The case of one language-minority child identified as mildly learning disabled is used to illustrate the concept of special education placement and instruction of language-minority children outlined in California's Optimal Learning Environment curriculum guide. A synopsis of the curriculum guide is included. (Author/MSE)

Seventeen bilingual speech and language pathologists submitted assessment reports on 51 limited-English-proficiency students and 44 Anglo students with suspected language disorders. Analysis indicated that a heavy diagnostic emphasis continues to be placed on results of discrete-point tests. A protocol to assess limited-English-speaking students…

Presents several examples of short Hispanic ballads for incorporation into advanced secondary school and undergraduate courses. The ballads' historical and cultural significance are explored as well as their linguistic value. (CB)

Describes the development and structure of Mujeres Unidas en Accion, Inc., a nonprofit community-based agency in Dorchester, Massachusetts, that offers educational programs to low-income Latina women, and looks closely at one of its educational components, the Spanish program. (Author/JOW)

The paper offers a rationale for bilingual special education, provides suggestions for developing bilingual lessons for severely/multiply handicapped students, and includes a list of Spanish words and phrases used most frequently by students and their parents. (JDD)

An historical account of the use of the acute accent mark in written Spanish discusses the effects of Greek, Latin, Italian, and French precursors on the early use of the accent and on its current modern use. (CB)

Presents a classroom version of a popular television game designed to provide students with practice in listening comprehension and speaking as well as an opportunity to review numbers and names of objects in Spanish. (Author/CK)

Applies a Vygotskyan perspective to explain the speech activity of 16 third-year high school learners of Spanish, focusing on their talk about task, talk about talk, and use of English during a problem-solving speaking task. Findings suggest that not all speech activity between second-language learners during classroom communicative tasks is…

Although using children's literature as the core of an elementary school foreign language program can be time consuming and tedious, with sufficient preparation, it can become a meaningful and memorable experience for both teachers and students. Story activities used by a first-grade Spanish teacher are described. (MDM)

Departments of Spanish can play a significant role in the multicultural movement by teaching a course on United States Hispanic Cultures. An introductory course is described, including its organization, approaches, materials, and class activities. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/LB)

Discusses the phenomenon of involuntary mental rehearsal of language as an indicator of second language (L2) acquisition among acquirers. This study provides evidence for an L2 "Din in the head" after reading from a survey of two classes of intermediate Spanish students: a reading-only group and a reading-and-conversation group. (11 references)…

Compared the early literacy development of English-speaking preschoolers and kindergartners to that of Spanish-speaking children. Subjects wrote at least six words and one sentence, then interpreted their own productions. Found that syllabic writings in English-speaking children were like those of Spanish speakers; found differences in how…

Sixty-six college students enrolled in an intermediate Spanish course were measured on 12 variables believed to be related to pronunciation accuracy. Variables that related most to pronunciation accuracy included individual concern for pronunciation, subject's degree of field independence, and subject's degree of right hemispheric specialization…

A survey of 140 school districts in the border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas about techniques for reaching Hispanic parents elicited responses from 48 school officials. Advice includes: write letters and other material in Spanish as well as English, employ bilingual school personnel, and schedule parent-teacher meetings…

This study focused on the input-to-intake phenomenon: Can foreign language/second language (L2) learner-readers process grammatical information presented via written input as intake? Multiple tasks were designed to assess the processing of input into intake by first- and second-year students of Spanish. (JL)