SELECTION AND

ADAPTATION
OF MATERIALS AND
ACTIVITIES


Principles of materials
adaptation
1) Make dialogues communicative
2) Make learning activities relevant and
purposeful
3) Meet the learners needs, both external
and psychological
4) Use models of real, authentic language




Factors to bear in mind when
adaptating materials:


1)Teachers should not adapt materials too
casually, e.g. based on his or her own
preferences or tastes;

2)Materials deleted or added should not go
beyond a reasonable proportion, otherwise
consider alternative materials.

3)Teachers should not adapt materials only
to cater for the needs of exams or tests.


CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
OF MATERIALS
1. The material must match the goals and
objectives of the syllabus or language
programme.
2. The material should be consistent with the
teaching-learning situation / approach.
3. The authenticity of the material.
4. The material must suit the target audience
level /ability, needs, interest, time
5. The material should be reasonably priced if
cost is involved.
6. The material should make learning easier.
7. The material should create joy and interest in
the learners.
8. The material should be attractive, colourful,
and durable where applicable.
Checklist for evaluation and
selection of listening and
speaking materials
Aims and approaches

Do the aims of the materials correspond closely with the
aims of your lesson objectives and with the needs of the
learners
Is the material suited to the learning / teaching situation?

Design and organisation

How is the content organised? ( e.g. According to
structures, functions, topics, skills, etc)? Is the organisation
right for learners and you?
How is the content sequenced? ( e.g. On the basis of
complexity, learnability, usefulness, etc)?
What type of text is it? (expository, narrative, descriptive,
discursive, etc)
Is the layout clear? (printed materials)
Language Content

Does the material cover the grammar item you intend to
teach?
Is the vocabulary level suitable to your students ability?
If you are focussing on pronunciation, does the material
include individual sounds/ word stress/ sentence stress/
intonation?


Skills and recorded materials

Is listening material well-recorded?
Is listening material authentic / non-authentic?
Does the dialogue have many speakers?
Is the speech clear?
Is the accent familiar to the students?
Is there any visual support material?

Topic

Is the topic of the listening material in
the scope of the syllabus?
Is the topic familiar? (Culture)
Will the topic help expand students
awareness and enrich their experience?

Examples of materials that can be used
for teaching Listening and Speaking skills


Printed materials

books
story books
newspaper articles
brochures / pamphlets
notices
announcements
calendars
internet articles
blogs

Recorded materials

fairy tales
song
news
announcements
excerpts from TV shows/
Movies
movie Trailers
conversation face-to-face,
telephone
weather report
Nursery rhymes
Documentaries
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