Authentic material is language produced for real communication, not for learners: news, menus, timetables, ads, podcasts, videos, songs, social media posts, forms, product labels, emails, signs.
Principle: grade the task, not the text
Keep the text as it is and make the task fit the level. Lower-level learners can do a lot with a real text if the task asks for something they can find.
| Level | Same text: a real restaurant menu | Same text: a news article |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Find three things you can drink; how much is a coffee? | Find the numbers and dates; what are they? |
| A2 | Choose a meal for a vegetarian under 20 euros | Read the headline and first sentence: who, what, where? |
| B1 | Role play ordering; ask about ingredients | Gist + five detail questions on paragraphs 1-3 |
| B2 | Compare two menus and write a short review | Identify facts vs opinions; summarise both sides |
| C1 | Analyse the persuasive language of menu descriptions | Evaluate the article's bias and sources |
Change the text only if the task cannot work otherwise; then shorten (cut paragraphs) before simplifying language, and label it "adapted".
Choosing a text
| Criterion | Question |
|---|---|
| Interest | Will these learners want to read or watch it? |
| Relevance | Does it match their needs (work, study, daily life, exam)? |
| Exploitability | Can it support a sequence of tasks (gist, detail, language, response)? |
| Language | Does it contain useful language at a reachable level? (vocab_extract.py coverage 85%+ for detail tasks) |
| Length | Short enough for the lesson stage; cut to the useful part |
| Cultural load | How much background knowledge does it assume? Can you supply it quickly? |
| Shelf life | Will it date quickly? News works for one lesson; evergreen texts can be reused |
| Sensitivity | Topics that may upset the class (war, migration, illness, religion)? |
| Rights | Can you legally use it in class? (see copyright-and-sources.md) |
Task ideas by material
| Material | Pre-task | Main tasks | Language focus | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| News article | Predict from headline/photo | Gist; who/what/where/when/why; T/F | Headline grammar, reporting verbs | Discuss; write a comment |
| Podcast / radio | Topic brainstorm | Gist; note-taking table; speakers' opinions | Discourse markers, fillers, chunks | Record a short response |
| Video / TV clip | Watch without sound, predict | Order events; who says what | Functional phrases in the scene | Role play the scene |
| Song | Predict from title | Gap-fill (6-8 gaps); order lines | Rhyme, contractions, poetic language | Discuss meaning; write a verse |
| Timetable / schedule | What is it for? | Scan for times; plan a trip | Times, prepositions | Info-gap role play |
| Menu | Food brainstorm | Scan for items and prices; choose for a person | Food adjectives, ordering phrases | Restaurant role play |
| Advert | What does it sell? | Find the persuasive claims | Comparatives, imperatives, adjectives | Write an ad |
| Social media post / review | What type of text? | Opinion: positive or negative? Find reasons | Informal language, abbreviations | Write a reply or review |
| Form | Where would you see it? | Fill it in for a character | Form vocabulary (DOB, surname) | Fill in for yourself (or invented data) |
| Infographic / chart | What is it about? | Find three facts; compare figures | Describing trends, numbers | Present to a partner |
Lesson shape
- Lead-in: interest and background knowledge (supply cultural references).
- Pre-teach no more than 4-6 items the task depends on (
vocab_extract.py). - First task: gist or scanning, short time limit.
- Second task: detail or note-taking, graded to the level.
- Language focus: something useful the text shows naturally (chunks, collocations, register).
- Response: speaking or writing that uses the content.
Making learners comfortable with not understanding everything
- Tell them: "You don't need every word. Find..."
- Set tight time limits for first readings or listenings.
- Gloss on the page, not in a long pre-teaching stage.
- Praise strategies: guessing from context, using headings, pictures and numbers.
academic-english-eap-course-planner
Plan English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses: pre-sessional, in-sessional, foundation, IELTS preparation and discipline-specific EAP, with syllabus strands (academic reading, lecture listening and note-taking, essay and report writing, paraphrase, summary and synthesis, referencing and plagiarism, seminars and presentations, academic vocabulary, critical thinking), a 10-week pre-sessional outline, exit assessment, IELTS-CEFR alignment and academic style (formality, hedging, cohesion, reporting verbs). Estimates study hours and weeks to close an IELTS gap from overall or per-skill scores (IELTS rounding, minimum per skill, priority skills, feasibility before a deadline), and checks learner texts for contractions, informal words with academic alternatives, unhedged claims, 'you', And/But/So starts, rhetorical questions and missing citations.
actfl-proficiency-curriculum-mapper
Map world language curricula to the ACTFL framework: proficiency levels (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, Distinguished with sublevels), functions, contexts, text types and accuracy, proficiency vs performance, the three modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, presentational), the 5 Cs World-Readiness Standards, backward-designed thematic units with Integrated Performance Assessments, typical programme targets and FSI time estimates. Looks up approximate ACTFL-CEFR-ILR equivalences with what each level can do, and checks a unit map for missing modes, rehearsed skits mislabelled as interpersonal, translation or word lists as interpretive tasks, and units without an integrated performance assessment.
adult-literacy-esl-lesson-builder
Build lessons for adult ESL learners who are developing literacy (LESLLA learners: pre-literate, non-literate, semi-literate, literate in a non-Roman script): learner profiles and sensitive initial assessment, principles (oral language first, known to new, systematic phonics with adult-relevant text, repetition, classroom skills, respect for experience), a lesson routine (oral warm-up, review, new grapheme, blending, segmenting, decodable text, writing, functional literacy, Language Experience Approach), a phonics sequence for adults, sight words, functional literacy targets (forms, signs, medicine labels) and portfolio assessment. Checks whether a reading text is decodable with the letter-sound patterns and sight words taught so far, catching untaught digraphs, listing non-decodable words with the untaught part, and suggesting the most useful next patterns.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
cefr-aligned-syllabus-builder
Build language course syllabuses aligned to the CEFR (A1-C2, plus levels, Companion Volume 2020): entry and exit levels, guided learning hours and course length (with an L1-distance adjustment), syllabus type (topic, functional-notional, task-based, skills-based, multi-strand), unit-by-unit can-do outcomes, grammar from a core inventory by level, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation, balance of reception, production, interaction and mediation, recycling and assessment points. Checks a syllabus for units without can-do statements, core grammar for the level not covered, items above the course level, skills missing from most units and units with no vocabulary or functions.
classroom-management-for-esl-coach
Coach ESL/EFL teachers in classroom management: the instruction sequence (attention, group first, graded imperatives, demonstration, ICQs, hand out, start, check), ICQ examples, online instructions, routines for the first weeks (class agreement, L1 use, phones, lateness, homework, seating), strategies for L1 use in tasks, dominant and quiet learners, mixed levels, large classes, fast finishers, low motivation, disruptive young learners and teens, cultural expectations, classroom language to teach early and teacher presence. Checks planned instructions for length, missing ICQs, useless ICQs like 'Do you understand?', no demonstration, long sentences, filler and missing grouping or timing, and builds seating plans that keep named learners apart, seat learners who need the front, mix first languages and alternate stronger and weaker learners.