Have you heard the mantra "adapt the task, not the text"? When we take sentiments like that and apply them universally in every situation, we're often missing out on how much we could benefit from a compromise. Learn how you can adapt an authentic text to make it more comprehensible for your students - a win for everyone.
9. Intermediate Interpretive Can-Dos
Low
-topic
-related
information from
simple
sentences
Mid
-main idea
-key information
in short,
straightforward
informational
texts
High
-follow main message
-various time frames
-sometimes descriptive
text
-paragraph-length
informational texts
14. “
I don’t use authentic documents as
much as I do ‘authentic looking or
derived’ documents.
Colleen Lee-Hayes
(Japanese teacher)
15. “There are usable texts for all levels,
but sometimes it's about putting in
the work to find the right one and
giving the students the right task to
go with it.
Erin Carlson
16. “Why would I use authentic resources
that I have to dumb down? Video,
newspapers, novels are
incomprehensible to my students, unless
at a very low level. I want useable
language in all skill areas, for my
students!
Pauline Galea
17. “I expose my students to authentic
resources, and I do so with the idea
that I want them to be "comfortable
with being uncomfortable."
Hollin Wakefield
18. “
Don't overwhelm students by using
authentic text just because that's the
way the pendulum is swinging.
Jen Gieniec Wade
19. “
Adapting an (otherwise) authentic
text is often more purposeful than
creating a text to suit the purpose.
Danielle Horne
20. “The use of authentic texts ... unless
heavily adapted, is more likely to
hinder than facilitate learning
especially when we are dealing with
less gifted, motivated and resilient
learners.
Gianfranco Conti
22. “Adapting the text makes it
comprehensible.
Adapting the task makes the text
useable. (But not comprehensible.)
Martin Lapworth
23. YES
◍ errors (almost always)
◍ length
◍ new vocabulary
(footnotes)
◍ formatting (bold, boxes)
◍ speed (at first)
What does Mrs. Musicuentos adapt?
NO
◍ high-frequency
vocabulary
◍ sentence structure
(almost never)
◍ images
◍ speed (every time)
24. “If I find the perfect text, I will adapt
it, usually by glossing difficult words
and phrases. Sometimes I will
remove sections if they are not
pertinent to the task.
Rebecca Davis
25. “We are real people living and working in
the real world, so, sometimes, it's ok to
adapt the text, too. Sometime I take out
extraneous or inappropriate info, for
example, but try to leave the text as close
to authentic as possible.
Erin Carlson
26. “If I find the perfect text, I will adapt
it, usually by glossing difficult words
and phrases. Sometimes I will
remove sections if they are not
pertinent to the task.
Rebecca Davis
32. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who
made and released these awesome
resources for free:
◍ Presentation template by
SlidesCarnival
◍ Photographs by Unsplash
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