Compares the French language competence of Ontario high school immersion graduates with that of core program graduates of a six-week summer course in a francophone environment. The immersion graduates performed functions well, but at the expense of accuracy, while summer students showed fewer discrepancies in speaking skills. (Author/CB)

Reports on two studies of minority language children enrolled in a Toronto, Canada, bilingual (English-French) program. The study indicated that focus on the maintenance and development of students' heritage language with specific reference to literacy learning enhanced the learning of French, a third language for the minority language students.…

Documents the differences in language acquisition and school achievement between Finnish- and Swedish-speaking students in Finland's comprehensive school systems. Discusses the need for language maintenance and enrichment measures in both out-of-school and in-school environments. (SR)

Presents a nine-lesson plan that uses a French song to help improve Australian students' skills in the following areas: (1) translating from French into English; (2) listening for understanding; (3) listening for imitation; (4) oral imitation; (5) writing; and (6) researching. (CB)

Kindergarten and child care center supervisors in Singapore completed questionnaires about their programs and about the competency of children in their program who were bilingual in English and Mandarin. Parents completed a questionnaire about the home environment. Found that parents' provision of language enrichment materials for their children…

This monograph describes the development of a language program for four-year-old disadvantaged boys in Northern Ireland. Various sections of the work describe the steps in devising the program; its objectives, organization, evaluations, and subsequent modifications; the problems affecting implementation, and the efforts made to overcome them; the…

Makes the point that literature should be an integral part of programs that teach English as a second language by considering six reasons for studying poetry in language classes. Illustrates those reasons with poetic works from around the world. (RL)

Summarizes contact-linguistic research on the Samis and Finns, the northernmost minorities in Scandinavia. The monolingual view of northern Scandinavian languages in the past is complemented with a multilingual perspective of the interaction between minority and larger languages. Among contact patterns discussed are North Germanic-Sami,…

The purpose of this study was to examine which of three instructional modalities was more effective in enhancing the ability of nonnative English speaking children to read during the first grade. In this study, sixty-three first-grade children were randomly selected from four first grade classes from two primary schools in a university town in a…

Describes recent developments in heritage language education in British Columbia, Canada, discussing issues a heritage language advisory committee encountered in creating such policy, defining heritage language and the clientele for heritage language education, reviewing appropriate curricula, encouraging program development, and arranging…

This booklet was designed as a guide to Hungarian traditions primarily of interest to children. The topics covered suggest the diversity of the Hungarian heritage, from the legends of the founding of Hungary to contemporary Hungarian customs and arts. Brief discussions are presented on: (1) the Hungarian language, pronunciation of frequently used…

Describes the participation of five Pennsylvania colleges in a summer study program at the Akademie Neiderberg in Bonn, West Germany. The program offers an integrated approach to language instruction and cultural studies that is tailored to fit the specific needs and preparation of its participants. (CB)

An Ontario program providing sets of problem-solving activities for native French speakers helps students in grades 7-12 enrich their language proficiency in both French and English. The guides developed as part of the program emphasize language as a tool for thought, social interaction, and artistic expression, and focus on the integration of…

British Infant School programs to aid language development for disadvantaged children 3 to 8 years old are discussed, with reference to ideas and practices in the United States. In general, English Infant School teachers believe that language development must be nourished by the teacher in the context of the child's interaction with his…

Presents various activities designed to foster the learning of a language. These include the use of everyday "street words" taught to advanced level students, the use of political speeches of French presidential candidates in order to familiarize advanced adolescents with political discourse, and the playing of cassette tapes and videos…