Skip to main content
on-the-seventh-night-of-hanukkah-screen-shot-2015-12-10-at-10-09-12-pm.png

On the seventh night of Hanukkah...

December 12, 2015

Warning: you will have to work for this one!

If you've been following me for a minute, you know that I have a love/hate relationship with #authres (authentic resources). Mostly, I love them...but I hate how they are often used and suggested/enforced to be used in low level classes.

Authentic resources are only as valuable as the language acquisition that they foster. If you are going to go through all of the time and trouble to locate an engaging, relevant #authres, design an activity that your students can complete successfully, and then dedicate class time to it...well, it sure as heck better make your students more proficient! To that end, I use a simple, three-step process whenever I want to use an authentic resource with my novices:

  1. Introduce the content and/or themes of the resource
  2. Create an activity that allows students to successfully interact with the resource
  3.  Further investigate the content and/or themes of the resource through personalized discussion and cultural exploration

There are many ways that you can realize each of these steps; I share them often in my #authres: so easy, a novice can do it workshop, and you can see specific ideas for Introducing #authres here and Interacting with #authres here. You can also see an example of a "comprehensified" #authres here.

Tonight's giveaway is a big one; it's for an iPEVO Point 2 View document camera. Document cameras are great ways to share authentic print resources that you can't find online (storybooks, menus, etc.) with your students, and they are extremely useful for sharing student work with the rest of the class to discuss. Read about some of my favorite ways to use mine here, herehere, and here. Because this giveaway has a high price tag, the task that you must complete to enter to win is a bit more time-consuming. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell (@musicuentos) curates a fantastic #authres database. In the database, teachers enter the links to online #authres that they have used in class AND include an activity that they created to go along with the activity. To win the document camera, you must enter an #authres and accompanying activity in the database. (Please notice that there is a separate page for each language of instruction: click on the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet to navigate between language pages). If you have already entered a resource and activity in the database, you don't need to enter another one in order to enter the giveaway (although you could!). If you are able, include an activity that furthers students' language acquisition instead of just allowing them the opportunity to practice their survival skills in the target language. We can use our class time to help our students survive in the target culture, or we can use our class time to help our students thrive. I choose the latter!

Click here to enter an activity in the authentic resource database curated by Sara-Elizabeth. When you are done, click here or on the image below to enter the Night 7 giveaway. All entries must be received by 2:00am EST on Monday, December 14 (10:00pm December 13 AKST)--I'm giving you a little more time since you'll need it if you don't already have an activity created. The winner will have 24 hours to claim his or her prize!

Click on the image to enter the giveaway!

Join our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and get instant access to 150+ free resources for language teachers.

Subscribe Today