Using authentic material from the real world to teach English

Steffanie Zazulak
A pile of open books on top of each other

There are lots of resources available to English teachers today: from textbooks to online teaching tools, they can all aid and enrich English lessons. Many ESL teachers also introduce authentic English material into their lessons to expose learners to the language as it is spoken in the real world.

Authentic material is any material written in English that was not created for intentional use in the English classroom. Using this content for teaching English can make the teaching experience even more engaging, imaginative and motivating for students. It can also be useful to elicit genuine responses from English language learners.

The great thing about using authentic material is that it is everywhere, which makes it easy to find, and simple for learners to practice English in their own time. Remember that it isn’t limited to articles from newspapers and magazines. Songs, TV programs and films, radio and podcasts, leaflets, menus – anything written in English constitutes authentic material.

Selecting authentic material

The best content to select depends on the learners, their level of English and the course content the English teacher wishes to focus on. It’s also a good idea to find out the learners’ interests – after all, there’s no point trying to get students fascinated by a text on the latest sci-fi movie if they’re all fans of action films.

The materials should reflect a situation that a student may face in an English-speaking environment – this will help them transition into a world where English is the norm. In this world, people use abbreviations, body language is important and they’ll use 'filler' sounds – such as 'ummm' – when they are speaking English – and learners will encounter these in authentic material.

It’s important not to overwhelm learners with the first piece of authentic material. So, choose articles, songs or sections of TV programs or movies that aren’t too difficult to understand or take too long to get through.

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Some ways to use authentic material

Here are two ideas for using authentic material in class: do remember to develop the ideas into a proper lesson plan and explain the aims thoroughly to your learners…

1. Restaurant menus: order your favorite dish

Food is important to everyone, so introduce language learners to some of the common dishes in English-speaking countries so that they will be able to order meals with confidence. Many restaurants have their menus online, so you can easily download them (no need to walk or drive around the neighborhood).

Try to use local restaurants to make it more meaningful for your students, and ensure you have plenty of copies of the menu. You can then either go through the menu and ask each student to guess what the meals are, or they can write down what they would order. You could use different menus for each course, which would widen the types of dishes you can cover during the learning activity. You or another team member could pretend to be the waiter or waitress and your students can practice their spoken English by reading their order back to you.

At the end of the task, you could encourage learners to add up the cost of their courses to calculate their bill – and even ask them to add on a 10% tip to mirror the experience of being in a real restaurant. Remember, these suggestions focus on different skills, so you could use them to form lesson plans for a 'speaking' lesson, a “reading” lesson, etc.

2. Songs: recognizing English lyrics

Listening tosongs with English lyricsis an excellent way of boosting skills in listening and pronunciation, and confidence in using the language.And students will always respond positively to English classes that involve their favorite singer or band.

Ask your students to write down their favorite artist and a song by them that they like and have listened to a few times. They can then try to remember the lyrics, or look at the video on YouTube – they only need to write down a few lines of the song. Then ask them to listen to the lyrics for useful vocabulary, phrases and expressions for everyday language, including colloquial speech.

The language used in lyrics can be casual, tell a simple story or convey strong emotions, which should help learners to establish a connection with the language because it will give them new ways to describe their feelings in different situations. You could even ask them to come up with alternative words, as a way of further increasing and using their vocabulary.

Some song lyrics are commonly misheard, so you could create a quiz in which students have to choose the next words – words that grammatically fit into the lyrics. This can be a funny English lesson – for you as well as your students.

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    5 STEAM myths debunked

    By Sarah Hillyard
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) sounds like an overwhelming combination of subjects to teach – and only suitable for expert educators. But the reality is doing STEAM is simpler than you think. Here are 5 common STEAM myths and the truth behind them. We also outline a number of simple activities you try with your students.

    1. STEAM requires a lot of time

    STEAM projects encourage curiosity, creativity and collaboration in the classroom – but they have a reputation for being preparation-heavy and for requiring a lot of teaching time and energy.

    But to get the full benefit of STEAM, there’s no need to plan out a full-blown project that lasts a whole month. In fact, you might integrate just one STEAM lesson into your syllabus. Or a lesson could contain a one-off 10-minute STEAM challenge.

    Here are some easy, low-preparation challenges your classes can take part in:

    10-minute STEAM challenges:

    • Winter unit: How tall can you build a snowman using paper cups?
    • Shapes theme: Using five toothpicks make a pentagon, two triangles, a letter of the alphabet.
    • Bug project: Can you create a symmetrical butterfly?

    2. You need fancy materials to do STEAM

    The biggest misconception is around technology. When you think of STEAM, you might imagine you need apps, computers, tablets and robots to teach it successfully. It’s true that you will certainly find STEAM challenges out there that involve extensive supply lists, expensive equipment, knowledge of programming and robotics.

    However, in reality, you probably have everything you need already. Technology doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. It can refer to simple, non-electronic tools and machines, too. Think funnels, measuring cups and screwdrivers, for example. You can use low-cost regular classroom or household items and recyclable materials that learners' families can donate. Toilet paper rolls and cardboard boxes are very popular items in STEAM.

    Here is a low-tech activity you can try:

    Combine engineering, art and math using cardboard and a pair of scissors

    This challenge involves creating 3D self-portrait sculptures in the using only cardboard. First, teach about parts of the face by observing and analyzing some Cubist portraits (eg, explore Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso). Then have learners cut out cardboard shapes and make slits in them to attach together. They create their self-portrait sculptures by fitting the pieces together using the slits so that the final product will stand by itself. Display the self-portraits and talk about them.

    3. STEAM is targeted to older learners

    Young children are naturally curious about the world around them, and STEAM experiences begin very early in life. They explore with their senses and test their hypotheses about the world, just like scientists do. Much of their play is based on engineering skills, such as building houses with LEGO® bricks. They learn to manipulate tools while they develop their fine motor skills and their awareness of non-electronic technology. They use dramatic play and enjoy getting their hands full of paint while engaged in art. They learn about maths concepts very early on, such as size (big and small toys), quantities of things, and even babies start using the word “more” if they’re still hungry.

    Check out this simple STEAM experiment to learn about plants and their needs.

    How do plants eat and drink?

    Have students put water and food dye in a pot. Put a white flower in the water. Ask students to guess what will happen.

    After a few days, students should check their flowers and observe how it has changed color. They must then record their results. Extend the experiment by asking if they can make their flowers two colors.