I use materials from print media a lot; especially from the newspapers.

I use materials from print media a lot; especially from the newspapers. Newspapers are affordable, and are language in use in 'real life'. One of the great things about teaching in Pakistan is the fact that the newspaper is still so important and forms part of the morning ritual for many urban dwellers - this is so despite television news, social media, websites, newspaper sites and e-newspapers.

I love newspapers because I put them to good use by cutting them up and preserving them.

When I select materials, especially from newspapers, I look for one particular quality... that is that the materials should be meaningful, relatable in the teaching context, appropriate in subject matter - I try and avoid 'taboo' topics simply because our media laws are so draconian.

One more quality I look for is that the material is 'ageless' .. it has no expiration date, or at least the expiry date is far away.

Of course, the materials selected for exposure to learners should be at their level of interest and should be comprehensible.

As far as 'correct' English is concerned, I find that less important, simply because I can use it as an activity to rewrite it correctly.

In short the principles that I find most useful in creating ELT materials have to do with:

a. Currency - something that is in the news, that's happening, is creating excitement and generating a lot of interest

b. Ageless: It should be something that can be adapted for use later. For example, a news item about water shortage can be used after the crisis, to talk about what happens when there is a water crisis. Today in class we used a picture of rural families returning to their homes because the recent rains had ended the drought. This is a general pattern that happens year in and year out, and the issue has not been given the attention it deserves.

c. Attention grabbing. If the materials are such that immediate grab the attention of the learners, the rest becomes easier because the initial excitement creates the flow that makes the materials engaging. Some of my favorites are political cartoons but I need to be careful... remember PARSNIPs.

These are some of the principles that I find most useful when selecting resources developing them in creating materials for ELT. The principles I have shared are 'worded' differently, but by and large, incorporate much of Brian Tomilson's and Katherine's ideas.

My lesson based on imperatives will appear on the post in a bit, as soon as I manage to find a solution to share the actual newspaper text that just jumped out at me and demanded formation into a lesson.