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 texts when teaching a foreign language is essential to students learning how to use
the language correctly, when speaking or writing. As long as it is suitable for the target class’ level
it allows students to see how native speakers communicate or present a text in different
circumstances. This can range from using more informal materials such as emails, letters or phone
calls to more formal pieces like weather forecasts, cover letters for a job or a news report on
television. The obvious advantage of this is that students will come across some of these texts in
everyday life if they are living in an English speaking country, helping them with possible real life
situations. Moreover, using authentic audio/video gives the students the opportunity to hear
native speakers speak at a normal pace so they are prepared for real life conversations, while
written text can show students phrases, idioms, colloquialisms and collocations that would not be
seen in regular coursebooks made for a TFL class.
b) Reasons for the selection of this text and the 12 vocabulary items. Rationale for changes to
text, if applicable.
I have selected the chosen text because it is a current and controversial story in the news that
everyone will have an opinion on and most probably will already have some knowledge of. I think it
is of interest to people of all ages and all walks of life. The story is from the BBC meaning the
language used will definitely be correct and to a good standard. The vocabulary list was chosen
with the help of an online profiler and used all the words they may have found challenging and will
need to understand. I made no changes to the text as I thought it was suitable for the level of the
class.
c) Why my activities are appropriate for this class:
The first activity that was selected was a quiz. I chose to use a quiz as it might engage the students
a little more rather than just getting them to look words up in the dictionary. It makes the activity a
competition and more of a challenge, especially including phonetics and synonyms. For the second
activity I decided to keep the topic on space, this way the students could look up a mission of their
© 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 texts when teaching a foreign language is essential to students learning how to use
the language correctly, when speaking or writing. As long as it is suitable for the target class’ level
it allows students to see how native speakers communicate or present a text in different
circumstances. This can range from using more informal materials such as emails, letters or phone
calls to more formal pieces like weather forecasts, cover letters for a job or a news report on
television. The obvious advantage of this is that students will come across some of these texts in
everyday life if they are living in an English speaking country, helping them with possible real life
situations. Moreover, using authentic audio/video gives the students the opportunity to hear
native speakers speak at a normal pace so they are prepared for real life conversations, while
written text can show students phrases, idioms, colloquialisms and collocations that would not be
seen in regular coursebooks made for a TFL class.
b) Reasons for the selection of this text and the 12 vocabulary items. Rationale for changes to
text, if applicable.
I have selected the chosen text because it is a current and controversial story in the news that
everyone will have an opinion on and most probably will already have some knowledge of. I think it
is of interest to people of all ages and all walks of life. The story is from the BBC meaning the
language used will definitely be correct and to a good standard. The vocabulary list was chosen
with the help of an online profiler and used all the words they may have found challenging and will
need to understand. I made no changes to the text as I thought it was suitable for the level of the
class.
c) Why my activities are appropriate for this class:
The first activity that was selected was a quiz. I chose to use a quiz as it might engage the students
a little more rather than just getting them to look words up in the dictionary. It makes the activity a
competition and more of a challenge, especially including phonetics and synonyms. For the second
activity I decided to keep the topic on space, this way the students could look up a mission of their
© 2020 The TEFL Academy. All rights reserved. 1
