TEFL Assignment C: Advanced English Teaching Materials

This TEFL assignment, submitted by a student, comprises multiple parts focusing on the evaluation of teaching materials and the design of engaging activities for advanced English learners. Part 1 critically assesses the textbook 'New Cutting Edge Advanced' for its suitability in an advanced EFL classroom, considering its content and relevance to real-life skills. Part 2 involves an authentic text analysis from The Guardian, followed by three follow-up activities designed to enhance comprehension and language skills, including a dictionary activity and an online research activity. The assignment also includes an essay discussing the value of authentic materials, the rationale for the chosen text and activities, and the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet for language teaching. The student provides detailed instructions and materials for each activity, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of TEFL principles.

Running head: TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Assignment C, Part 1 - An Evaluation of Cutting Edge Advanced
New Cutting Edge Advanced – An Evaluation.
This essay is an evaluation of the book ‘New Cutting Edge Advanced’ in terms of its
usability as a material for teaching English. In this essay, I will be providing a general
evaluation of the book, its contents and their relevance in being used as a subject matter for
teaching English and relevant skills, especially with an advanced group of learners. I will be
concluding this essay by stating whether or not I would be using the book as a
main/supporting material in my teaching of an advanced classroom.
Immediately from the contents of the book, we can see that it has been divided into
certain significant specific sections that are useful in a real life scenario. Before evaluating, it
is important to understand that the background level of the students that is being considered is
advanced. This entails that the basic grammatical notions, phonological, syntactic and
discourse elements along with the basic LSRW skills have already been established in place.
The advanced level learners are expected to provide certain outcomes as indicated by the
Common European Framework of Reference (North). They include being able to hold
meaningful conversations with fluency and precision and include meaningful segments of
expression even in complex situations. If the content of the book is then evaluated, it is noted
that the units are not explicitly directed towards teaching grammatical rules and structures.
Instead the content of each unit is engrained in providing support for more real life skills. The
first unit for instance, it is titled ‘Global Living’, immediately indicating the readers that the
content of the lesson would be more directed towards the lifestyle in a global situation. This
also entails that the linguistic elements of the book like the vocabulary, speaking, reading and
grammar are more inwardly focussed with elements that pertain to a global lifestyle more
directed towards being utilised as a resource for further enhancing those skills.

2TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
In my classroom, I would be using this textbook because, from a needs analysis
viewpoint, the book also targets the specific class of learners who are advanced and are able
to evaluate and benefit from such resources. The units are specially designed to explore
aspects of personality and practical knowledge more than core linguistic skills. This is one of
the key aspects of linguistic developments in an advanced level EFL course. The book,
therefore by upholding the aspects of specific genre-based linguistic skill development caters
to the learners suitably. Thus it would prove to be a suitable resource in my classroom as
well.

3TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Assignment C, Part 2.1 - Authentic text
The following text is an extract from a recently published news article titled “More
than half of native European trees face extinction, warns study”. The article was published on
The Guardian and for this assignment has been used as an authentic text.
More than half of Europe’s endemic trees are threatened with extinction as invasive
diseases, pests, pollution and urban development take a growing toll on the landscape,
according to a study.
Ash, elm and rowan trees are among those in decline, says the assessment of the
continent’s biodiversity, which could complicate efforts to tackle the climate crisis through
reforestation.
“It is a threat. It is not just the naturally occurring trees and woodlands, it is also some
of the big commercial conifers that are threatened by invasive species,” said one of the
authors of the report, David Allen of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, who
produced the study.
He warned that countries such as the UK were keen to import more saplings to draw
carbon out of the atmosphere, but said young trees needed to be carefully screened to avoid
diseases and pests entering the country and depleting existing forests.
“We are encouraged to plant more trees, quite rightly, but we have to be very careful
to ensure they don’t come with pest species. We need to be very careful about biosecurity,”
he said.

4TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Invasive species – spread through the trade of plants or untreated timber – are the
largest threat to native trees that are found only in Europe, sometimes only in one valley or
region.
The IUCN’s European red list of trees found 58% of these endemic trees are
threatened and 15% (66 species) were classified as critically endangered.
Many of those at greatest risk are in the Sorbus genus. This includes rowan, mountain
ash and Ley’s whitebeam, of which there are only nine plants left – all in Merthyr Tydfil,
Wales. Scientists say this particular tree is a relatively recent hybrid and there was only ever a
very small population in a restricted geographical area, so the knock-on effects are likely to
be minuscule.
Of greater concern is the demise of more common trees. Tim Rich, another of the
contributors to the study, said he was alarmed by the loss of ash trees due to an invasive
fungus
“I’ve been keeping an eye on it over the past five years. Last year, I began to get quite
worried. This year, huge areas are experiencing a dieback and it’s not just affecting saplings
like it was before. Now it’s whole big trees. I drove in some parts of Pembrokeshire recently,
and every five or 10 metres there was an ash tree dead or dying. This is a major problem –
way worse than I expected it to be.”
The horse-chestnut – beloved by generations that played conkers as children – has
been classified as vulnerable due to the spread of an invasive leaf-miner moth that damages
its leaves. This adds to existing pressures from forest fires, tourist resort expansion and
logging. Other species are negatively affected by excessive nitrogen depositions from air
pollution, housing estates and pig farms.

5TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
The study of trees is part of a wider European red list that examines the status of
overlooked species in order to determine priorities for conservation. It found 20-50% of
terrestrial molluscs, shrubs and bryophytes, such as moss and liverworts, are threatened with
extinction due to a loss of wild areas, expanded agriculture and climate change. Although
these species are unglamorous and rarely attract attention, they play a vital role in food
production and other natural life support systems through oxygen production, nutrient
recycling and soil regeneration.
“The high extinction threats revealed by the European red list are very alarming,
given that 92% of the mollusc species native to Europe are endemic to the continent. Thus,
once these species are lost from Europe, they are gone forever,” Eike Neubert, an IUCN
mollusc specialist, said. “In order to restore terrestrial mollusc numbers in Europe, essential
changes will be needed in policies relating to land use, along with careful control of
urbanisation and sustainable management of semi-natural areas.”
Rich, who has studied trees for several decades, said he was increasingly worried by
the broad trend.
“We are seeing our natural environment being eaten away,” he said. It’s such a wide
scale problem, rather like climate, that it needs major policy change but what we should be
doing seems impractical so it is only when things get really dire that we will take action. We
should be looking after this more strategically. There really is no Planet B. When I think at
how this place will be in the next 50 years, it is extremely worrying.”

6TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Activity A – Dictionary activity
NAME OF ACTIVITY: Dictionary meaning identification
TIME: 10 minutes – 15 minutes
AIMS: Learners should be able to find out the meanings of unknown words
TEACHER'S INSTRUCTIONS: teachers must ensure that the learners identify the
contextual meaning prior to consulting the dictionary.
Materials – Text with highlighted words and phrases, a dictionary, Notebook/paper, pens,
board and chalk/marker.
Procedure – Once the text with the highlighted words and phrases have been given to the
students, ask the students to read the text thoroughly and note down the highlighted words
and phrases on the paper/notebook.
Prior to consulting the dictionary, the students must attempt to contextually identify
the meaning of the highlighted words and phrases.
e.g. “Of greater concern is the demise of more common trees”
Here the student must be able to identify that the word ‘demise’ means a reduction in
the number of (common) trees.
Afterwards, the learners must consult the dictionary to find out the meanings of the
words that have been highlighted, write down the dictionary meaning next to the understood
meaning. The learners must then compare the meanings and identify any difference in
meanings that have been given.
Finally, the learners must construct a meaningful sentence using the highlighted
words.

7TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Activity B – Online resources
NAME OF ACTIVITY: Online Research activity
TIME: 30 – 40 minutes
AIMS: Learners must use the internet as a resource to identify five different aspects of
linguistic skill development.
TEACHER'S INSTRUCTIONS: teachers must ensure that the websites listed are
accessible by the learners and any kind of misunderstanding regarding the task requirements
must be handled efficiently. Also ensure that the worksheet has been filled with the
appropriate responses.
MATERIALS: Computer, Internet Connection, Worksheet 1 for grammar and Vocabulary
In this activity, the learners must use the internet as a resource to gather deeper
information regarding the words and phrases that have been identified in the text.
A total of five websites will be used for this activity. Three of the websites will focus
on the aspect of vocabulary development and the other two will be based on development of
grammatical knowledge.
Each of the websites will have a relevant research question attached to them. The
students are required to perform the online activities based on the instructions provided below
and ensure that the research questions are properly addressed.
Research questions
1. How can visuworlds.com be used to interpret multiple Parts of Speech associated with
a vocabulary.

8TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
2. How can visuworlds.com be used to develop deeper understanding of multiple use of
the same word in a practical scenario.
3. How can BBC Learning English be used to learn new vocabulary from recent news
articles.
4. How can the website of British Council be used to develop better grammatical
knowledge about different parts of speech as identified in research question 1.
5. How can usingenglish.com be used to test comprehension skills in English based on a
topic of choice.
Instructions
Follow the websites provided for each of the sections in the worksheet, complete the
tasks as described below and complete the worksheet.
1. visuworlds.com - It is a fun and interactive learning website which displays the
meaning of a word in multiple contexts through engaging graphic visualisations in the
form of a network. Input the target word (e.g. Endemic) in the search box titled
‘visualise a word’. After pressing enter, the page displays a network of associated
meanings and contextual meaning differences that are differently colour labelled in
terms of their respective parts of speech. Identify each part of speech for the input
word and write them down in the results section in the worksheet. Provide at least
three different word examples.
2. visuworlds.com – follow the instructions from the previous activity and identify how
each different part of speech for the same word can be used in a sentence. Give
examples of three sentences that you have constructed.
3. BBC Learning English – Visit the website and from the left most panel select the
“Grammar, Vocabulary and Pronunciation” tab. Next, check the ‘Words in the news

9TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
section’ and select a news article of your choice. Once it opens, read the summary and
the report and take a note of the emboldened words. Try to contextually understand
the meanings of the word. Afterwards, scroll down and expand each of the word in
the ‘Vocabulary’ section to check if the meanings are consistent with your meanings.
Write a few examples (both the interpretation and the meaning) in the results section.
4. British Council – Follow the link given in the worksheet to the website and select a
part of speech that you have identified from the first activity. Learn about the POS in
depth and complete the activities that the website contains. Provide examples of your
result in the result section provided in the worksheet.
5. Usingenglish.com – Visit the link given in the worksheet which will lead you to a
comprehension section. Select a topic from the list of topics given, appropriate to your
level. Read the questions and answer the questions regarding comprehension that has
been outlined in the website. Grade yourself and outline your result along with a few
examples of your responses in the results section. Be honest about your responses.
The exact links have been listed as follows in case you have problems opening it directly.
1. https://visuwords.com/
2. https://visuwords.com/
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/
4. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference
5. https://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/

10TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Worksheet – 1
Part A – Vocabulary
Website Research
Question
Number
Task (Describe briefly
what you did and what is
the rationale behind it)
Result (provide an
example of your
output)
https://visuwords.com/
https://visuwords.com/
BBC Learning
English
Part B - Grammar
British Council
usingenglish.com

11TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Activity C – follow up
NAME OF ACTIVITY: Follow up activity
TIME: 30 minutes
AIMS: Learners must be able to engage in a meaningful discussion with respect to the
authentic text identified in activity A.
TEACHER'S INSTRUCTIONS: Teachers must make sure that one group identifies one
particular theme and their discussion revolves around the central theme. While assessing
ensure that the objectives listed below are properly addressed.
MATERIALS: Text from Activity A. Notebook and pens
In this activity, the learners will continue from the dictionary activity (activity A) to
practically use their learned knowledge in a discussion based seminar on a theme identified
from the text.
The students should work in groups of five and select a theme of choice from those
listed below:
1. Depletion of forests and their impact on environment.
2. Endemic plants and animals.
3. Impact of deforestation on climate change.
4. Extinction of tree species.
After the groups have identified their individual themes, they must use their learned
vocabulary and grammatical skills whilst they are engaging in a discussion based seminar.
They must take care of the following objectives:
a. Context and argument pertaining to the theme

12TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
b. Proper use of the vocabulary
c. Proper grammatical constructions
d. Coherence in meaning of discussion
Assignment C, Part 2.2
The value of using authentic materials in foreign language teaching
Authentic materials are texts or any other textual materials that were created with the
intention of attending to the native/vernacular readers of the country. As such, these materials
were not built with the purpose of teaching ESL or EFL in mind (Kelly et al. 2). Thus, while
content tailored specifically for EFL students are designed to scaffold the learners into using
these selected materials for the development of their specific linguistic skills, an authentic
material serves the purpose of providing a more realistic, practical and unmoderated learning
experience where the learners are able to evaluate and interpret the material from the
perspective of a native reader (Azri, Rashid & Majid). This helps build their linguistic skills
further.
Reasons for the selection of this text and the 12 vocabulary items
The text that is selected here is a news article taken from the website of ‘the
Guardian’. A news article is one of the most reliable authentic texts that can be used in
teaching English to Foreign learners. Not only is a news article descriptive and expository in
nature, but from a linguistic and EFL viewpoint, consists of specific elements like vocabulary
and grammar which are not explicitly pointed out. Moreover, a news article is meant to be
read by the native individual and therefore, the language is more oriented towards a native –
like structure, making it a perfect material for TEFL students.

13TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
The 12 vocabulary items are highlighted because they specifically pertain to the genre
of the text which is environmental concern. Each of these words along with the few phrases
have been used in the text to describe a key aspect of the text pertaining to its context.
Therefore, these words are useful in developing specific linguistic repertoire for the learner.
Furthermore, the learner demographic of the class is varied and within the age group of 20 –
40. This group of learners also belong to the advanced category, which means that they have
the functional language skills already in place. Therefore, not only would they be benefitted
by the authentic text, they would also find it beneficial to involve themselves with the
selected vocabulary as they expand their knowledge base on the subject matter.
Why my activities would be appropriate for this class
The activities that I have designed would be appropriate for the class because of two
main reasons. Firstly, since the class consists of a diverse learner demographic belonging to a
wide age group as well as occupations, having a functional base in the use of words as well as
the multiplicity of the meanings they posit tend to be useful for them. Thus the dictionary
activity proves to be a significant and relevant activity for them as they would be made
familiar to the use of a dictionary. Secondly, the online resource that I have selected is less
pedagogic and more exploratory. The website that has been used as a resource breaks down
the words into different meanings as well as the parts of speech but does so in an entertaining
and engaging manner. Therefore this activity is useful to improve the learners researching
and using online resources skills. The follow up activity continues with the results of the
previous activity and helps the learners construct a sentence or a text which further enhances
their critical thinking and reasoning abilities.
Advantages and disadvantages of using the internet for teaching and language resources

14TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
The internet serves as a vital resource for the identification and use of a wide variety
of resources in the class. Not only does it present us with a variety of textual, audio – visual
and interactive resources, they also serve as a gigantic repository of online practice materials
and resource books that would be difficult to find and access manually (Krajka). For an EFL
learner, the internet in a classroom provides a wide variety of materials belonging to the
LSRW skill development sector. Moreover, the internet also acts as a connecting medium for
the leanrers as well as the teachers thereby facilitating better communication, understanding
as well as assessment of tests through online submissions (Warschauer).
Some of the disadvantages of internet from a language teaching perspective includes
the lack of accessibility of internet to all learners in all regions of the world. Therefore, using
the internet as a primary resource might be detrimental to a select category of learners.
Furthermore, the inability to successfully access proper materials can lead to detrimental
outcomes (Warschauer).

15TEFL ASSIGNMENT C
Bibliography
Al Azri, Rashid Hamed, and Majid Hilal Al-Rashdi. "The effect of using authentic materials
in teaching." International journal of scientific & technology research 3.10 (2014): 249-254.
Kelly, Charles, et al. "Effective ways to use authentic materials with ESL/EFL students." The
internet TESL journal 8.11 (2002): 1-5.
Krajka, Jarek. "Using the Internet in ESL writing instruction." The Internet TESL
Journal 6.11 (2000).
North, Brian. "The CEFR levels and descriptor scales." Multilingualism and assessment:
Achieving transparency, assuring quality, sustaining diversity. Proceedings of the ALTE
Berlin Conference. 2005.
Visuwords.com. N.p., 2019. Web. 27 Sept. 2019. https://visuwords.com/
Warschauer, Mark, Heidi Shetzer, and Christine F. Meloni. Internet for English teaching.
Alexandria: Tesol, 2000.