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Unit 14 talked about course books and lesson materials. I learned that authentic materials are made up of just about anything a native speaker would hear or read in the immediate world. This is advantageous when you want the students to study something that is 'real,' making it more interesting and motivating to learn. However, since they are not designed for the sole purpose of teaching English, they are not graded for level. Created materials, on the other hand, can be graded to the level of students, as they are designed to specifically replace or supplement materials from a course book. Throughout this Unit, I've learned to keep in mind that course books are there for familiarity, comfort, continuity and progression. It is a good starting point and is often there to help guide the teacher and student ease into a subject; it shouldn't act as a solution to all arising problems. The teacher, thus, should be able to recognize the pros and cons of utilizing a course book and readily omit, replace, supplement and adapt lessons or items when deemed necessary. I found one of the activity examples fun and interesting and would love to try it out in my classroom one day. For picture stories, the teacher would pick a set of random pictures, copy them and give them out to a group of 3-4 students, in no particular order. Afterwards, the teacher would tell them to come up with a story, using just those pictures. This allows for the students to combine their own knowledge of the English language, their personal experiences with life and their creative imagination to successfully complete the activity. If I wanted the stories to not be too out of place with each others, I would give out a theme or something all stories would have to have in common so that the class can compare and contrast their work.
