Mastering analytical writing involves the proficient use of varied later-acquired grammatical, lexical and discourse forms and functions. Developmental studies have identified specific linguistic features as diagnostic of increasing proficiency. This study examines how these features change throughout educational levels and before and after the…

When learning English, learners might face a challenging task in mastering pronunciation due to differences in both languages such as sound-to-letter correspondence, size of phoneme inventory, allophonic realization of sounds, place and manner of articulation, among others. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review both theoretical and…

While many students in a foreign language classroom are successful at learning the prescribed curriculum, they may never move beyond the grammar and vocabulary to experience transformative learning. On the other hand, students who do not achieve proficiency may experience a perspective transformation as a result of studying a foreign language.…

Currently the United States is home to a large and increasing immigrant population. Many of these immigrant students use community-based programs for their educational needs. Despite the large number of immigrant students who currently use alternate resources, such as churches and community centers, for education, adult language learners in…

As language learning theory has shifted from a highly guided to a more open learning process, this paper presents the teaching/learning philosophy called Learning for Life (L for L) as a great way to motivate native Spanish speaker students learning English as a foreign language, and to help them be the constructors of their own knowledge. The…

Reviews the rationale and research that supports the development of literacy in children's first language. Discusses challenges educators face in using literature to support literacy development for Spanish speakers; discusses resources for teaching using children's literature in Spanish; and offers guidelines for teachers and librarians in…

Nontraditional Hispanic students, though often pedagogically problematic in other ways, possess language resources that should not be overlooked and that ought to provide a model for other language learners. The paper illustrates: (1) the resources needed for foreign language capacity that exist in non-English-speaking sectors of U.S. society; (2)…

The purpose of this project was to design a bilingual/bicultural kindergarten course of study based on the concepts of the Richards Education Through Music Method. This method is rooted in the Hungarian composer-educator Zoltan Kodaly's educational philosophy and was developed in the U.S. by Mary Helen Richards. This is a method of teaching all…

This document, comprising volume 5, issues 1-3 of Learning Languages: The Journal of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL), includes the following articles: "Poverty, Race, and Foreign Language Immersion: Predictors of Math and English Language Arts Performance" (Stephen J. Caldas, Nicole Boudreaux); "Meet a…

This primer picture book may be used in various games and activities to extend the child's vocabulary and to provide pre-reading practice in letter and sound identification, categorization, and audio-visual discrimination. (Author/SK)

This guide deals with the subject in two parts: (1) background materials, and (2) classroom activities for teaching English to Spanish speakers. The first part discusses the general characteristics of the Spanish-speaking population in the United States, with particular attention to the diversity among them, some group profiles, and dialects and…

In a federally funded early literacy project, various instructional activities were embedded into an array of classroom contexts to provide supplemental literacy instruction and to contrast children's engagement and participation in different contexts and participant structures. The study was conducted with English- and Spanish-speaking children…

This Spanish activity packet was designed to be used with the map study portion of each of twelve units in a second year course in Spanish. Each unit deals with a different Spanish-speaking country or place, such as Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, or Peru. Included here are worksheets, games, map outlines, crossword puzzles, skits, and cultural…

A program in which Spanish-speaking first grade children were encouraged to write stories about subjects of interest to them, using microcomputers and composing a personal storybook, has the advantages of using little-used computers, providing a link between oral and written language, encouraging creativity in students often perceived as learning…