MATERIALS

EVALUATION AND
MATERIAL DESIGN
Using coursebooks
Evaluating coursebooks
Supplementing coursebooks
Adapting authentic texts
Creating own materials

By: Lejla Isakovi

Using coursebooks Multilayered

syllabuses
Aims

Main language
children use

Main vocabulary

Main receptive
language

Introduction: Hello Max!

To introduce yourself
To state and ask age
To identify colors

Whats your name? Im

(Eddie)
Hello. Goodbye.
How old are you? Im (7).
What color is it? Its (red)

Numbers 1-10
Red, yellow, green, blue,
pink, purple...

Open your (pupils) books

at page (1)
Now look at (activity 2) on
page (2). Find (the word) ...

Unit 1: Maxs magic

Book
To identify and ask about
classroom objects
To talk about possessions
To describe the color of
classroom objects

Whats this? Whats in your

schoolbag? Its (a pencil
case)
My, your
Is this your (ruler)? Yes, it
is. No, it isnt.
What color is your (pen)?

Book, pencil case, school

bag, pen, ruler, pencil,
rubber

Hold up (your book)

Show me (Max)
Open/close (your eyes)
Listen to (the words)
Ready for school?

Unit 2: A house for the

animals
To identify animals
To describe animals using
adjectives

Whats this? It is (a tiger).

Its (a dog).
It isnt (a cat). Is it (small)?
A (giraffe) is (tall).

Tiger, crocodile, wolf, dog,

cat, lizard, elephant...

Point to (the tiger)

This is (Nick)
Can you see (the animals)?
Now complete (the
sentences)

Unit 3: Lucy at school

To identify school, rooms,
and furniture
To state and ask about the
location of objects
To describe a picture

Wheres the (library)?

Where are you?
Im in the (gym).
There are (three books on
the shelf)

Classroom, library, gym,

playground, park, toilets,
In, on, under
Table, chair, shelf

Put the pictures in order

School, fairies, school
report, then
Is there a fairy in (the
library)?
Run, Lucy, run!
Green light, go!
Look right and left.

Evaluating coursebooks
Learner factors

Thease factors include the age,

cultural background, cognitive
maturity, interests, and needs of
the learners.

Teacher factors

These factors include the teachers

professional background, whether
they are native or non-native
teachers, their experience in a
given context, typical workload,
way of working, difficulties and
interests, and their access to
professional development
opportunities.

Institutional and contextual factors

These factors include the number

and frequency of hours English is
taught per week, how English is
integrated into the rest of the
curriculum, whether there are
curricular guidelines, the resources
available to teachers and learners
such as computers, access to the

Adapting authentic texts

The grasshopper and the ants
One winter day, when the sun came out unexpectedly, all the ants hurried
out of their anthill and began to spread out their store of grain to dry.
bring out

food

Up came a grasshopper who said: I am so hungry. Please will you give me some
of your grain?
One of the ants stopped working for a moment and replied:
Why should we? What has happened to your own store of food for the winter?
any
I have not got a store said the grasshopper. I did not have time to collect any
food last summer because I spent the whole time singing.
The ant laughed and all the others joined in.
If you spent the summer singing, you will have to spend the winter dancing for

One winter day the grasshopper met and ant. The ant was eating some nice food. The
grasshopper said: I am so hungry, can you give me some food, please?
The ant said:I worked hard all summer. What did you do in the summer, grasshopper?
I was singing and dancing.
The ant shook her head and did not give him any food.
The grasshopper was very sad and hungry. He met another ant.
The grasshopper said:I am so hungry. Can you give me some food, please?
The ant said:I worked hard all summer. What did you do in the summer, grasshopper?
I was singing and dancing.
The ant shook her head and did not give him any food.
The grasshopper was sad and hungry when he met a third ant.
The grasshopper said:I am so hungry. Can you give me some food, please?
The ant said: I worked hard all summer. What did you do in the summer, grasshopper?
I was singing and dancing.
The ant shook her head and did not give him any food.
The grasshopper was sad and hungry when he met the queen of the ants.
The grasshopper said:I am so hungry. Can you give me some food, please?
The queen said: I worked hard all summer. What did you do in the summer,
grasshopper?
I was singing and dancing.
The queen said: I see. We will give you some food but you have to promise to help us
next summer and play music for us all year around.
The grasshopper was happy and he promised to help and play music for them.
He had a nice dinner with his new friends
Adaptation of The grasshopper and the Ants for
storytelling

Adapting does not always work

MEENY, MINY, MO & CO, SOLICITORS
Allex O Buildings, Toe Lane, Tel: 12345

Dear Mr Wolf,
We are writing to you on behalf of your client, Miss Riding-Hood, concerning
her grandma. Miss Hood tells us that you are presently occupying her grandmas
cottage and wearing her grandmas clothes without this ladys permission.
Please understand that if this harassment does not cease, we will call in the
Official Woodcutter, and if neccessary- all the Kings horses and all the
Kings men.
On a separate matter, we must inform you that Messrs. Three Little Pigs Ltd.
are now firmly resolved to sue for damages.
Your offer of shares in a turnip or apple-picking business is declined, and all
this huffing and puffing will get you nowhere.
Yours sincerely

Harold Meeny
H Meeny

Creating own materials

UNIT: FAMILIES
Younger learners
Older
learners
Reading
sections
an authentic
Cross-curricular activity Crafting: a family tree:
make the
tree, of
decorate
it,
book: children like you in the
world (ad information book)
Vocabulary members of the family (with extended family)
Speaking Future of families in
Structure have got
our societies
Mindparts
mapsofAdventages
Listening Short descriptions of families in different
the world and
disadventages of having big
Speaking dialogues: sharing photo albums: this is my brother. He is two
families
here.
Speaking Family you would like
Listening Animal families
when you grow up
Structure
Crafting Making cards for Mothers Day or Fathers
Day When I grow up, I
will
Listening Extraordinary families
Writing Introduce your family
create a webpage
Speaking Play a game: find
someone who ... In their family.
display it, and talk about it.

Ideas for younger and older children on the topic of Fa

Lesson planning
1. Do the lessons fit together well? (is there a logical progression from one
lesson to the next? Does my second lesson build on my first lesson? )
2. Do the lessons look balanced in teems of variety of activities, skills,
interaction patterns? (is there a range of activities, are both listening
and speaking practised and is there any group or pair work?)
3. Do I have a progression from receptive to productive practice (listen
first and then speak?)
4. Are the activites meaningful for the children? Why will they want to do
them?
5. Is the language outcome real, natural? Is the simple language planned
for activities real and meaningful? Would children use the language like
this in the real world?
6. Are all the activities different? Check that no two activities do exactly
the same thing.
7. Have I thought of optional activities for those pairs/groups or
individuals who finish early?
8. Have I included my usual warmers/closing activities such as homework
check?
9. Have I included timing for each activity?

Writing own texts

I eat apples Crunch, crunch, crunch
I eat sandwiches Munch, munch, munch
I eat lollipops
Lick, lick, lick
And I eat ice cream
Quick, quick, quick.