Designing authentic reading materials to suit local context in Uzbekistan

Abstract

What teaching materials are relevant to develop reading skills of my students? Can every Internet resource or course book be used in all classrooms? Should materials meet national standards of a particular country? Teachers usually face the reality while selecting resources to use in their teaching. Teaching materials are an indispensible tool in the majority of language classrooms. This paper gives an overview of reading materials and the selection of authentic materials for designing reading tasks in the English as a foreign language classroom in Uzbekistan. It also seeks theories that support the efforts in developing culturally and locally appropriate EFL reading materials. This article proposes a method of using authentic materials in teaching students a foreign language. The main criteria for the selection of authentic materials in accordance with the purpose and objectives of learning are identified, and the advantages of their use for the development of reading skills in comparison with adapted texts and an increase in the level of motivation for learning a foreign language are analyzed. English learners often say that reading, which is a vital part of language learning, is boring and difficult. This problematic situation may be the result of improper EFL reading practice.