Writing skills are developed through journal and letter writing, dictations and other real-world tasks. The culture of a language group is manifested through all the previous four skills. A lab setting is necessary for the increased technology, as are solid electrical support for the lab and for each classroom. Languages are evident outside the classroom walls as well, as students engage in club and contest activities, locally and state-wide, nationally and even internationally. Teachers, parents and students also make visits and field trips to community contexts where languages and cultures are in evidence such as at films, museums, plays and concerts.
Travel abroad is yet another opportunity for language growth.
Contests, travel and classwork are reinforced by homework, including reading of authentic materials and preparation of class projects. In current second language pedagogical thinking, the role of grammar and translation is secondary to the ability to use the language in simulated, real-life situations. Language classrooms should be lively places where students employ language in meaningful communicative contexts based on themes of interest to their specific age group. Sophisticated technology will not replace classroom teachers but will supplement their work by providing additional rich sources of language, as students practice their listening skills while watching news programs beamed live through satellites, develop their written skills as they keyboard through the Internet and speak world-wide with native speakers through video conferencing. Again, a lab setting is imperative for this purpose.