The authors cite reasons for the poor standard of spoken French in British secondary schools and put forward some practical ideas for oral activities. (SJL)

A technique using dialogues and realistic prose passages from the works of Georges Simenon and Simone de Beauvoir to teach French conversational skills at the college level is explained and illustrated. (MSE)

Uses of slides in the French language classroom for vocabulary development, enhancement of listening comprehension, stimulation of speech, and grammar review are discussed. (MSE)

Three ways of using video cassettes in second language instruction include: commercially produced culture capsules, the "Speakeasy" series from the British Broadcasting Corporation, and videos locally recorded off-air. The advantages of using each of these materials types are outlined, and specific techniques for integrating them into…

The lessons in this teacher's guide are intended to supplement existing taped materials in the French Basic Course. Emphasis is placed on creative activities, realistic situations, and authentic speech variations. The materials can be used for self-study purposes as well as in a language lab under the guidance of an instructor. The seven units in…

An innovative foreign language methodology, " Read-and-Speak," was tried in a year-long pilot section of beginning French. The method involves: (1) massive easy readings assigned from the outset; (2) speaking the foreign language from the start; (3) delaying formal grammar instruction until April, when an entire introductory text is…

The material in this teacher's guide supplements existing tape materials in the lessons of the basic course in French. The exercises begin with Lesson 13 of the Basic Course and continue through Lesson 63. Each unit in this manual concentrates on a grammatical point and contains the following elements: (1) learning objectives, (2) audiolingual…

The connection between rhythm, motion, intonation, and meaning in second language learning is explored in a series of classroom activities and games. (MSE)

Discusses drama in foreign language instruction, especially as a means of improving oral expression. Two basic approaches are outlined and three techniques that have been used successfully with various age groups are described. (AMH)

Discusses dramatic activities and techniques useful in the teaching of foreign languages. A distinction is made between theater and other dramatic activities; the latter ranges from reading theater to skits learned by memory. Two examples of activities are suggested for the teacher. (AMH)

A guide to the adaptation of oral proficiency testing for classroom language instruction contains excerpts of projects by participants in an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) workshop. The excerpts are examples of proficiency based curricula and materials designed to personalize instruction and simulate real-life…