A guide for teachers of second language reading offers ideas for using authentic texts as instructional materials. The guide focuses on how to teach students to become strategic readers and use their background knowledge to enhance comprehension. Schema theory is proposed as a framework for approaching reading tasks, by providing relevant pre- and…

A series of class exercises for Italian language instruction based on a song, "La Vita Mia" by Amedeo Minghi, is presented. The song was selected because of its rich literary content and appealing melody. Objectives, in-class activities, and homework assignments are outlined. In them, students listen to the song, discuss the relationship…

A series of lesson ideas for school teachers with both monolingual English-speaking and bilingual students in the same class includes 18 cultural and cross-cultural topics. They include: the island of Cuba, the flag of Cuba, the flag of Mexico, the development of Mexican music, Benito Juarez, the flag of Puerto Rico, the seal of Puerto Rico, a…

A working guide for teachers in planning and teaching an exploratory course in foreign language and culture presents the basic course structure for nine weeks. Instructional materials are not provided. Course objectives include: (1) exploration of foreign languages and cultures; (2) sensitization to value systems and customs of one's own and other…

The guide to the use of computers and video recordings in foreign language instruction was designed to assist California teachers in implementing and extending the foreign language component of the statewide curriculum. It contains: (1) an introduction on the use of the guide; (2) background on its development; (3) lists of high quality software…

This resource guide, intended for current prospective teachers of Italian, is designed as a source of information and inspiration for Italian instructors at all educational levels. The first of the guide's 11 chapters provides a brief general introduction to this book. Chapter 2 looks at the status of and rationale for Italian language instruction…

A collection of essays contains articles on content-based foreign language courses at three levels (beginning, intermediate, advanced) and on foreign languages across the curriculum, including: "Content-Based Instruction: From Theory to Practice" (Stephen B. Stryker, Betty Lou Leaver); "Content-Based Instruction in a Basic Russian…

This book, the second of two volumes devoted to instructional media in second language instruction, focuses on specific applications of advanced technology in the classroom. The first part, "Applications," contains seven chapters. They are: "The Language Laboratory in the Computer Age" (S. E. K. Otto); "Television…