Teachers of French as a Second Language to young children in India and Colombia share class activities and teaching techniques that focus on common aspects of life and culture comprehensible to this age group. (MSE)

Argues the value of literary reading passages as the basis for second language learning. These passages can serve as a springboard for the enthusiastic exchange of ideas in which learners focus on meaning rather than form, use the target language to argue or justify opinions, or, while playing the role of a character, to engage in conversation.…

Lists 193 class projects proposed by teachers participating in Foxfire courses and workshops, 1985-88. Cites grade level, project description, product, audience, teacher, and school. Organized by grade level and subject. (SV)

Creating a class book can be an effective way to stimulate early elementary students' creativity and self-expression. The six steps are to: introduce the project; create the story; decide who does what; get it down on paper; put it all together; and share the experience. (SM)

Investigates the amount of time infant school children spend waiting for teacher attention while performing seatwork. Discusses implications of the findings for classroom practice. Suggests that the most advantageous method for securing teacher attention may be found in those classes that use a queue system rather than a hands-up signal. (KO)

Students of a foreign language can use cartoons to hone their listening and speaking skills, widen their vocabulary, and improve their knowledge of syntax, grammar, and semantics of a language. Activities using cartoons include: (1) gap filling: (2) caption insertion and strip sequencing; (3) caption invention and story writing; (4) comprehension…

Describes an assignment in which students write employee handbooks, outlining employee rights and responsibilities. Notes that this assignment integrates many concepts taught in a technical writing course, including informative writing, graphics, and readability. (MM)

Explores ways in which "storying" and storytelling occur as an integral part of the collective creation of meaning in improvised classroom drama. Describes storying as a learning experience in a dramatic context that requires thinking in the narrative mode and about narrative as a means of interpreting and verbalizing experience. (MG)

Describes three stages of an instructional method for involving language students in the study of foreign literature. Suggestions are offered for practical classroom activities. (MLS)

Describes the way in which a social studies chairman has used document-based lessons to encourage the use of primary sources in high school U.S. history classes. Lessons are designed to enable students to examine how national events are played out locally. (RW)

Orienteering--the game of following a map to find predetermined locations--can spark interest and develop skills in map making and map reading. This article gives background on orienteering; describes indoor and outdoor orienteering activities; offers suggestions for incorporating orienteering into science, math, and language arts; and provides a…

Discusses the advantages of using wordless books in language arts instruction. Suggests several activities to use in conjunction with wordless books, including composing oral stories, dramatizations, and oral reports. Recommends several wordless books, providing publishing information and a brief description of each. (MM)

Describes a poetry assignment in which students select a poem to analyze and present before the class. Observes that unlike the traditional postures of detachment and impersonality, this approach of self-selections encourages students to establish an intimacy with poetry. (MM)

Describes a poetry-presentation assignment in which students select poems from examples studied in class and prepare oral presentations incorporating visual, dramatic, technical, or musical arts. Describes several student presentations resulting from this assignment. (MM)

Four ideas for French language class activities are presented, including: a listening and reading comprehension exercise; the adaption of a traditional French game using facts of French history; an activity based on France's geographic regions and postal codes; and an exercise focusing on facts about French life and culture. (MSE)