Assignment C - Part 3
Essay
600-700 word Essay on Using Authentic Materials and the Internet
Please write the essay under the four headings given.
a) The value of using authentic materials in foreign language teaching
Using authentic materials in the teaching of foreign language is extremely valuable as it introduces
learners to how the language is used in the real world by native speakers and prepares learners for
real life communication, written or spoken. The use of authentic materials makes learning much
more interactive, engaging and fun, and therefore boosts learners confidence. It also helps
students to relate more to the topics they have learnt through coursebooks and brings those topics
to life, thus acting as a bridge to the outside world. Because authentic materials take various
forms such as articles, posters, menus, tv and radio programmes, You tube videos etc, learners can
improve all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. One of the great things about it is
that it is usually free and easily accessible and teachers do not have to devise it themselves.
b) Reasons for the selection of this text and the 12 vocabulary items. Rationale for changes to
text, if applicable.
I chose the particular article ‘ Why people empowering adventures are the latest travel trend’ as I
found it inspiring for an adult advanced class made up of mixed nationalities who would have
experience of travel and would know how it feels to be locals in their own countries exposed to
tourism. I chose The Independent as it is a well-known newspaper and the language is written in
standard English at the level of the class, therefore making it appropriate. The 12 vocabulary words
I chose were graded using the vocab profiler and are appropriate for the advanced class. They
include the grammatical forms of nouns, verbs and idioms such as brimming, stumbling and knock
back chai which the students might not be too familiar with as these words are used more by
native speakers. I did not adapt the article as I felt it was written well.
c) Why my activities are appropriate for this class:
The first activity is a word match game using a dictionary. I felt it is a good warm up activity and a
way for students to consolidate their understanding of the words taught in the pre-teaching part of
the lesson and also words which they came across during reading of the article. The game helps
students identify the meaning as well as the grammatical form of the words and is also good for
developing accuracy in spelling and general dictionary skills. The second activity continues with the
topic of travel but focuses on the benefits of travelling and the worksheet gives website links and
ideas on areas to think about. I asked the students to undertake the research in order to write a
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
Essay
600-700 word Essay on Using Authentic Materials and the Internet
Please write the essay under the four headings given.
a) The value of using authentic materials in foreign language teaching
Using authentic materials in the teaching of foreign language is extremely valuable as it introduces
learners to how the language is used in the real world by native speakers and prepares learners for
real life communication, written or spoken. The use of authentic materials makes learning much
more interactive, engaging and fun, and therefore boosts learners confidence. It also helps
students to relate more to the topics they have learnt through coursebooks and brings those topics
to life, thus acting as a bridge to the outside world. Because authentic materials take various
forms such as articles, posters, menus, tv and radio programmes, You tube videos etc, learners can
improve all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. One of the great things about it is
that it is usually free and easily accessible and teachers do not have to devise it themselves.
b) Reasons for the selection of this text and the 12 vocabulary items. Rationale for changes to
text, if applicable.
I chose the particular article ‘ Why people empowering adventures are the latest travel trend’ as I
found it inspiring for an adult advanced class made up of mixed nationalities who would have
experience of travel and would know how it feels to be locals in their own countries exposed to
tourism. I chose The Independent as it is a well-known newspaper and the language is written in
standard English at the level of the class, therefore making it appropriate. The 12 vocabulary words
I chose were graded using the vocab profiler and are appropriate for the advanced class. They
include the grammatical forms of nouns, verbs and idioms such as brimming, stumbling and knock
back chai which the students might not be too familiar with as these words are used more by
native speakers. I did not adapt the article as I felt it was written well.
c) Why my activities are appropriate for this class:
The first activity is a word match game using a dictionary. I felt it is a good warm up activity and a
way for students to consolidate their understanding of the words taught in the pre-teaching part of
the lesson and also words which they came across during reading of the article. The game helps
students identify the meaning as well as the grammatical form of the words and is also good for
developing accuracy in spelling and general dictionary skills. The second activity continues with the
topic of travel but focuses on the benefits of travelling and the worksheet gives website links and
ideas on areas to think about. I asked the students to undertake the research in order to write a
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
