A familiar and effective way to provide classroom practice of foreign language skills in a meaningful context is role-playing. One variation, spontaneous group role-playing, offers a bridge between textbook dialogues and real-world dialogues. Especially appropriate for beginning and intermediate students, simultaneous group role-playing is a…

Instructional materials for the preterite tense in Spanish are based on Robert Terry's technique of using familiar stories in the foreign language, written in the present tense, which students must place in the past by changing verb forms. The objective is to avoid the disadvantages of simply translating verb tenses and to allow the student to get…

The content and teaching methods of the commercial Spanish course at Indiana State University are detailed. The course emphasizes the conveyance of written information while improving the speaking skills of the less advanced students. Among the topics covered are employment correspondence, the job market for bilinguals, resumes, business…

Animals, insects, people, and plants are featured in 12 fables that illustrate moral lessons. Illustrated with black and white drawings, each fable is presented in English and Spanish and is followed by questions in both languages and an English-to-Spanish vocabulary list. The fables teach the value of cooperation, compromise, hard work, freedom,…

This is the teacher's guide to the third and last unit in a series designed to provide the Spanish-speaking child with a complete language arts and reading program for grades 1-3. The unit focuses on the development of decoding, encoding, comprehension, and interpretation skills. This teacher's guide for the third grade workbook contains a series…

This is the teacher's guide to the third and last unit in a series designed to provide the Spanish-speaking child with a complete language arts and reading program for grades 1-3. The unit focuses on the development of decoding, encoding, comprehension, and interpretation skills. The teacher's guide for the third grade workbook contains a series…

This guide in Spanish for the foreign language teacher suggests that more emphasis be placed on theater and art in the second language classroom. Easy methods for creating functional and attractive visual aids for the classroom are described. This guide for elementary school teachers describes: (1) easy theatrical techniques that can be used daily…

Discusses the subtle changes of meaning evoked by different sentence positions of "hace"-clauses. Analyzes the semantics of "hace" + TIME sentences which are the equivalent of English "ago." A presentation suitable for the beginning learner, using "since" + TIME as the English translation of the "hace"-clause followed by "que" is suggested.…

Kinesics, a form of nonverbal communication, is defined and described; the manner in which visual signals are expressed verbally in contemporary Spanish literature is characterized and exemplified; similarities and differences in exemplary gestures are examined across cultures; and the pedagogical implications are discussed. (MSE)

Suggests ways in which career education can be incorporated into Spanish language courses. These include: (1) instilling proper attitudes towards work; (2) improving speaking, reading, and writing skills; (3) infusing career vocabulary; (4) using career texts; (5) keeping a bulletin board; (5) organizing a Career Day; and (6) arranging for…

Annotates books that can introduce students and teachers to the world of Hispanic and pre-Columbian culture, specifically art. (FL)

Foreign Language Exploration Competition Day consists of competitive activities for junior high school students of French, German, and Spanish. Students choose from a list of 17 contests and 7 prepared displays requiring students to use language skills learned in the classroom. Awards include ribbons, certificates, and a trophy. (MSE)

The proverbial language of Spanish provides a resource for teaching and testing various aspects of phonetics, syntax, vocabulary, and cultural features of the language. Incorporation of these features into the Spanish curriculum can enrich the classroom experience. Specific suggestions for their use are provided. (Author/MSE)

Describes an experiment designed to determine which language errors interfere to the greatest degree with comprehension by native speakers of the language. For this purpose, an instructor prepared a list of most serious Spanish language errors which was submitted to native speakers for evaluation in terms of comprehension and acceptability. (MES)

Suggests creative homework assignments to teach three Spanish grammatical structures (preterite and imperfect, future, and subjunctive) and theme oriented vocabulary (food, fashion, home furnishing, and nature). Suggested homework activities include poetry and letter writing, free association, and scavenger hunts. (LMO)