SELECTION AND ADAPTATION

CRITERIA OF
MATERIALS/ACTIVITIES AND
TECHNIQUES FOR
YOUNG LEARNERS
JOPINNA ANAK WILLIAM
ROZIE KASIM
JACQUELIRA ANAK JOSPENSON
 LANGUAGE LEVEL AND POTENTIAL
 VISUAL FEATURES
 INTEREST
 CULTURAL CONTENT
 MORAL VALUES
LANGUAGE LEVEL AND POTENTIAL
 The language needs to be mostly known or
understood by the children.
 some new words can be introduced during

the pre-activity
 important not to overwhelm with complexity.
 consider the sentence structure, and - if it is

difficult – decide whether it is still worth using

and/or adapting.
 If the class is reading/sharing a poem – the
words need to be clear and should not be
too difficult, or too many words.

 If the class is listening to a song – the

words should be clear to hear, pre-teach
the few unknown words, or let the children
try to guess or work out their meaning
from the context etc.
 However you can have a long song with
many verses, and each verse changes just a
little.

 For story that has slightly difficult language

but it’s a really good story –tell it in slightly
simplified language rather than reading it.
 VISUAL FEATURES
 For young learners - most important issue
especially when selecting a story

 If reading the story aloud from a book - need

to be enough pictures, and big enough, for
you to hold up and let everyone see them.
 If telling the story, then you need to be the
‘visual’ with lots of facial expression,
gestures, and movement.

 You could also use pictures (big enough),

puppet(s), and/or realia.
If there are no visual aids in the book?
 Scan/photograph the (too small) pictures and

create a PowerPoint from the pictures.

 Collect suitable clip-art or pictures (from Google

Images, for example) and make a PowerPoint
presentation.

 Use some of the children as the characters in the

story, and get them to act out a little as you
tell/read the story.
 INTEREST
 Students’ interest is among the most important
requirement you should take into consideration in
text selection (Nuttal, 1982).

 Songs can be selected to suit the needs and

interests of your own students.

 There are many English songs available for

selection with suitable themes, levels and
vocabulary which is not at all difficult.
 CULTURAL CONTENT
 Songs/Drama/Stories reflect culture and by
using these can give your students the
opportunity to acquire a better
understanding of the culture of the target
language.

 If you find that the words are not suitable,

for example, if it contains slang or offensive
words, you may need to adapt it to suit
your students.
 In choosing songs/drama/stories, you have to
consider the following factors:

◦ Cultural biasness
◦ Sensitivity to the impact of culturally-induced
behaviour
◦ Familiarity to learners’ background knowledge
◦ The use words or expressions which are
perceived as inappropriate, offensive or vulgar
in the context of the students
 MORAL VALUES
 Teachers should choose stories, songs and drama
that contain moral values.

 Teachers should be able to highlight the values

embedded in particular songs, stories and drama
because this will help students understand about
themselves and their place in the world.

 It will also develop and shape their attitudes about

themselves and of others.