Theories of human cognition and language suggest that there is a gap between the phases of perception and the phases of production of language. Unfortunately, this is often forgotten in language teaching, so that beginners' courses too frequently contain simplified and non-authentic linguistic input to assure that output does not lag too far…

As videocassettes of foreign films become more available, teachers will be able to show more films and bring students closer to the second language and culture. However, unfocused viewing will not develop language and cultural proficiency adequately. Class time is better spent in preparing for or reacting to the film than in viewing the film in…

A common problem in second language instruction is the lack of correlation between the content of courseware and the specific learning situation of the student. Students using the available programs encounter unfamiliar words and structures, deviant methodologies, or inappropriate levels of difficulty. This causes unnecessary errors and…

Materials from a teacher workshop on the Total Physical Response method for teaching English as a second language are presented. The technique describes the process of first language acquisition, uses physical activities in the classroom to reinforce learning, and allows a long period of receptive language learning before requiring production. The…

This cooperative lesson for students of English as a Second Language (ESL) has students from different cultural and language backgrounds write folk tales from their native cultures and compile them into a book. Each four-member team is constructed based on student variables, including ethnicity, personality, academic ability, language functioning,…

The second of two studies on non-traditional approaches to official language training for adult immigrants to Canada focuses on programs that deviate in some way from a proposed traditional model of language training (involving a paid, trained teacher in an educational institution teaching to a class of 25 students full-time in the day or…

This document consists of the final two issues of a newsletter that addresses aspects of adult English-as-a-Second-Language literacy education. Articles on the following topics are included: (1) student-centered literacy materials; (2) a Rhode Island literacy program; (3) professional involvement in adult literacy programs; (4) a modern phonetic…

This guide for teaching literacy to adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students is intended as an aid for regular ESL teachers who must deal with different levels of literacy in the classroom. The guide is not a comprehensive curriculum, but is intended to be incorporated into a "survival" ESL curriculum. Because it contains…

This bibliography includes both commercially published and locally produced textbooks and workbooks that are currently being used across the United States in foreign language programs for grades 1-6. The materials cited are used by 303 elementary schools that responded to a national survey of elementary school foreign language programs. The texts…

Two numbers of the CLEAR Materials Resource Series that both deal with teaching languages to children have been combined. Number two summarizes the status of foreign language immersion programs in elementary schools in the United States. For each of the 20 states with total or partial immersion programs, the following information is provided: (1)…

Very young Spanish-English bilingual children may not perceive sound-clue illustrations presented in the classroom as they are intended to be perceived. For example, when a child is told, "A is for apple," he may also interpret the message as "A is for manzana," confusing the intended message. While the teacher may hear English only, the child's…

A discussion of the use of songs to teach French as a second language focuses on the value of songs in teaching aspects of pronunciation. An introductory section describes the benefits of songs as instructional material, particularly to impart cultural information about Quebec to Canadian anglophones. Three sections outline justifications for the…

The origins, development, and results of a summer institute for middle school foreign language teachers held at the University of Arkansas during summer 1983, and re-funded and extended for the next 2 years, are described. The project originated from several needs in middle school foreign language instruction: the challenges in teaching to the…

This guide, resulting from a four-site middle school study of the use of computers and related technology in second language instruction, is presented for the use by middle school language teachers. The guide includes lessons, coded to the state teacher handbook for second language instruction, and management hints, sample lesson plans, and other…

Teachers of foreign languages should continually reflect on the appropriateness of language courses (especially English as a second language courses) and the level of satisfaction among its learners. Teachers should examine the "routine" ways of developing curricula for such learning, exploring whether or not objectives developed from…