A retrospective of over one hundred years reveals the evolution of different policies, approaches, and methodology for teaching foreign languages to young children and shows pivotal points in events and policies. Three periods are distinguished: 1898 to 1958; the growth period of 1958 to 1978; and development since 1978. Details concerning Spanish…

Examination of the cultural content in grammar exercises in recent college-level Spanish textbooks suggests a trend toward integration of cultural content with grammar, in accordance with recent research on form-based practice within a communicative context. Teachers can supplement their texts' offerings by creating form-focused activities with…

An oral testing method used in an intensive high school Spanish program is based on a model of communicative competence positing four forms of competence: strategic; sociolinguistic; discourse; and linguistic. All oral domains but linguistic are tested in the first and second years. In the first year, benchmark testing occurs. The rubric used has…

Study investigated whether/how teachers of a team-taught college introductory course in Portuguese met National Standards on teaching of culture. Teachers met many of the standards, but students had few opportunities to develop perspectives on cultural patterns and products. Use of the term "native culture" and the complexity of cultural education…

FLAME (Foreign Language Alternative Mastery Example) is a model for foreign language in the elementary school (FLES), conducted after school and focused on development of a broad vocabulary base, especially cognates and terms relevant to the student's everyday environment. In the program, FLES student teachers collaborate with a university-based…

Argues that communicative competence in Spanish as a second language can not be taught without giving attention to the grammatical component of language. Compares aspects of the traditional and communicative approaches to language teaching, refers to theory on grammar instruction, and offers examples of classroom activities supporting the learning…

Argues that where Spanish is in contact with Quechua, the Spanish present perfect, preterite, and pluperfect are in contrast on the basis of a spatio-temporal parameter derived from the notion of present relevance. These innovative uses come from interaction between semantic systems of Quechua and Spanish and are consistent with universals of the…

Suggests using the Hispanic literature of the American Southwest to teach Spanish in elementary school. Describes specific classroom practices using, as an example, a specific short story as well as games and activities that can be used in conjunction with the story. (SED)

Describes an adaptation of the Guided Reading Procedure which was used both to help bridge the gap between students' abilities in Spanish and the reading material contained in their content textbooks and to prepare them for taking the Advanced Placement Spanish Language Examination. (SED)

Presents a technique devised to help intermediate Spanish students master the art of communication over the telephone and outlines the specific learning and testing activities and pedagogical rationale behind them. The technique can also be used to test oral competence and aural proficiency. (SED)

When selecting audiotapes for use in foreign language classrooms, teachers should consider factors affecting listening activities, including: second language vocabulary level of students; amount of information students must retain; rate of speech; subject matter and factual knowledge level of students; and grammatical knowledge of students. (CB)

A classroom model is offered for an approach to introducing students to Spanish linguistics by way of the geography and history of Hispanic society. Areas covered include Spanish vocabulary, Spanish sounds, word and sentence formation, and linguistic lore. (24 references) (LB)

Suggestions for helping students learn to write in a foreign language are offered. Areas for the teacher to consider include recognizing students' basic needs, rewarding risks that students take, listening for content before correcting, introducing vocabulary and usage, and writing with the students. (12 references) (LB)

Suggestions are offered for involving advanced Spanish-language students more directly in watching and making later use of videotapes. Steps include preparing students to watch the videos, writing a survey on the video topic, and creating a computerized class newsletter. (LB)

Videotaping student skits is described as a means for accommodating communicative tasks into curricular and time restrictions of college and university second-language classrooms. Suggestions for preparing and performing the tasks are provided. (four references) (LB)