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it is important that materials are not only something used by the teacher at the front of the class to show to the students. Materials should also be manipulated by students and provide them with a reason to speak/ use the target language.
Communicative
Materials provide students with clear visual representation of the meaning of language. Realia and other materials can help teachers to present language in a meaningful context.
Meaningful
Only using the coursebook every lesson would be very boring. Different materials help to make our lessons, and consequently the target language, more memorable for students.
Memorable
Again, if we used only the coursebooks, students would have a limited number of opportunities to use the target language (speak). By using flashcards in a variety of ways, students can generate a lot of language.
Generative
Good materials should provide Ss with scaffolding to support their language learning, facilitating recognition and production. They should be accompanied by clear instructions for use and lengthy demonstrations.
Achievable
Our materials should be mentally engaging and require Ss to think about what they are saying not just mechanically repeat pre-prepared phrases. This links back to materials being communicative and meaningful.
Challenging
It is important that it is possible to measure Ss’ success in order to provide appropriate feedback and support. Some materials aid this process more than others. Card games are difficult to monitor and not possible to check accuracy well.
Monitorable
