The report, entirely in French, describes Alberta's curriculum for third-year French immersion, as revised in 1994. An introductory section offers background information on the curriculum revision, links between the core curriculum and French immersion, underlying principles of second language instruction, the revised curriculum's objectives and…

This guide provides descriptions of standards for assessing students' skills in French as a second language, accompanied by samples of student work in the four language skills (listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing, and speaking) at each of nine competency levels. An introductory section discusses basic principles in reporting…

Audio instructional materials tend to be overlooked but are important in strengthening listening skills. They are also less expensive. Provides references for audio material catalogs and books to help develop listening skills. (MD)

The report, entirely in French, describes Alberta's curriculum for first-year French immersion, as revised in 1994. An introductory section offers background information on the curriculum revision, links between the core curriculum and French immersion, underlying principles of second language instruction, the revised curriculum's objectives and…

Public schools in the United States are facing a growing literacy crisis. Approximately a quarter of the population of 12th-grade students are still reading below basic levels, which means that they are barely able to comprehend at a literal level, make interpretations, identify relevant information, make simple inferences, and recognize and…

The principal of the school needs to be highly knowledgeable of how reading should be taught. He/she must know the different psychologies and philosophies of reading instruction. Word recognition techniques and diverse comprehension skills should also be in the repertoire of the school principal. The principal must work in the direction of helping…

Secondary school students encounter textbooks that are expository in form and contain unfamiliar vocabulary. Principals should ensure that reading is taught in content areas and should understand the strategies for teaching content reading so they may evaluate teachers more effectively. (six references) (MLF)

The curriculum guide for Ohio's secondary level programs in English as a second language (ESL) begins with background information on factors to consider in developing an ESL curriculum, including limited-English-proficient students' characteristics, the language acquisition process, skill areas to be covered, instructional goals for four major…

A balanced approach to reading instruction favors cultivating reading as a strategic activity that requires intentionality, interest, and motivation on the part of the learner. Includes references. (MD)

Outlines the components of direct instruction. Research demonstrates that the types of questions asked, the detailed step-by-step breakdowns, and the extensive practice with examples (illustrated in the three studies discussed) significantly benefit students' comprehension. Includes references and five figures. (MD)

To describe a cross-curriculum writing model designed for a middle school, this paper provides a condensed script of what the designer of the program said and did during its first year to steer the program in a productive direction. The paper is written in the form of exerpts from relevant conversations. The first conversation relates how the idea…

The middle school reading/literature instructor needs to determine where each student is in reading achievement and then assist each to achieve as optimally as possible. What might the teacher do to assist students to become good middle school readers? A major problem of middle schoolers is to be able to recognize a certain percent of words…

Examines the reading level and potential comprehension level of 10 fourth-grade science textbooks. Reports that there is a great deal of variability between and within the science texts. (YP)

The relationship between course work and general learning at Stanford University (California), Mills College (California), and Ithaca College (New York) was studied. The study used the Differential Course Work Patterns (DCP) Project faculty survey and Cluster Analytic Model (CAM) to link course work to student assessment. The study examined what…

Provides suggestions for note-taking from books, lectures, visual presentations, and laboratory experiments to enhance student knowledge, memory, and length of attention span during instruction. Describes topical and structural outlines, visual mapping, charting, three-column note-taking, and concept mapping. Benefits and application of…