My Life! Teaching in a Korean University

  • ESL Korea
  • Teaching English
  • ESL Activities
  • Learning English

in Life in the Classroom

Authentic Materials for Language Learning with Lower-Level Students

Is there a better way than just soldiering on through an ESL textbook, semester after semester? Maybe. Authentic materials can be a good way to bring some life back to your teaching. Continue reading to learn about the importance of authentic material in language teaching and learning.

Authentic materials for teaching english

Real-World Materials for Teaching English

Why We Should Use Authentic Materials in Language Teaching

Here are some core reasons why real-world materials are important and why they should be used in ESL and foreign language learning classes.

Textbooks = Boring

One reason why authentic materials should be used in language teaching and learning is that textbooks are boring. I’ve talked about how I don’t really like to use textbooks that much, and if possible, I’ll design my own lessons. A big part of this is that I think most of the topics in ESL textbooks are overdone, and the students (and myself) are bored of them. This is especially true at the higher levels when students have been studying English for 10+ years.

Textbooks = Not Real Life

Another reason to use authentic materials in language learning is that I think it’s better for students to get practice with “real-life” stuff. You know, the stuff that they would encounter out in the real world. Isn’t this the goal of most of our classes anyway? Preparing students for life outside the classroom?

authentic material in language teaching

Authentic Material in Language Teaching

Authentic Materials for Lower-Level Students?

Authentic materials are useful because they give students confidence that they can function in English in an authentic kind of way, and I also like them because it’s “real” language as opposed to the artificial stuff that you’ll often find in textbooks (especially the bad ones). They can also push students to learn some new vocabulary that you often can’t find in the textbooks.

Of course, it’s possible (and necessary!) to use real-world materials for language learning with higher-level students, but is it possible for intermediate or beginner students?

My answer: yes, kind of. I’ll explain more about what I mean.

Low-Level Students: Choose Authentic Materials Carefully

A careful selection of authentic materials is needed so that the students don’t become frustrated. Nothing is worse than choosing something that is higher-level than your students actually are. If you choose something easier, it’s possible to adapt it on the fly to make it harder, but it’s very hard to do this with something that is too high of a level.

I remember back when I was taking a Korean class, and the teacher brought in an article for us to read. I quite literally knew only about 10% of the vocab on the page. It was the most painful hour of my life, and I felt like my head was going to explode. My general rule is that most of the students in the class should know at least 70% of the vocab or it’s too difficult. The top students will probably know 80-90%, which is okay.

Authentic Materials Ideas for Lower-Level and Intermediate-Level

For lower-level students, something like a restaurant menu, greeting card, or “kids” newspaper from an English-speaking country is definitely possible and will be simple enough for them. The language is usually not so complex and more of a vocabulary challenge than a grammar one.

For intermediate-level students, you have a wider range of choices, including short newspaper articles that deal with “facts,” as opposed to “opinions,” teen fiction, or simple TED talks (non-native English speakers are a good choice usually because they’ll speak more slowly and use less slang).

Semi-Authentic Materials: Not a Bad Choice

If your students are not at a high enough level to use authentic materials, you could venture into the realm of semi-authentic materials (very suitable for low-intermediate levels). My favorite site for these kinds of materials is Breaking News English. The articles are categorized into easier/harder, and the 2-page mini-lessons are extremely teacher (and student) friendly and are perfect for a 1-2 hour class. It’s almost hard to believe that all this stuff is free!

FAQs About Authentic Material in Language Teaching

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about using real-world materials in language teaching and learning.

What are authentic materials examples?

Some examples of real-world materials include newspaper articles, menus, greeting cards, and TED talks.

How do you use authentic materials in the classroom?

First, set your class goals, find and choose the best piece of authentic material, and then plan fun activities using your choice of material.

Why is it important for teachers to use authentic materials?

Textbooks are far from reality. Students are going to learn only so much from the nonrealistic and repetitive content of textbooks. However, authentic materials are real. Students will be able to learn practical vocabulary and phrases that they can try out in the real world.

authentic materials for language leraning

Authentic Materials for Language Learning

Authentic Materials for Language Learning: Join the Conversation

What are your thoughts on using real-world materials over textbooks for ESL classes or other language classes? Do you like this type of learning? Let us know if there is another authentic material you would like to suggest to other ESL teachers. We’d love to hear from you!

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 30 books for English teachers and English learners, including Advanced English Conversation Dialogues and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at:
Facebook
Pinterest

« Top 5 Tips for Teaching Content Classes, Minus the Lecture and PPT Death
Rote Memorization of Vocabulary | Rote Memory »
Great Debates for ESL/EFL: 39 Important Debating Topics for English Learners (Teaching ESL Speaking...
Great Debates for ESL/EFL: 39 Important Debating Topics for English Learners (Teaching ESL Speaking...
Check Price on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. What does this mean? I recommend products (only ones that I like) and if you purchase a product through that link, I earn some money.

103 Fun ESL Games & Activities for the Classroom : Interactive, Minimal Prep TEFL Ideas for All Ages
103 Fun ESL Games & Activities for the Classroom : Interactive, Minimal Prep TEFL Ideas for All Ages
Check Price on Amazon
67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
67 ESL Conversation Topics with Questions, Vocabulary, Writing Prompts & More: For English Teachers...
Check Price on Amazon
39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Teachers of Teenagers and Adults who Want to Start Their English Classes Off...
39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Teachers of Teenagers and Adults who Want to Start Their English Classes Off...
Check Price on Amazon
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities: For English Teachers of Teenagers and Adults Who Want...
Check Price on Amazon
39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
39 Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning Activities: A Very Practical Guide to Using TBL in the...
Check Price on Amazon

Recent Posts

  • Renewable Energy Lesson Plan for ESL Students: For Intermediate-Advanced
  • Personality Game Powerpoint | ESL Activity Personality
  • University Jobs: Teaching ESL Korea vs Japan
  • Serial Podcast for ESL Students: Happy Times all ’round
101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online: Practical Ideas, Games, Activities & Tips...
101 Activities and Resources for Teaching English Online: Practical Ideas, Games, Activities & Tips...
Check Price on Amazon
Sale 101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
101 ESL Activities: For Teenagers and Adults
Check Price on Amazon

About and Contact

Jackie Bolen has been talking ESL South Korea since 2014. The goal is to bring you the best tips, ideas, and news for everything teaching English in Korea, including university jobs.

Contact Jackie Bolen and My Life! Teaching in a Korean University here.

Email: [email protected]

Address: 2436 Kelly Ave, Port Coquitlam, Canada

Find the Privacy Policy here.

Facebook

Pinterest

TikTok

YouTube

LinkedIn

Best Seller

101 ESL Activities: Games, Activities, Practical ideas, & Teaching Tips For English Teachers of...
101 ESL Activities: Games, Activities, Practical ideas, & Teaching Tips For English Teachers of...
Check Price on Amazon

Search

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Advertise on My Life! Teaching in Korean University

Recent Articles

frugal-living-korea-tips

101 Frugal Living in Korea Tips | Frugal Living for English Teachers

esl-business-english-lessons

ESL Business English Lesson Activities & Teaching Tips

tips for giving instructions for esl teachers

The Best Tips for Giving Instructions to ESL Students

Study-Tips

Study Tips to Learn English Faster: Become Fluent Quickly and Easily

Copyright © 2025 Jackie Bolen + My Life! Teaching in a Korean University. All Rights Reserved.
x