144 Part III: Teaching Skills Classes
Looking at length
Once students are comfortable with sentences, give some consideration to
the length of the text you want to use in your lessons.
You can use readers, especially designed for language students, containing
short stories and novels. These slim, pocket-sized books are written to match
the various levels of EFL courses. They’re best used at home but can provide
short extracts that you can use in the classroom, safe in the knowledge that
the level of English is just right.
The majority of texts EFL teachers use in a lesson are between three and six
paragraphs long.
The EFL classroom is generally a fun and lively place in which to learn. So
think carefully before introducing a long text that requires extended periods
of silence while students read. Shorter texts, or texts you can deal with in
stages with periods of discussion in between, tend to be more appealing.
Judging interest and relevance
Now we’re all proud of Will Shakespeare, but pause for a moment before you
reach for a volume of Hamlet. Is the effort of translating ‘To thine own self be
true’ actually worth it for a student who simply wants to serve British holi-
daymakers in his café?
Ask yourself, ‘What’s the aim of this lesson?’ If the text practises vocabulary
or grammar the class has recently covered, and if it seems pretty interesting
or relates to something the students need to know in the future, you’re on the
right lines.
So if you have a nifty recipe for shepherd’s pie that you fancy using in class,
don’t be put off just because your students are unlikely to make the dish.
Think about what kind of language your students are practising. Verbs like
chop, slice and mix are useful for anyone who cooks. On the other hand, you
may be using your recipe to demonstrate how to describe the process of
doing something (first... , and after that... , and finally.. .). Or perhaps you
feel your students need a little more cultural awareness. It’s perfectly valid to
have as an aim something that’s not based on grammar and vocabulary, pro-
viding that the level of English in the text is appropriate.
Other texts suitable for beginners are timetables – where students need to
say what time something happens – shopping lists and menus where the
vocabulary is limited but the class can practise saying prices and calling out
individual items. You may be surprised how useful authentic English texts
can be for practising in class.
