Suggested classroom activities for French language instruction include: exercises focusing on problems of language transfer, interference, and overgeneralization; a lesson in problems of literal translation; an activity to develop guessing skills; situation-specific communication exercises; practice in asking questions; activities to develop…

Contrasts classroom questioning with questioning functions used in normal discourse and suggests ways in which teachers can promote more normal questioning exchanges in the second language classroom. (Author/MSE)

A rationale is presented for describing the communicative competence of language students in terms of proficiency guidelines. Techniques are discussed for helping students develop communicative proficiency in the four skill areas (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and for evaluating students' proficiency levels in relation to…

The matching model of education, in which instructional activities are matched to the conceptual level (abstract to concrete) of the students, is recommended for second language instruction. Suggestions are made for varying the amount of structure in communication-centered activities. (MSE)

The use of a calendar of memorable cultural and world events to stimulate daily classroom discussion is illustrated in sample activities based on notable November events. (MSE)

It is proposed that language acquisition improves if beginning students are allowed to experience three stages of acquisition: comprehension (preproduction), early speech production, and speech emergence. Each stage requires a different kind of activity building on the previous stage's development. (MSE)

While there are many problems to be resolved concerning the substance of instruction within a communicative approach the manner of teaching must also be considered, including methodology, the linguistic aspect (vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation), norms, and the use of computers. (MSE)

In an effort to help teachers implement the communicative approach in the classroom, the approach is defined; its implications are outlined; and some strategies for rendering classroom practice more communicative are presented. A university course-planning model is used to help teachers plan activities within a communicative framework. (MSE)

Elements of communicative language instruction theories that can be realized with computers are identified; limitations are discussed; and the place and acceptability of computerized exercises within a communicative language learning environment are examined. (MSE)

Three approaches to language curriculum design are outlined: structural, functional, and experiential. A three-level model is proposed for a second language curriculum that integrates the three approaches and their goals into an adaptable curriculum meeting varied needs with consistent methodology and theory. Both linear and cyclical applications…

Some aspects of planning second language programs along communicative lines are examined, and a framework for planning communicative classroom activities is described. The problem of determining whether to start planning with methodology and materials or overall curriculum design is discussed at length. A practical solution, a teacher's handbook…

A variety of games are described and illustrated for two categories of instructional objectives: (1) to promote relatively complex communicative exchanges among students, and (2) to require students to retain information given by others in the class and use it to solve problems. (MSE)

Thirty classroom-tested activities are presented for motivating students to communicate orally in any foreign language. For each activity, the following information is provided: level, purpose, materials, procedure, and source. Variations and follow-up activities are also suggested. (Author/AMH)

Presents a language teaching method designed to increase communicative competence through an application of speech act theory and the use of dialogs and the source language. (AM)

Intended as a practical reference for teachers and curriculum developers, the guide reviews options in student evaluation and considers the relevance of these for monitoring student learning in the context of a multidimensional curriculum for core French programs. Three categories of evaluation methods are examined: language tests; observation and…