Providing+appropriate+and+authentic+input

= INPUT = Input is the language to which students are exposed: teacher talk, listening activities, reading passages, and the language heard and read outside of class. Input gives learners the material they need to develop their ability to use the language on their own. RESOURCE : Visit NCLRC's Language Essentials website to learn more about the two forms of language input: finely tuned input and roughly tuned input. []

Use Language in Authentic Ways
In order to learn a language, instead of merely learning about it, students need as much as possible to hear and read the language as native speakers use it. Instructors can make this happen in two ways:

1. Teacher talk: Always try to use the language as naturally as possible when you are talking to students. Slowing down may seem to make the message more comprehensible, but it also distorts the subtle shifts in pronunciation that occur in naturally paced speech.
 * Speak at a normal rate
 * Use vocabulary and sentence structures with which students are familiar
 * State the same idea in different ways to aid comprehension

2. Materials: Using authentic materials motivates students at all levels because it gives them the sense that they really are able to use the language. Gather resources from advertisements, newspapers, magazines, travel brochures, and other printed materials. Packaging, and street signs contain short statements that students at lower levels can manage. The World Wide Web is a rich resource for authentic materials.

TEACHING TIP: When selecting materials
 * Review them carefully to ensure that the reading level is appropriate
 * Introduce relevant vocabulary and grammatical structures in advance
 * Provide context by describing the content and typical formats for the type of material (for example, arrival and departure times for travel schedules)

TEACHING TIP: When using authentic materials, be sure to provide as much context as you can such as the topic, content, or format of the material, vocabulary and language structures, social or cultural expectations associated with the content. Prepare students to have an positive experience of understanding and using language in an authentic context. Before they work with the materials
 * Ask them what they know about the topic
 * Ask what they can predict from the title or heading of a reading selection or the opening line of a listening selection
 * Review the vocabulary (including idiomatic expressions) and sentence structures that are usually found in that type of material
 * Review any relevant social and cultural expectations