Describes how to teach Spanish to elementary students in multiage classes in a way that allows high comfort and comprehensibility for the first-year students while maintaining the interest of the second-year. The model describes varied expectations that allow a two-year instructional sequence with a single Spanish teacher. (SM)

Examines an integrative approach for teaching communicative competence among first-year students learning a second language (Spanish). Results of the study indicate that those students who participated in regularly scheduled individual interviews with the instructors improved their oral communication skills considerably more than those who did…

Describes a pilot program offering conversational Spanish to elementary school students. The "Total Physical Response" technique was used initially, followed by an emphasis on comprehension and the creation of a natural language environment, all as means of facilitating second language acquisition at the children's level. (SL)

Strongly suggests the establishment of methodology courses designed to address the needs of the exceptional child--specifically in relation to learning a foreign language. In addition, the need for more bilingual teachers in the fields of special education, reading, testing, and interpreting is stressed. (SL)

Discusses the benefits of using slide presentations as "cultural unit" teaching tools in the foreign language or foreign culture classroom. By giving students a realistic, visual exposure to the cultural context being studied, their understanding, as well as their motivation to learn, is greatly enhanced. (SL)

Offers insights and advice for anyone contemplating a director's position in an overseas study program. In addition to stressing that the goals of the program be well-defined and well-planned, the importance of offering the exchange students a complete, integrated exposure to the language and culture of the host country is stressed. (SL)

Describes recordkeeping for the National Spanish Examinations by the Metropolitan New York Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). The layout of census and attendance forms is described, and the use of a word processing or database program to help organize and utilize information obtained from those forms…

Provides pedagogical rules for selecting relative pronouns in Spanish. Sixteen different linguistic environments in which relative pronoun usage occurs are categorized according to their different syntactic relationships and semantic intentions. (SL)

College undergraduates and upper-level high school students are teaching Spanish, under the supervision of their foreign language teachers. The program is mutually beneficial, providing "hands on" teaching experience for the college students, while at the same time, providing an enjoyable and different learning environment for the children. (SL)

Describes a project at Massachusetts Institute of Technology concerned with making computer-assisted instruction more "human," communicative, and interactive for students learning a foreign language. The goal of the project is to create prototypes for beginning and intermediate courses in French, German, Spanish, Russian, and English as a second…

Discusses the teaching of the semantics and syntax of a particular construction employed to quote questions indirectly in Spanish. Argues that questions in indirect speech are always introduced by "que" in Spanish and are interpreted as questions. Indirect questions not introduced by "que" are normally interpreted as assertions. (SED)

Shows that "usted" has two functions: showing lack of solidarity and showing extreme solidarity, with "tu" falling somewhere in between on the continuum. Discusses the increasing use of "tu," especially among younger people, and presents some possible reasons for this. (SED)

Discusses the use of the preposition "a" by examining why a few verbs in Spanish seem to occur with an obligatory marker and what relationship exists between this use of the preposition "a" and the more common occurrence of "a" with animate, definite direct objects. (SED)

Discusses a general strategy for helping students acquire vocabulary, specifically how to master the vocabulary problem of "ser" and "estar." This is done by showing students, in interesting and recognizable ways, that English is sensitive to many of the same semantic differences of "ser" and "estar." (SED)

This guide is intended to help instructors of business Spanish select appropriate texts for their students. Presenting capsule reviews of 12 of the leading texts currently available in business Spanish, it contains information on the level, focus, pedagogical approach, content, types of exercises, and strengths and weaknesses of each text. (SL)