TOPIC 23: La elaboración de materiales curriculares para la clase de inglés.

Criterios para la selección y uso de los

libros de texto. Documentos auténticos y adaptados: limitaciones de su uso. La colaboración de los alumnos en el
diseño de materiales.

 anguage.

Harmer also provided some criteria for the selection of a course-book.

 We should take into account practical considerations like the price, the additional materials provided (CD's,
interactive activities), the availability etc.
 Lay-out and design are also important, books must be as much attractive as possible.
 Another positive point is the inclusion of a balance of activities, which should be varied and contextualized in
real situations.
 A balance on the four basic skills is also desirable. Listening, speaking, reading and writing should be worked in
an integrative manner.
 In addition, the contents have to match students' realities, interests and previous experiences.
 Finally, Harmer pointed out that it is necessary that books incorporate some guidance for both teachers and
students.
If
two types of materials.

 Authentic materials are not created for educational purposes. Some examples are radio and TV programs,
magazines, leaflets, non-educational books and games, internet or realia.

 Non- authentic materials are specifically designed for the class, so they are adapted to the capacities and age
of the learners. Some of them are: course-books, worksheets or educational games.

Non authentic materials can be classified as follows.

o Simulated authentic, if they are real-alike, so they seem to be authentic.

o Artificial materials, if they illustrate lexical and grammatical points without any kind of context.

As we have to work not only on linguistic aspects, but on communication as a whole, authentic materials present
two main advantages.

 They provide real and meaningful language with a connection to the real world.
 They incorporate socio-cultural aspects of English speaking countries.

Concerning this issue, cultural connotations of words or promoting curiosity and empathy towards English speaking
countries, among others.

On the other hand, we can mention the main disadvantage when dealing with authentic materials: they can be too
difficult for learners

the particularities of the situation.

Nonetheless, question of authenticity does not depend on the original purpose of the material, but on how learners
perceive and experience the tasks. In fact, they argued that authenticity can be added through several aspects: the
main goal of the lesson or the activity, the environment, the task itself or the text. Consequently, we can argue that
it may be enough using simulated-authentic materials for the purpose of contextualizing the tasks within a
seemingly real-life situation and at the same time, ensuring that they are comprehensible and easy enough to be
understood by primary students.

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