to developing a grammatical scope and sequence for elementary and intermediate foreign-language instruction that is different from the standard model, which bases the grammatical syllabus of a textbook on tradition, intuition, or both. The article argues that different descriptions of grammar are needed for each of the skills…

In 3 experiments, the authors simulated air traffic controllers giving pilots navigation instructions of various lengths. Participants either heard or read the instructions; repeated either all, a reduced form, or none of the instructions; and then followed them by clicking on the specified locations in a space represented by grids on a computer…

There is a strong relationship between orthographic-motor integration related to handwriting and students' ability to produce creative and well-structured written text. This relationship is thought to be due to the cognitive load which results when attention is required by writers to write letters and words on the page. Lack of automaticity in…

Vocabulary knowledge contributes to comprehension, fluency, and student achievement. The goal of vocabulary instruction should be to build students' independent word-learning strategies. This article provides research and theory in support of nine key ideas about words and vocabulary instruction. These ideas are important for middle and secondary…

Of all the language skills, writing is the most difficult challenge for language teachers because students have less experience with written expression. Stimulated by audio-visual materials throughout their lives, students are novices in the discipline of writing. Making writing an ongoing part of foreign language acquisition from the first day in…

Concludes that a substantial number of children in inner-city early grades do not comprehend the basic nature of the writing system, even at the end of one year of reading instruction with a phonics-oriented method. (RB)