A strategy developed in Bulgaria for instruction in the Russian alphabet is described and discussed, and instructional materials are listed. The technique, based on suggestopedic methods, teaches letters not separately but as parts of words and sentences, and no comparisons are made with the Latin alphabet. (MSE)

Describes student tours to the Soviet Union, discussing the benefits to be derived from such experiences by both students and leaders. In particular, discusses the organization of the tours, their types and costs, advertising strategies, suggested itineraries and guidebooks, student orientation and group composition, and problems encountered…

Describes the curriculum for training professional literary translators used at the Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow. (AM)

The final report chronicles activities for the two years of a grant to develop an intermediate-level test of Russian language proficiency based on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency guidelines. The resulting test is designed to determine proficiency levels of students with two or more years of high school…

Integration of extracurricular activities into the second language curriculum is supported in the context of culturally oriented communicative second language teaching. After methodological approaches in the literature are analyzed, various extracurricular program provided at the University of Toronto are described. (MSE)

A Lehigh University project to develop interactive video materials for use in upper-level Russian language courses is reported. Russian film clips on laser disc are used to improve writing and speaking skills, stimulate students' critical thinking, and encourage students' collaborative learning. (Contains 23 references.) (Author/LB)

This article describes the structure and operation of three literature seminars offered in the English curriculum at the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities. The seminar approach puts the responsibility on the student and fosters creativity, thinking skills, and problem solving. The seminars include:…

This resource guide is designed to provide foreign language teachers with suggestions for helping students learn how to become better language learners. The five chapters of the guide for teaching writing skills are as follows: (1) Teaching Learning Strategies (e.g., rationale for teaching, types, useful strategies, guidelines, instructional…

This resource guide is designed to provide foreign language teachers with suggestions for helping students learn how to become better language learners. The four chapters of the guide for teaching listening skills are as follows: (1) Teaching Learning Strategies (e.g., rationale for teaching, types, useful strategies, guidelines, instructional…

Examples of four kinds of elementary school programs in second language instruction are described: eight Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) programs, one Foreign Language Experience or Foreign Language Exploration (FLEX) program, one partial immersion program, and one total immersion program. An introductory section provides…

Discussing the language policy of the Soviet government with social studies students studying the USSR increases students' awareness of the multicultural nature of Soviet society and forces them to think about how such a society operates. Questions that teachers can use to lead a discussion concerning language issues are presented. (RM)

Describes and reflects on the experience of the University of Washington's Slavic languages program when faced with termination in 1995, including the initial response of faculty, staff, and students; the successful effort made to garner support from other institutions, alumni, business, and organizations; relations with the legislature;…

A discussion of language teacher education focuses on the importance of making formative curriculum evaluation and curriculum development an integral part of the teacher education program. The paper begins with a description of the Russian Teacher Reeducation Program in Hungary, at Janus Pannonius University, a rigorous inservice program for…

Activities that have helped to make the Watervliet (New York) High School Russian language education program highly successful involve return visits by former students who are using their Russian language skills in various ways after graduation. These graduates include student teachers of Russian, college students taking Russian to satisfy a…

The summer-fall and winter-spring numbers of the journal, "The Ram's Horn," contain these articles: "The Text as Dramatic Departure"; "The Dartmouth Language Outreach Approach to Spanish for Police Action"; "The Dartmouth Intensive Language Model (DILM) in Florida: John Rassias with High School Teachers";…