Second Language Acquisition & Assessment

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and assessment are at the heart of effective world language teaching. Whether you’re designing daily lessons, building long-term curriculum, or evaluating student progress, the principles of SLA help you choose strategies that truly develop proficiency—not just performance. This pillar brings together the research, frameworks, and classroom tools that teachers need to create meaningful, measurable, and communicative learning experiences.

In this section, you’ll find resources that translate SLA theory into practical application: formative and summative assessments, proficiency-based rubrics, ACTFL-aligned tasks, backwards-designed units, and instructional routines supported by acquisition research. You’ll also find guidance for creating tasks that mirror real-world communication, promote comprehensible input, and support students as they move through each stage of proficiency.

Whether you teach Spanish, French, or any world language, this pillar is designed to help you:

  • Understand how languages are acquired
  • Apply research-based practices in your classroom
  • Design assessments that measure real proficiency
  • Build units and lessons anchored in meaningful communication
  • Track growth over time with reliable tools
  • Support learner autonomy, engagement, and confidence

Building Proficiency for World Language Learners: 100+ High-Interest Activities
Discover over 100 dynamic activities to make world language learning interactive and fun. I wrote this book with some of my favorite activities for educators aiming to build proficiency with high-impact strategies.
Learn more and get your copy here.

5 Weeks of No and Low Prep Fun
 Need quick, engaging activities for your class? This free guide includes 25 no-prep and low-prep ideas to save time while keeping students excited about learning.
Download your free copy now.

  • 5 Days of Language Proficiency Practice Activities

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  • Learn Languages: 25 Ways to Learn Every Day

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  • Binge Watching to Learn Languages

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  • The Fastest Way to Learn a Language… and the Best Way for You

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  • Three Simple Ways to Learn a Language Without Leaving Home

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  • How to Use This Interview Resource to Level Up Your Spanish AND French Fluency (With English Equivalents)

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  • Low-prep World Language Activities: Reading to Learn and Grow

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  • Brazilian Portuguese for Travel and Beginners

    Check out this phrasebook to get started in Brazilian Portuguese: BRazilian portuguese for Travel and Beginners by Abdul Latif

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    Good interpretive reading strategies start with recognising that learning to read a new script is its own skill. Whether your target language uses a Latin alphabet, an alphabetic script like Hangul, or logographic characters, you need a plan that treats reading as a skill to be built deliberately and patiently. Why reading first matters Before…

  • German for Travel and Beginners

    Get started in German with this phrasebook: German for Travel and Beginners by Abdul Latif

  • French for Travel and Beginners

    Check out this phrasebook to get started in French: Copy of French for Travel and Beginners Phase Book (Your Story) by hello5770

  • Korean for Travel and Beginners

    Check out this phrasebook to get started in Korean: Korean for Travel and Beginners PhRase Book by Abdul Latif

  • Italian for Travel and Beginners Phrasebook

    Phrasebooks are one of the simplest, most effective ways to move from knowing a few words to actually communicating. For learners at the novice level, phrasebooks provide task-based language you can use immediately—no grammar first, no perfection required. Get started in Italian with this phrasebook: Italian for Travel and Beginners by Abdul Latif

  • Language Learning Routines: Phrasebooks

    Language Learning Routines: Phrasebooks are one of the simplest, most effective ways to move from knowing a few words to actually communicating. For learners at the novice level, phrasebooks provide task-based language you can use immediately—no grammar first, no perfection required. Where phrasebooks fit in a language learning routine Language proficiency is best understood in…

  • Fun language learning: make reading for pleasure your secret weapon

    If you want to make fun language learning a reliable habit, focus on what you enjoy reading. Pleasure reading is not a luxury or an afterthought. It is one of the most powerful, sustainable ways to acquire vocabulary, grammar and cultural knowledge without stress. This post explains why reading for pleasure works, what to read,…

