Languages and Learners: Making the Matchis designed both as a methods text and as a practical guide for schools and teachers.

Communication is the essential element, the fundamental principle of this book. It unifies the guidelines offered and the methods and materials described. This book suggests guidelines and examples to assist the teacher in creating a standards-based classroom in which communication has the highest priority. This book consists of eight sections – “Fundamentals”, “Planning”, “The Learning Experience”, “Performance and Feedback”, “Environment”, “Learning Tools”, “Professionalism and Collaboration”, and “Programs”, discussing such practical topics as curriculum planning, strategies for building toward proficiency, connecting language and culture, using assessment to help learners and programs grow, managing the learning environment, using learning tools effectively, developing professional teachers, and planning and implementing effective programs.

The fifth edition presents new sections and chapters on technology, assessment, teaching grammar, using stories and children’s literature, and integrates additional examples of differentiated instruction activities, student-created work, revised guidelines for small-group and partner activities, and matrix of activity types as well as insights from guest contributors.

Helena Curtain (U.S.) has a wealth of experience as a language educator and has taught at elementary school through university levels. She served as Foreign Language Curriculum Specialist for the Milwaukee Public Schools for many years and in that capacity coordinated and supervised K–12 foreign language and ESOL programs in a district of 100,000 students. She served as associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and directed the Foreign Language and ESOL teacher preparation programs. She is the author of various articles dealing with language instruction. Helena is active professionally and has received state, regional, and national awards for her service to the language teaching profession. She is an internationally known expert on second language teaching methodology and curriculum development, bilingual education, immersion programs, and two-way immersion programs, especially at the elementary school level. She has also served as speaker, consultant, and visiting professor both nationally and internationally in 31 countries.

Carol Ann Dahlberg (U.S.) is Professor Emerita in Education at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, where she taught methods courses for secondary and elementary school teachers of foreign languages. She has also taught German K–12 and at the college level. She has authored and coauthored numerous articles and has received national awards from ACTFL and AATG. A founding member of the National Network for Language Learning, Carol Ann served as its first president. She works nationally and internationally as a consultant, curriculum developer, and workshop leader for early language learning.

· An entry-level resource for new teachers

The intent of this book is to help new teachers orient themselves to what is important and available in the profession.

· A book by practitioners for practitioners

The authors have included the theoretical and practical elements that have been important to them in their own classroom practice and that they regularly share with their students and in workshop and professional development sessions.

· Suitable for language programs at all levels

This book focuses on beginning-level classes, presenting specific teaching suggestions of special value to teachers who work in the first years of elementary and middle school programs. That said, the theories and practices in the book are suitable for language programs at all levels for all age groups.

· Abundant classroom activities and teaching cases

Valuing cooperative learning and interactive language tasks, this book presents a great variety of language classroom activities with detailed rules and examples, and shares plenty of cases using manipulatives, games, activities, and digital technology to enliven the classroom.

· Care for teacher development and growth

Based on the Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning Project (TELL), the fifth edition elaborates on what an effective language teacher should be like and how to be an effective language teacher, aiming to guide and help every teacher to grow in their career. 

Intended for those preparing to teach languages, especially at the elementary and middle school level (grades K–8); for practitioners already involved with language teaching; and for teachers, parents, and administrators engaged in the planning or in the evaluation process