How can you use authentic materials to enhance an ESL learner's experience?

1 Choose relevant and appropriate materials

The first step is to select authentic materials that are relevant to your students' interests, needs, and goals. For example, if your students are preparing for a specific exam, you can choose materials that match the format and topics of the exam. If your students are interested in a certain culture, you can choose materials that reflect that culture. If your students have a specific purpose for learning English, such as travel, work, or study, you can choose materials that relate to that purpose.

You also need to consider the appropriateness of the materials in terms of difficulty, length, and content. You want to choose materials that are challenging enough to stimulate your students' learning, but not too difficult to frustrate or demotivate them. You can use tools such as readability scores, word frequency lists, or text analysis software to help you evaluate the difficulty of the materials. You also want to choose materials that are suitable for the time and space available in your classroom, and that do not contain any offensive or inappropriate content that might upset your students or violate your school's policies.

2 Adapt and scaffold the materials

Adapting and scaffolding materials to make them more accessible and comprehensible for your students is the next step. You can modify the materials or provide support to help your students understand and use them. Depending on your objectives and your students' levels, you can simplify the language by reducing the vocabulary, grammar, or length of the materials. Additionally, you can highlight key words, phrases, or structures that you want your students to focus on. Visuals, such as pictures, diagrams, or charts, can also be used to illustrate the meaning or content of the materials. Pre-teaching, such as introducing the topic or teaching new vocabulary or grammar before presenting the materials, is also beneficial. Post-teaching activities like reviewing main points or practicing new vocabulary or grammar after presenting the materials can help too. Finally, tasks like questions, prompts, or activities that guide your students to interact with the materials in meaningful ways should be provided.

3 Use the materials for different skills and purposes

Incorporating authentic materials into your ESL lesson plan is a great way to help your students reach their language goals. You can use the materials to foster listening skills by playing an audio or video clip and asking students to listen for specific information. Speaking skills can be developed by asking students to discuss, debate, or present their views on the topic or content of the materials. Reading skills can be improved by giving them a text and asking them to scan, skim, or read for specific information. Writing skills can be developed by asking them to write a summary, a review, or a response to the materials. Additionally, intercultural awareness can be enhanced by asking them to compare and contrast the culture, values, or beliefs expressed in the materials with their own or other cultures. Using these materials in your classroom will allow your students to engage with real-world language and content.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?