The recent past in language teaching has been dominated by the Skill-Building Hypothesis, the view that we learn language by first learning about it, and then practicing the rules we learned in output. The present is marked by the emergence of the Comprehension Hypothesis, the view that we acquire language when we understand messages, and is also…

Research published in recent years that deals with the Comprehension (Input) Hypothesis is reviewed, and evidence supporting the hypothesis is underlined. The research is from the areas of literacy development, second-language learning, and foreign-language learning and confirms the claim that development of language and literacy operate in much…

Outlines reasons for which bilingualism and bilingual education, when approached correctly, are beneficial to the future of the language, to the individual, and to society and suggests that one major improvement in bilingual education would be improved availability of English-language books for English learners. (MSE)

Most people associate read-alouds with bright-eyed preschoolers and elementary school kids--not with struggling at-risk teens. But read-alouds are fun for students of all ages. And studies by education researchers such as Stephen Krashen, Jim Trelease, and Janet Allen have shown that reading to kids boosts their reading comprehension, increases…

This guide features reading strategies geared for elementary and secondary students as well as recommendations for reading programs supported by school library programs. Leading reading experts who were presenters at the 2004 American Association of School Librarians (AASL) Fall Forum contribute their thoughts on the current state of reading…

This paper proposes an integration of the arts into second language programs as an effective inexpensive, and creative way to serve second language learners, using Stephen Krashen's Monitor Model as a framework. An overview of Krashen's model describes its five hypotheses: (1) that acquisition and learning are separate concepts; (2) language…

This collection of papers examines the critical literacy development of English learners, focusing on English reading instruction in an immersion setting, English language development, and cultural issues pertaining to English learners in and out of the classroom. The 16 papers include the following: (1) "Reading and the Bilingual Student: Fact…

This document consists of the six issues of "ESL Magazine" published during 1998. This journal for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) professionals includes the following articles during this period: "The Internet in the Classroom" (Christine Meloni); "Trippingly on the Tongue: Putting Serious, Speech/Pronunciation…