How do we select and use supplementary materials and activities?

Supplementary materials are books and other materials we can use in addition to the coursebook. They include skills development materials, grammar, vocabulary and phonology practice materials, collections of communicative activities, teacher's resources and web materials. Supplementary materials may also come from authentic sources (e.g. newspaper and magazine articles, video, etc.). Some coursebook packages include supplementary materials and activities specially designed to fit the coursebook syllabus, and websites where you can download supplementary materials. We select supplementary materials and activities first by recognising that we need something different from the material in the coursebook, and then by knowing where to find the most appropriate kinds of material. We use supplementary materials and activities to provide something that is missing from the coursebook, to give learners extra practice, or just to bring something different to our lessons.

Key concepts

Make a list of all the different reasons you can think of for using supplementary materials and activities, and any advantages or disadvantages you think supplementary materials may have.

There are various reasons why we might want to use supplementary materials and activities. Some of the main reasons are as follows:

• to replace unsuitable material in the coursebook

• to provide material missing from the coursebook

• to provide suitable material for learners' particular needs and interests

• to give learners extra language or skills practice

• to add variety to our teaching.

Coursebooks are organised according to a syllabus, and they are often carefully graded (i.e. grammatical structures, vocabulary, skills, etc. are presented in a logical or clear sequence for learning), so that learners' knowledge of the language builds up step by step through the book.