Premium
Soap in the Language Lab
Author(s) -
Turner Bruce I.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1944-9720.1985.tb01780.x
Subject(s) - vocabulary , class (philosophy) , active listening , opera , linguistics , soap , listening comprehension , reading comprehension , reading (process) , computer science , test (biology) , mathematics education , comprehension , psychology , artificial intelligence , programming language , communication , art , literature , philosophy , paleontology , biology
One of the problem areas of a language program is often the language lab, especially at the intermediate level. This article discusses the use of a “soap opera” as one constituent of an integrated course approach. Each episode incorporates a vocabulary list derived from whatever reading texts are employed; the list is supplemented by translation exercises and by discussion of the particular grammatical principles being studied. At the end of each episode questions test listening comprehension; later the written text is presented to the class for brief discussion. Students write the final episode of the soap opera themselves at the end of the semester.