This digest discusses a project conducted in the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, that sought to integrate effective practices in literacy education, an empirically based cooperative learning model, and a classroom management model to help teachers develop the English and Spanish language proficiency of their students. The…

Reprinted from "A Handbook for Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, edited by Donald D. Walsh (Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Co., 1969). (DS)

Data in this study of southwestern schools covers (1) relationship between school and community; (2) the criteria for placing students in tracks; (3) the inclusion or exclusion of a child's cultural background; and (4) the ethnic and educational backgrounds of school staffs, their experience, salaries, and lengths of service. (JF)

Results of a statistical study of the two imperfect subjunctive endings in Spanish and Latin American journalism show the use of "-se" to be decreasing, although usage is slightly higher in Spain. Use of the imperfect subjuntive with an indicative meaning is also slightly more common in Spain. (MSE)

The study investigated the phenomenon of invented spelling in the original composition of 10 first grade and 10 second grade native Spanish speaking children enrolled in a bilingual program. From an examination of over 200 pieces of writing, categories of spelling have been suggested and examples of each are given. (Author/NQA)

Describes a one-week experiment with a teacher exchange program involving the foreign language departments of two colleges, as a means to encourage faculty growth and development of new attitudes. Relates the details of the arrangements made, comments on teachers' reactions and students' evaluation of the exchange. (MES)

This study tested a theory of null subject pronoun variation, based on a model of discourse connectedness, on the oral and written Spanish narratives of northern California Mexican-descent pre-adolescents. Results indicate the children with greatest depth of ties to the United States are less likely to use overt pronouns than children born in…

A Test of Spanish Word Features was developed to determine if Spanish orthography contains graphophonemic features similar to English. Test administrations to bilingual children in grades 1-5 found that spelling features in Spanish were internally consistent (reliable) but varied little in complexity compared to English. There was little evidence…

Analysis of the cultural content of Spanish textbooks used in New York secondary schools revealed that the majority of Spanish-speaking countries and Spanish-speaking groups within the United States were underrepresented. Photographs and references tended to depict the middle and upper classes, and few references were made to poverty,…

Reports the results of a feasibility study exploring the use of visual information for vowel production training in a foreign language. After 10 minutes of visual articulatory modeling and shaping, a native Spanish speaker improved her ability to produce a tongue position difference between English and Spanish vowels. (57 references) (Author/CB)

Reviews the research in the area of Spanish language acquisition, with special emphasis on acquisition by Mexican-American children ages two to five. Presents a tentative course of development in phonology, morphology, and syntax. Discusses implications for early childhood education and other areas in need of further research. (Author/GLR)

Discusses national linguistic tensions related to the increasing number of Spanish speakers in the United States. Focuses on a group of language scholars who are engaging in efforts to change or suppress the use of U.S. Spanish, particularly in the domain of Spanish. Asserts that the arguments put forth by this group are based on attitudes of the…

Rhyming tests have historically been used in the education system to assess reading readiness. English language learners (ELLs) have consistently scored poorly on these assessment tools. The current article examines a possible reason for this poor performance by ELLs. Specifically, the authors examined the relationship between semantic…

Discusses the varying meanings and etymologies of the following Spanish terms: apurar, mas nada and nada mas, empecinado, refistolero and facistol, botar, and sabroso. (Text is in Spanish.) (CHK)

The imperative need for the editing of a dictionary of Latin Americanisms should be a cooperative effort between both individuals and language academies. (Text is in Spanish.) (Author/DS)