This webinar explores how you can teach elementary and pre-intermediate students using graded, authentic resources. We’ll explore ways to use authentic materials effectively with low level learners and how to help students recycle language that they contain.
Authentic resources present language in meaningful contexts, which helps learners to take up and use useful, high frequency vocabulary and grammar. We’ll also see how the authentic, graded content in Sensations English gives learners supported practice at listening to a wider range of accents.
Low level courses and classes often exclude authentic materials because of their high challenge in terms of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. But they include engaging contexts, contain a range of useful language and encourage meaningful discussions about issues which are learners want to talk about. Using and recycling authentic language at low levels drives participation in class. It also supports higher order thinking and life skills development and increases the uptake and productive use of language compared to what is expected from traditional course materials.
Adam has extensive experience as a teacher trainer, teacher, materials writer and editor. His wide-ranging interests include teacher development, language development, identity and inclusion, classroom research, inclusive phonology and global issues. He’s a CELTA trainer, joint coordinator of IATEFL PronSIG and the ELT Specialist at Sensations English, and passionate about developing inclusive, high-quality, evidence-based approaches and learning materials.
Adam Scott
Sensations English lesson resources are great for today’s learners.
Sensations English was a finalist in the 2021 British Council ELTons award for Innovation in Learner Resources and won two British Council ELTons commendations! The first, for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, recognised the global and social range of our English learning content, covering contemporary issues and giving learners access to a wide range of issues and global English voices.
Secondly, we were the only winners of the British Council’s inaugural commendation for Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action! Our content covers such a diverse range of climate and sustainability content, opening learners’ minds to global issues and efforts to resolve them, giving learners the language to engage and raise their voices on this vital area of life.
How Sensations English works
Our lesson resources make equality, diversity and inclusion and sustainability a central element of language learning. We recognise learners as multi-competent speakers and multicultural citizens who are eager to share their ideas and engage with others on important topics in their lives.
The high-quality, global, news-based study resources take a person-centred approach, representing diverse cultures and identities across our seven learning themes. The wide range of video and article news reports includes interactive games and study tools which connect the issues with students’ language learning.
As all resources are graded at five levels (A2-C1), they make sometimes complex topics accessible to all learners. With Sensations English, it’s easy to explore language features and improve sub-skills using inclusive resources which also help to connect lessons to learners’ own situations and experiences. This helps learners to think about their own contexts and develop their own voices.