When it comes to teaching vocabulary in foreign language classes words are often taught in isolation, without regard to the context in which they appear. The paper draws attention to the importance of teaching words in context so that the meaning of a word often results from the meaning of a larger construction it is part of. After presenting the…

This book is written for teachers of young children aged from 5 to 12 years in primary schools who want to support students' English vocabulary. Most of these children will be native speakers of English, although the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of our communities suggests a significant number will be from homes where other…

Discusses the value of having occasional native speakers visit the second language classroom as a way of providing students with an opportunity to use their second language. (EKN)

Compares the use of the third person direct object pronoun by native English-speaking students to use by 10 third-semester second-language (French) students. Suggests several instructional techniques. Examines the inconsistencies between first and second language reading ability to highlight the need for a sharing of information between the two…

Discusses language fieldwork (direct personal contact with native speakers) as an adjunct activity in German conversation and composition courses and as a means of encouraging contacts between students and native speakers of German. Discusses the author's personal experience with such an activity, evaluates the project, and draws conclusions based…

Considers ways to diagnose and group ESL (English as a Second Language) students for writing instruction that is based on sentence combining. Suggests available materials to use with this technique, and offers specific examples of the use of sentence combining to generate prenominal adjectives and relative clauses. (RL)

This document is designed for use by teachers of French-as-a-first-language kindergarten programs in Alberta. It outlines the vision, elements, and goals of the program, explains the context of the francophone environment in Alberta, and provides practical tools for the implementation of the program in consideration of the specific needs of the…

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)

The "Word-Spider" approach to vocabulary development can be applied in all curriculum areas for both native and nonnative English speakers. It focuses systematically on seven important areas of word knowledge (sound, family, friends, patterns, situations, ideas, definition). Providing both repetition and a range of experience with a word, it can…

Today, there are about four nonnative-speaking English teachers for every teacher who is a native speaker. More English teachers work in non-English-speaking settings than in English-speaking settings, and most are natives of the countries in which they teach. This volume focuses on the challenges faced by English teachers for whom English is a…

Discusses pedagogical and technical aspects of making films of native speakers of French conversing with the aid of gestures. (AM)

The advantages of using authentic cultural materials in teaching second languages and the development of productive activities to accompany these materials are described. Based on the notion that comprehension precedes production, authentic texts provide the second language learner with a foundation of concepts and vocabulary from which…

Filmed on location in East Java, Indonesia, the Mari Belajar Sopan Santun Bahasa Indonesia set consists of two videotapes, a manual, and extended notes on the individual video scenarios. The videos present interactions among Indonesian native speakers and foreign language learners as they engage in tasks and activities of everyday life. The…

Teachers can give their non-English-speaking children the extra help they need by using a set of students (buddies) who can help the new student with vocabulary, reading, writing, spelling, and listening skills. Included are ways to orient these "buddies" and ways to demonstrate particularly useful teaching techniques. (JMK)

The Foreign Language Standards of Learning identify essential content, processes, and skills for each level of language learning in Virginia's secondary schools. Included are specific standards for levels I through IV of French, German, Spanish, and Latin, as well as generic standards adaptable for levels I through IV of other modern languages,…