  • Reading to Learn Languages: Practical second language acquisition strategies

    Reading to Learn Languages: Practical second language acquisition strategies Reading is one of the most underused tools in language learning in my humble opinion, yet it offers huge leverage when used intentionally. If you want effective second language acquisition strategies that fit into a busy life, reading is where to start. The key is not…

  • 7 Essentials for Speaking Spanish Like a Native

    Master key elements for fluency and high levels of proficiency in Spanish. 7 Essentials to Speak Spanish Like a Native  It’s one language.  While there are many variations of Spanish, it’s still one language. Many of the words that are used in different countries are unique to that country or unique to that area. I’m…

  • Second Language Acquisition Course: Research on Health Benefits 

    In this post I share what I learned interviewing Dr Thomas Bak about how language learning improves health. In this second language acquisition course, see the research on health benefits can inform your study plan. This article summarises the key findings, practical advice and simple routines you can start today. Why learning languages is a…

  • Language Learning Routines: Making Time

    This article expands on a short lesson about how to find and use time to make measurable progress in a new language. If you want practical, no-nonsense advice on building consistent language learning routines, this guide walks through the same framework: estimate the hours, convert daily activities into study time, choose the right tools, and…

  • Second Language Learning Acquisition Course: Errors

    This post expands on the core message of a short lesson about errors in language learning from a recent video. If you’re in or teaching a second language learning acquisition course, this errors module will help you shift your mindset, embrace mistakes, and turn errors into one of your most powerful learning tools. Why errors…

  • Second Language Learning Acquisition Course: Culture 

    This post expands on ideas from the original video and focuses on culture as an essential pillar of any second language learning acquisition course: culture. In this guide I explain why cultural knowledge is inseparable from language learning and give practical steps to bring authentic cultural input into your routine. Why culture matters in language…

  • Second Language Acquisition Course: A Crash Course Guide to the Research

    This post is a summary of the ideas I presented in the original video — a concise second language acquisition course: a crash course guide to the research. If you want practical ways to learn faster, read on. Below I walk through five core ideas, examples from real learners, and clear actions you can apply…

  • Second Language Acquisition: Grammar 

      In this lesson I explain a practical way to think about second language acquisition and grammar. If you’re trying to move from memorising rules to actually speaking, this article lays out a simple framework: treat grammar as a toolbox, not the whole job. Why grammar-as-rules often fails learners Traditional textbooks often lead with rules:…

  • Second Language Acquisition Course: Vocabulary 

    This post lays out a compact, practical plan you can use today. If you’re learning or teaching a second language course, you’ll find clear routines, simple exercises and tools to make vocabulary learning both efficient and communicative. Why vocabulary learning is different Vocabulary is the building block of any language, but it doesn’t behave the…

  • Second Language Learning acquisition Course: Production

      This article focuses on production — the active skills of writing and speaking. If you’re enrolled in a second language learning acquisition course: Production or planning your own routine, this guide turns the lesson into a practical, step-by-step plan you can use immediately. Why production matters Production — speaking and writing — is the…

  • Second Language Learning Acquisition Course: Comprehension

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  • Second Language Acquisition Course: How Long Does it Take?

    Curious about how long it really takes to reach a usable level in another language? In this brief guide based on research used by professional language trainers, you’ll get clear estimates and practical context for a Second Language Acquisition Course: How Long Does it Take? — plus what those numbers actually mean for your learning…

  • Second Language Acquisition Course: Fluency 

    This article expands on a short lesson about fluency from a recent video and offers practical guidance for anyone following a second language acquisition course. In it I explain what fluency really means, share important facts about how fluency develops, and give a simple plan you can use to move toward fluent communication. If you’re…

  • Second Language Acquisition Course: It’s Not You

    Second language acquisition can feel like a mystery: you study, complete courses, yet real conversation still seems out of reach. If you’ve been diligent and still wonder why progress stalls, this piece is for you. In this article I explain common problems with traditional language teaching, what lies behind them, and practical steps you can…

  • Second Language Acquisition Course: Anyone Can Learn a Language

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