Results of testing the validity and reliability of the Australian second language proficiency ratings (ASLPR) are presented. In addition to providing a framework for planning English as a second language programs for immigrants to Australia, the ASLPR was developed to specify second language proficiency in terms of practical language skills. The…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Prior to the persuasion unit, students have spent several weeks in class utilizing library research techniques, public speaking skills, and their writing processes. The unit has been devised to give students practical experience using critical thinking and decision-making skills, persuasive…

A communication project in a technical writing course demonstrated the importance of communication skills in a profession as it developed the students' own speech and writing skills. After listing what they believed were the major problems in business communication, students compared their responses with instances submitted by local business…

Designed to help classroom teachers implement the "Alabama Course of Study: Language Arts," this curriculum guide for grades 7-8 is in three major sections. The first section is a table of contents that lists desired student outcomes under each of the four major strands mandated by the course of study (listening, speaking,…

This workbook tapescript is a component of "Beginning Pashto," a set of materials (including a textbook, student workbook, teacher's manual and glossary) that teaches the Pashto language. The tapescript consists of the prompts for the exercises marked with a T in the workbook. The workbook tapescript has been designed for the would-be Pashto…

This handbook resulted from a project to develop a tape-based alternative test of language proficiency in less commonly taught languages. The objective was to produce a test that is modeled on and readily interpretable by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Interagency Language Roundtable (ACTFL/ILR) proficiency guidelines…

This guide is a sampler of ideas and activities based on 22 minimum objectives in speech, reading, writing, and research that have been identified for American literature study. Many of the activities involve an integration of several skills that are cross-referenced to other skills in the margins of the guide. A separate section on research…

Intended to introduce instructors to a number of sources for helping students improve their speaking habits in voice and articulation courses or in courses in acting, interpretation, or public address, this annotated bibliography contains 38 entries in two main groupings: (1) texts and instructional materials; and (2) reference sources for…

Results of a 1983 survey of Texas foreign language teachers reveal their views and concerns about a new state law requiring all prospective language teachers to pass an oral proficiency interview for certification beginning in 1986. Of the 142 respondents, most were Spanish teachers, high school teachers, and teachers with more than 10 years…

In November l982, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) published the ACTFL Provisional Proficiency Guidelines, a series of descriptions of proficiency levels for speaking, listening, reading, writing, and culture in a foreign language. The history, origins, objectives, and implications for language teaching of those…

Using the latest research theories, this elementary school curriculum guide was prepared for kindergarten through grade 6 by the teaching staff and curriculum office of the Mehlville (Missouri) School District for teachers of language arts. Methods of instruction included in the guide are language experience approach, writing process, and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 30 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) conditional constructions in modern English; (2) phonological and phonetic effects of nasalization on vowel height; (3) neural coding of pitch; (4) the…

This manual for third grade French instruction accompanies the early French immersion program. It is based on general and specific learning objectives for the four language skills the child needs to develop. The introduction to the manual provides an overview of the program for the primary grades and learning objectives for the four language…

An experimental first-year college German course offered at the University of Texas at Austin emphasized communication, with a complementary de-emphasis on morphologically correct forms in spoken or written production. A modification of the Total Physical Response method was used to orient the students, and at four weeks the emphasis was shifted…

Representing a first attempt by English teachers in Scotland to address a professional mandate that they teach and assess the modes of talking and listening, this booklet outlines both the scope and the details of an oral/aural syllabus. The eight chapters in the booklet cover the following areas: (1) the oral syllabus--principles and approaches;…