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.

Get in touch and learn more about our courses

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.

Help level up your English language program with our Global Scale of English teaching resources.

For other foreign language needs we also have the Global Scale of Languages.

Explore our GSE educator resources

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • A business woman stood in front of a board of sticky notes, with others looking at the sticky notes.

    Start-up guide: Language training for your business

    By Samantha Ball
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    As HR professionals, you understand the importance of equipping your workforce with the skills they need to thrive. One such critical skill is proficiency in business English. Implementing a corporate language training program can seem daunting, but with the right resources and a clear plan, you can set your organization on a path to success. Here’s a methodical guide to help you get started with resources to help you along the way.

  • woman working on a laptop

    Why use Smart Lesson Generator?

    By Thomas Gardner
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Teachers juggle many responsibilities and often find themselves with limited time for lesson planning. Your solution? Smart Lesson Generator is the fast, connected and effective way to plan lesson activities, so you can get back to doing what you love – teaching. Smart Lesson Generator is an AI-powered tool designed to support educators by streamlining lesson planning and creating engaging, pedagogically-sound content. Here’s why you should consider integrating this tool into your teaching toolkit.

    Save time and focus on teaching

    One of the most significant challenges teachers face is the overwhelming amount of time spent on planning and administrative tasks. Smart Lesson Generator addresses this issue head-on by enabling teachers to create high-quality lesson activities in just 60 seconds. This time-saving feature allows educators to dedicate more time to engaging with their students and delivering impactful lessons.

    Ensure content relevance and engagement

    Creating relevant and engaging content is crucial for effective teaching. The Smart Lesson Generator empowers teachers to tailor lesson activities to the specific needs and interests of their students. Whether you’re adapting content based on current events or cultural relevance, the tool ensures that your lessons are always up-to-date and engaging.

    Provide differentiated instruction

    Catering to a diverse classroom with varying abilities can be challenging. Smart Lesson Generator supports differentiated instruction by offering stretch activities for advanced students and remediation activities for those needing additional support. This feature ensures that all students, regardless of their proficiency level, receive the appropriate level of challenge and support, fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment.

    Pedagogically sound

    As educators, I think we can all agree there is a need for effective AI-tools that are designed by teaching experts. Smart Lesson Generator is aligned with ɫèAV courses and the Global Scale of English (GSE) framework, ensuring that all generated activities are pedagogically sound and level appropriate. This alignment guarantees that the content you deliver is not only engaging but also meets rigorous educational standards, providing a reliable foundation for student learning.

    Explore a variety of activity types

    Smart Lesson Generator currently offers six activity types - with more in development - to cater to different teacher needs and styles. These include:

    • Lesson hook: Engaging warmers to introduce lesson topics and activate prior knowledge
    • Communication starter: Activities designed to promote student interaction and communication skills
    • Reading activity: Additional reading practice aligned with lesson content or personalized topics
    • Exit ticket: Formative assessment tools to evaluate student understanding and encourage reflection
    • Grammar presentation: Support for mastering key language points relevant to the lesson
    • Vocabulary presentation: Activities to enhance vocabulary acquisition and usage

    Personalize the learning experience

    Every classroom is unique, and Smart Lesson Generator allows you to create personalized learning experiences tailored to your students' needs. By generating content based on ɫèAV courses or personalized topics, you can ensure that each lesson is relevant and engaging for your students. This personalization fosters a more dynamic and effective learning environment where students are more likely to stay engaged and motivated.

    Embrace the future of teaching with Smart Lesson Generator and experience the transformative power of AI in education. Save time, enhance engagement and deliver high-quality, personalized lessons that make a lasting impact on your students.

  • A teacher sat at a table with students helping them work

    GSE Teacher Toolkit: Teaching mixed ability classes

    By Sara Davila
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    One of the biggest challenges for language teachers is teaching a mixed ability class. Students with different levels and abilities will always be present in our classrooms. So, how can we use the to improve mixed ability teaching? Let’s find out.

    How to teach mixed-ability classes

    Differentiated instruction is the best way to address the challenges of mixed ability classrooms. This is a method that helps teachers adjust aspects of the curriculum to match the different levels ofstudents.*This practice ensures that all learners are meeting course outcomes, even though their learning experience may be varied anddifferent.

    In order to differentiate instruction and support students with different needs, teachers can change:

    • the content being taught
    • the process used to teach
    • the product students create
    • the environment where learning takes place

    Adjusting the content tends to be the most obvious way to support learners. So, teachers who want to engage with differentiated instruction in mixed ability classrooms often find themselves producing a lot of content. This is greatas a way tosupport learners. However, creating new content or leveling existing content is time-consuming, and it can become a real challenge for teachers.

    Content vs process

    Instead of adjusting your content, you can use the GSE Teacher Toolkit to adjust your process. When you’re not creating lots of new content, you’ve got more time to consider how to teach new language to your students and how they can show what they’ve learned.The GSE Teacher Toolkit helps teachers to focus on the process and language production of learners, rather than the content you are teaching.

    This means less work for you, and more engagement from your students, no matter what their level is. And the GSE Teacher Toolkit can help you understand the skills we can expect students to demonstrate. So how does this work in practice? Let’stake a look.