Using authentic resources and materials, such as story books, music, songs, rhymes, internet sites and film or television excerpts can be extremely motivating and offer glimpses or snapshots of daily life in the other country – a child in a German story, for example, might tuck into a nice Mohnbrötchen for breakfast, leading to a discussion around breakfast customs in children’s homes and in Germany.

The CILT library holds many useful authentic resources and materials.

Questions

- What are the advantages and potential disadvantages of using authentic resources in the classroom?

- What criteria would you use when choosing authentic resources?

- What are the sources of authentic resources for your language?

Activity

Collect 3 or 4 books in the new language you are teaching and evaluate their usefulness with the following questions in mind:   

• How would I use this book in class?
• Is the language and subject matter at the appropriate level for my class?
• What clues do I get from the language/pictures about life in another country?
• What similarities and differences might I draw attention to?