Papers in this journal issue concern various aspects of foreign language syllabus construction. Titles and authors are: "The Threshold Level: A Notional-Functional Syllabus" (Barbara F. Matthies); "Functions of Grammar in a Language Teaching Syllabus" (William E. Rutherford); "Communicative and Grammatical Syllabuses to…

While much has been done in the application of communicative principles to second language instruction, their application to language testing has been less fruitful. Experience with language testing projects in England and other countries suggests that communicative language test design should be based on the following issues and considerations:…

There is a risk of second language teachers becoming emotionally overcharged about innovative methods and techniques. Innovators promoting particular methods often claim comprehensive answers to instructional problems, and in spite of an apparent concern for scientific respectability, new approaches take on some characteristics of religious…

This glossary defines terms commonly used in second language education, including the subfields of foreign language education, bilingual education, and English as a second language. Its purpose is to minimize confusion about the use of the terms. The terms include: language/linguistic majority student; language/linguistic minority student; limited…

Classroom activity ideas for Japanese English as a second language students include a Punch and Judy puppet show (script included); a Halloween puppet trick-or-treat game to learn vocabulary and an American custom; a mime game using verbs; hangman; games of prediction, chance, and sorting or grouping; a Japanese card game similar to "slap"; a…

The Samuel Gompers High School (Brooklyn, New York) Bilingual Mini-School program was assessed during the 1985-86 school year, its final year of a three-year funding cycle. This evaluation is divided into the following parts: (1) description of program, including organizational personnel; (2) student characteristics; (3) findings; (4) conclusions…

Volume 1 of the dialogue journal newsletter contains contributions from the editors and teachers concerning the use of dialogue journals as a means of sustained written interaction between students and teachers at all educational levels and in second language and other types of instruction. The information presented includes techniques, ideas,…

Research indicates that writing can be an important vehicle for integrating all the learning that occurs in a foreign language. However, a number of factors have conspired to displace foreign language writing as a critical skill: the push for oral proficiency, departmental fragmentation, larger class sizes, and heavier faculty loads. Second…

A comparison of British and Australian experiences with language awareness curricula and the contexts in which they have been offered led to three conclusions: (1) language awareness courses are not a panacea for the problems of the second language teaching profession, and should not be designed both to contribute to the success of the foreign…

This proficiency exam for ninth-year French is comprised of a composition test and a reading comprehension test. The composition test consists of general instructions, the description of a subject about which the student is to write a narrative, and space for organizing, drafting, and writing a final copy of the composition. The reading…

This workbook in French grammar, intended for American college students, provides instruction and practice in French morphology, syntax, vocabulary, punctuation, and language style at the intermediate level. It is also designed to increase or reinforce the students' understanding of English grammar, based on the assumption that American students…

A handbook for teachers in small school districts who are faced with the need to include increasing numbers of students with limited English proficiency (LEP) in their regular classroom programs is presented. The handbook is designed to help teachers develop effective strategies to adapt curricula and instructional materials to meet this…

Examination of the nature and role of expectations in reading suggests that both a reading skills and a language skills component are necessary in a program of reading instruction for adult beginning students of English as a second language (ESL). ESL students have found reading exercises specifically designed to teach syntax, vocabulary, and…

If an ESL student has his learning time largely devoted to the study of linguistic form, taking an essentially passive role and rarely speaking English in any interactive context, he is experiencing the excommunicative approach. If what he actually requires is the communicative approach, his time should be devoted to using and manipulating…

Using Japanese with Japanese students of English as a second language is not only unnecessary, but could hinder the learning of English. Students must be motivated to use a language in order to learn it well, and the classroom in which the native language is spoken will not foster English language learning any more than Japanese spoken in daily…