This document provides guidance for an assignment to design language teaching materials focused on developing language skills. It instructs students to choose an authentic text and associated tasks to develop both receptive skills (reading and listening) and productive skills (writing and speaking) for a specific group of learners. It emphasizes that tasks should be tailored to the learners' level, interests, needs and timetable. Examples of authentic materials are provided, such as newspaper articles, song lyrics and video clips. Background reading on teaching language skills is recommended, and common reasons for assignment resubmission are outlined.

1. CELTA – Language Skills
Related Assignment

2. Read your
centre’s rubric
carefully

3. What does this
task ask you to
do?

4. Make your own materials
Real world task

5. Work for the teacher
Rewarding
Tailored to learners

6. Authentic
materials
What??!

7. Newspaper articles

8. Magazine articles

9. Menus/ brochures

10. Song lyrics

11. Video clips

14. What aren’t authentic
materials?

15. Three parts

16. Choose your materials
Devise and describe
receptive skills tasks
Devise and describe
productive skills tasks
some background reading

18. Consider the
group
One of the TP groups that
you teach on the course?

19. Interests

20. Level

21. Length

22. Learners’ needs

23. Timetable fit

24. Don’t forget to
include a copy of
the material!

26. Reading
Listening

27. Do some reading
about receptive skills

28. A bottom up approach
A top down approach
Skimming
Scanning
Looking at text organisation/ genre
Listening/ reading for gist
Listening/ reading for specific information
Sub-skills

29. Task type
Short answer
True/ False
Cloze/ Gap fill
Detecting mistakes
Summarizing
eg.

30. Be specific
Include your tasks as you
would give them to the
learners

32. Writing
Speaking

33. Do some reading
about productive skills

34. Sub-skills
Fluency
Accuracy
Pronunciation
Intonation and connected speech
Using different genres/ register
Turn-taking skills
Using discourse markers
Text organisation – paragraphs/ topic sentences

35. Task type
eg.Speaking
 Discussion on issues arising from the text
 Role-play based on the scenario
Writing
 Using the article as a model
 Responding in writing

36. Again, be specific
Include your tasks as you
would give them to the
learners

37. Using a text as a context for grammar
and vocabulary work is a useful thing to
do…
BUT
…it is NOT what is asked for in this
assignment

38. Background
reading

40. Ur. Penny A course in language Teaching
Hedge, Tricia Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom

41. Nuttall, Christine Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language

42. White, G. Listening
Hedge, T. Writing
Grundy. P. Newspapers

43. Common
reasons for
resubmission

44. Text is not
appropriate
• Too difficult
• Too easy
• Too long
• Content not
likely to appeal

45. Tasks designed
for grammar or
vocabulary NOT
for skills practice

46. Specific tasks
are not
included

47. Lack of
reference to
background
reading

48. G
c !

49. Thank you!
jo.gakonga@elt-training.com