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There are many good teaching materials published, but even good materials are not perfect for every teaching context. With the advance of technology, especially the Internet, rich instructional resources can also be found online. However, in order to meet the diverse needs of your teaching situations, it becomes necessary to adapt the teaching resources to deliver effective communicative instruction in English. In this module, you will have a chance to reflect on your teaching contexts and materials available to you. You will also explore ways to effectively adapt your teaching materials to foster a communicative classroom in English.

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

• analyze textbook lessons/activities and adapt content for appropriate and meaningful use to meet the learner needs and enhance classroom interactions

• use textbook, ancillary materials, and other relevant sources to develop an effective communicative lesson/activities appropriate for your learning environment

Click here to download the Module 7 Packet.

7.1 Watch

Explore ideas for extending textbook activities with communicative activities by watching two videos.

7.2 Read

Explore ideas for extending textbook activities with communicative activities by reading at least two articles.

Articles

Article 1: Adapting Textbook Activities for Communicative Teaching and Cooperative Learning by Anson Yang and Chan-piu Cheung

This article shows small changes that can be made to adapt textbook activities in order to foster communicative language learning environment.

Source: Yang, A., & Cheung, Ch. (2003). Adapting textbook activities for communicative teaching and cooperative learning. English Teaching Forum, 41(3), 16-24. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/03-41-3-d.pdf

Article 2: Considerations for Adapting Materials to Meet Learner Needs

This article suggests learner considerations that should be made when adapting from textbook activities to meet the learners' various needs.

Source: U.S. Department of State, American English. (n.d.). Considerations for adapting materials to meet learner needs. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/06_june_teachers_corner_adapting_materials_week_1_final.pdf

Additional Resources

Adapting Your Materials for Use in Mixed-ability Classrooms by Susan Iannuzzi

Source: Iannuzzi, S. (2018). Adapting your materials for use in mixed-ability classrooms. [PowerPoint slides]. American English. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/3.6_presentation_slides_-_final_version_for_website.pdf

Multi-level Classes Part Two: Differentiating Instruction with Teacher-supported Groups and Leveled Tasks

Source: U.S. Department of State, American English. (n.d.). Multi-level classes part two: Differentiating instruction with teachers-supported groups and leveled tasks. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/teachers_corner.pdf

Tools for Activating Materials and Tasks in the English Language Classroom by Rick Rosenberg

Source: Rosenberg, (2009). Tools for activating materials and tasks in the English language classroom. English Teaching Forum, 47(4), 2-27. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/etf_09-47-4-b.pdf

7.3 Search

Explore additional web resources on adapting teaching materials in your English classrooms. You can also search these websites for more teaching resources:

• American English Resources page

• Open Educational Resources Commons

• British Council Teaching Secondary Resources

• BrainPop video resources

• Discovery Education video resources

• National Geographic Learning Webinars

(Hint: Try using these keywords: adapting textbooks, differentiated instruction, large class sizes. Type the keywords in the “Search Our Resources” space located in the middle of the web page. Explore the other sites using a similar approach.)

7.4 Think

Examine the teaching resources you currently use in your school, including your textbook. Choose a picture, a reading passage, written assignments and/or practice exercises from your resource. How can these be adapted and used to give your students more chances to use their English communicatively?

OR

Consider the activities/classroom strategies presented in this module (and any others you’ve already completed). You can also find these from the Activity Shares. How can you incorporate one or more of these strategies into your adapted textbook/resource activities to enhance meaningful communication in your classroom?

7.5 Create

Create an adapted textbook lesson/activity. Choose a lesson (or a part of a lesson) that you would like to adapt from your textbook. Describe your learner characteristics and teaching context. Which lesson/activity would you adapt and why? Present your newly adapted lesson/activity. Suggestions for activity adaptation:

• Make it into a role play

• Make it into a pair/group work

• Make it into a team quiz

• Simplify the language

• Replace with a jigsaw reading

• Use an information gap activity

• Gallery walk, reflect, and comment

• What else? What has worked for you in the past?

Are there any new activities you have learned in this module (or learned recently) that you would like to use in this textbook adaptation task?

Note: This will be added to your Portfolio.

7.6 Share

Share the adapted lesson/activity you created in the group chat. Be sure you post an adapted lesson/activity that you have not seen already in the group chat. Please post a brief message and attach a Word document, PDF, or PPT slides with your activity.

Example

Hello, Colleagues! The activity I want to share to increase classroom interaction is called __________________________________________________________ (activity title). This activity is effective because_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. See the three simple steps in the attached file for an example on how I use this activity in my classroom to increase interaction. (Be sure to attach your activity file).

7.7 Apply

After you share an adapted lesson/activity in the group chat, read through your colleagues' lessons/activities. Find at least one or two new lessons/activities in the group chat that you can use in your next class. Apply the new lesson/activity from this module in your next class. If it was a success, be sure to send a message and tell your colleague "Thank you!" and why it was effective.

7.8 Reflect

Write 1-2 paragraphs to reflect on Module 7 (300-500 words). You may use what you have created, shared, and applied in the previous tasks.

Note: This will be added to your Portfolio.