Clara Prado talks about how using authentic materials in the classroom can help explain the relevance of learning English to young students.
As I was about to start a class with a new nine-year-old private student, my phone buzzed with a text message. I apologized and asked for a minute to reply. It was an Italian friend finalizing her plans to come and visit me. The student was curious so I let him read her text, which was asking about the weather in my city. He looked at me, a little confused, and asked: “You have friends from other countries? How? And how do you talk to them?” I answered with another question: “Why do you think we learn English? ” His response: “To pass a test”. This exchange is what inspired me to write this article.
How do you explain that learning English in today’s world goes far beyond school and curriculum topics? English is the language of 53 countries and the most commonly spoken language in the world. It is also the language used in the Internet (a lot) and in the media industry, with movies, songs, series, etc. Most parents say to their children: “you will need English to get a good job!” but, the thing is, to most 8 or 9 year-olds, what is a job? Therefore, I feel that I need to use information from their world so they can better understand that learning English, allows you to conquer the world! In a way…
I have found that a great way to get this message across to younger students is by using authentic material. But, how and what kind of authentic material could and should be used with children? First, let us define authentic material as texts that were written with no regards to non-native speaker (read). The definition helps us understand that authentic material goes beyond newspapers, magazines or even movies, that might be way too difficult for young learners. So, let us explore some other options that could be used in the classroom with the little ones:
Social media posts.
A lot of the viral posts in social media consist of memes, images, iconographic or short texts, which make them perfect to be explored by younger students, provided that the content is suitable for them. In order to acquire material for your class, it’s important to keep them in mind during your social hours. Your students may be interested in them because they have seen it before, and perhaps they didn’t completely understand. You can also take advantage of content that they have already had contact with and may be familiar with some vocabulary. To keep yourself up-to-date on the latest trends, it’s a good idea to follow some of your student’s favourites on your social media. At the moment, for me, that means Pokémon, Naruto and Super Girl.
Song and videos from YouTube
Looking for things on YouTube to use in the classroom is challenging because of the sheer volume of videos. However, I normally try to focus on vlogs from kids of similar ages. Videos that do a sketch or a short story, or a version of a famous song are also useful. Silent videos or images that are self-explanatory are also great, or tutorial videos with simple instructions, with clear descriptive shots. Again, it’s a good idea to ask your students about some of their favourites and follow their pages to find a video that best suit your needs. At the moment, I follow a lot of gamers and most of the time I’m the one that needs the class to help me understand!
How about you? What do you use in your classroom? Share your ideas with us!