Book excerpt: For undergraduate or graduate level foreign language methods courses in Teacher Preparation. Also appropriate for junior high and high school teachers of modern foreign languages.Exclusive in its socio-cultural approach to language learning, this comprehensive text builds on the National Communication Standards for foreign language learning. Its goal is to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain effective classroom communities of foreign language learners. To accomplish this, the author incorporates the latest research and theoretical insight regarding communication and communicative development with practical application. The result is a complete, effective approach to designing curriculum, instruction, and assessment for foreign languages.