Assignment 2, Part 3
Exploiting authentic materials and the internet for language teaching
Write 500-700 words, placing each paragraph under the headings below. The paragraphs
do not have to be equal in length.
a) Explain the value of using authentic materials in foreign language teaching (See Units 5
and 9 and do your own research).
Authentic texts are more interesting and fun, but also more rewarding because it gives the student a
sense of accomplishment when he or she grasps it, but it would also serve as good motivation when
he or she doesn’t get it right the first time and will allow for him or her to track his or her progress
as he/she advances. The rawness and unpreparedness of an authentic text adds a lot of value to the
end product. Authentic texts also bring value in the sense that it offers unlimited opportunities to
teach about various different language aspects. One authentic text can cover lessons, from different
parts of speech right through to tenses, with an added bonus of expanding the student’s general feel
for English.
b) Describe how you went about finding material on the internet (your authentic text, and
activity). Explain why you selected this text for this class and these vocabulary items for
pre-teaching.
Since we find ourselves in the middle of a Covid-19 pandemic I thought about what would be a
relevant topic and what the students could also benefit from not just academically but in life and in
the current situation. I also wanted to make the lesson interesting. That is why I thought of using a
video instead of just a reading comprehension. I looked at various videos but not all had fit the
criteria. Some where not interesting enough, some where too short, and some where not suitable for
advanced students. The one I chose was handpicked carefully specifically for C1 students and it
suited the light-hearted method of carrying over a bit more serious topic for the time we live in.It
had to be effective, suitable, fun, interesting and appropriate and the text I found matched all of
these.
c) Explain the value of your three activities for this class.
The first activity brings value in testing a lot of their dictionary skills and also expanding their
vocabulary. The second activity brings value in making them think and search for relevant
information without the help of the teacher. This creates a platform where they are forced to explore
and in the process gain confidence in English It is also fun and colorful.The third activity brings
value in wrapping up all that they have learned in a fun way. Through all three these activities the
teacher also gets a clear idea of where the students stand with their progress which is necessary in
order to know if the lesson was effective.
d) Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet for teaching and
language resources. (See Unit 10.)
The advantages are that it is very easy to find resources and make interesting lessons with videos
and pictures or songs as well as it being much less time consuming for a teacher to plan and
construct a lesson. The other advantage is that students generally engage more with technology than
with books/hardware material because the of era of technology we life in. Due to the unique
circumstances of a pandemic, the internet and online resources have been a life saver. It is also
much more compact as all the info is saved on an invisible cloud and need only a small laptop vs
the conservative method of carrying material around.The disadvantages are that you need internet
Exploiting authentic materials and the internet for language teaching
Write 500-700 words, placing each paragraph under the headings below. The paragraphs
do not have to be equal in length.
a) Explain the value of using authentic materials in foreign language teaching (See Units 5
and 9 and do your own research).
Authentic texts are more interesting and fun, but also more rewarding because it gives the student a
sense of accomplishment when he or she grasps it, but it would also serve as good motivation when
he or she doesn’t get it right the first time and will allow for him or her to track his or her progress
as he/she advances. The rawness and unpreparedness of an authentic text adds a lot of value to the
end product. Authentic texts also bring value in the sense that it offers unlimited opportunities to
teach about various different language aspects. One authentic text can cover lessons, from different
parts of speech right through to tenses, with an added bonus of expanding the student’s general feel
for English.
b) Describe how you went about finding material on the internet (your authentic text, and
activity). Explain why you selected this text for this class and these vocabulary items for
pre-teaching.
Since we find ourselves in the middle of a Covid-19 pandemic I thought about what would be a
relevant topic and what the students could also benefit from not just academically but in life and in
the current situation. I also wanted to make the lesson interesting. That is why I thought of using a
video instead of just a reading comprehension. I looked at various videos but not all had fit the
criteria. Some where not interesting enough, some where too short, and some where not suitable for
advanced students. The one I chose was handpicked carefully specifically for C1 students and it
suited the light-hearted method of carrying over a bit more serious topic for the time we live in.It
had to be effective, suitable, fun, interesting and appropriate and the text I found matched all of
these.
c) Explain the value of your three activities for this class.
The first activity brings value in testing a lot of their dictionary skills and also expanding their
vocabulary. The second activity brings value in making them think and search for relevant
information without the help of the teacher. This creates a platform where they are forced to explore
and in the process gain confidence in English It is also fun and colorful.The third activity brings
value in wrapping up all that they have learned in a fun way. Through all three these activities the
teacher also gets a clear idea of where the students stand with their progress which is necessary in
order to know if the lesson was effective.
d) Comment on the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet for teaching and
language resources. (See Unit 10.)
The advantages are that it is very easy to find resources and make interesting lessons with videos
and pictures or songs as well as it being much less time consuming for a teacher to plan and
construct a lesson. The other advantage is that students generally engage more with technology than
with books/hardware material because the of era of technology we life in. Due to the unique
circumstances of a pandemic, the internet and online resources have been a life saver. It is also
much more compact as all the info is saved on an invisible cloud and need only a small laptop vs
the conservative method of carrying material around.The disadvantages are that you need internet
