The European Union has succeeded in breaking down monetary and legal barriers among its members. This volume presents a program for breaking down linguistic barriers by teaching European languages in primary and secondary schools using the approach of Modern Languages Across the Curriculum (MLAC), what is essentially called content-based instruction in the United States.

The book contains 12 chapters in 4 sections. Section 1 reviews SLA theory and the history of language teaching methods in Europe. The European take on these familiar themes is fascinating. For example, van Essen notes that Krashen's learning/acquisition distinction and the notion of learning strategies were anticipated by Palmer, a British linguist, in the 1920s. In the chapter on second language theory, Grenfell places MLAC squarely within the tradition of communicative language teaching.

Section 2 contains case studies of MLAC programs in France, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Italy, and Spain. Again, comparisons with the United States are fascinating. Here, content-based instruction is most often found in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, rather than foreign language programs. In Europe, the line between second language and foreign language blurs. In Catalonia, for example, similar MLAC programs are used to teach Catalan to Spanish-speaking immigrants from Andalusia as well as to teach French to Catalan speakers. It is interesting that Spanish, the native language of the immigrant children, is seldom used (this is in part, no doubt, because memories of Franco's Spanish-only policies are still strong). Thus, in Europe as in the United States, language educators must work within prevailing political frameworks. Section 3 includes good examples of materials for teaching MLAC at different grade levels. Section 4 considers how MLAC teachers can be trained, a problem because they need expertise in both language pedagogy and the content area.

This volume has a lot to interest foreign language, ESL, and bilingual teachers in the United States because it focuses our beliefs, practices, and problems through a new and clarifying lens. Grenfell notes that MLAC is the logical approach for preparing students to work internationally because “the modern information age is a content-handling age” (p. 4). As the United States attempts to become more effectively involved internationally, American language educators should take note.