Issues related to school instruction in students' heritage or ancestral language are discussed, particularly in regard to dialect-speaking children or children with some degree of competence in the language. The first chapter considers similarities and differences between second language instruction and heritage language education. The findings on ancestral language maintenance in immigrant children are also discussed for the benefit of teachers. Chapter 2 looks closely at the crucial question of the difference between the standard target language and the variant forms, known by the students (i.e., dialects or regionally-determined variants), as it relates to classroom instruction. The third chapter draws a psychological profile of the heritage language learner, focusing on existing linguistic knowledge and its pedagogical implications. Chapter 4 looks at the literature on errors in language learning and relates it to heritage language teaching. The final chapter addresses practical instructional issues such as curriculum design and content. (MSE)