Nunan (1999) defines authentic material as “any spoken or written text not specifically created for

purposes of language teaching.” Therefore, I have chosen an article from Zoo Negara webpage as a
stimulus to teach writing for KSSR Year 3 pupils.

One of the major factors of the selection of this material is because it is age appropriate. It suits
Year 3 pupils with intermediate to low proficiency level. This is because; it is not too heavy on content
load. It only consists of words, word phrases and simple sentences. Moreover, the information is
organized in the form of a table. This helps pupils to grasp the information easier as compared to
lengthy and wordy paragraphs. Ugalde (2008) in his journal stated that if a child is given a text that is
too complex they will end up feeling frustrated. Hence, choosing a material that is appropriate to
pupils’ proficiency level can avoid demotivating the pupils. The input is also relevant to pupils’ culture
and experience as entrance fee is not something that is hardly found in their surroundings. Thus, Year
3 pupils are not likely to have problems understanding the material. Next is the authenticity of the
material. Authentic material is one of an important medium to teach language. Grellet and Swaffar
agreed by saying that “Authentic materials are vital; they motivate students, offer a real context,
transmit the target language culture, and prepare students to read outside the classroom“ (Ugalde,
2008). This explains why I have chosen the material as a stimulus to teach English. It is taken from
Zoo Negara official webpage which meant to inform the publics and visitors of the rates at Zoo
Negara. Thus, this material is not addressed for language learning. Besides, it exposed the real use of
numbers since pupils will eventually came across to something similar in non-academic environments.
It allow teacher to give opportunities for language practice in context by reviewing the material with
pupils. Pupils should be able to relate well in their personal life since they have come across many
informational boards that display such information at certain places. It also has potential learning value
as pupils get to know the use of numbers in real-life context which is create meaningful and purposeful
learning.

Based on the criteria of material evaluation, a good material should be appealing. The
chosen material appeals to pupils and this can be seen clearly on the layout of the material itself. The
use of bright colour like yellow and cute animals characters help in captivating pupils’ interest to work
on the material. According to Bodmer (1992), illustrations serve to "expand, explain, interpret, or
decorate a written text." This describes the important role of illustration on a material to teach young
learners. On top of that, the material has clear prints with suitable font for young learners. The
information is clearly presented in the form of table with division into few categories. This is vital as
pupils tend to struggle when the material used is not clear (Fulcher, 1997). In addition, this material
meets pupils’ needs. The selection of this material is meant as a stimulus for guided writing in
classroom. It is suitable to introduce the topic I see numbers in Year 3 textbook. Therefore, this
material can be used to fulfil Year 3 learning standard for writing which is 3.1.2 Able to write numerals
in neat legible print with correct spelling: (a) numeral form. Then, they will be introduced with new
knowledge on how to write those numbers in written form. Plus, it is a great stimulus to teach the
spelling of the numbers since it contains various numbers up to twenty which is what Year 3 pupils are
supposed to learn. The knowledge is useful for them to be used it in their writing. In order to help them
achieve the learning objective teacher can ask pupils to re-write the table content by changing the
numbers from numeral to written form as practice. One they have acquired the knowledge, become
more aware of the language used when they came across something similar.

“Adaptation is the altering of materials to improve or make them more suitable for a particular type
of learner or group of learners.” (Dickinson, 2010). This rationalizes the adaptation made to the
material. The adaptation techniques involved are modifying, simplifying and omitting. The modification
is done where the numbers used in the material are reduce up to twenty. The need to modify the
numbers is to meet the curriculum specification where Year 3 pupils are required to learn numbers
until twenty. Plus, the size of the material is enlarged to make the presentation clearer for the pupils to
read. As for simplifying, some vocabulary is simplified to suit the learners’ level. For instance, the term
concession rate might be too complex for Year 3 pupils thus changed into a more familiar term
‘discount rate’. The omitting technique is applied where the Malay translation is omitted as this
material is meant for English lesson. Unnecessary details are also omitted as the intended language
focus is numbers. Material is adapted to fulfil learning objective of the topic “I see numbers” in Year 3
textbook. Though few parts are omitted, the illustrations are retained because the pictures support the
material by making it appealing to learners.

A good teaching material requires great details in selection, evaluation and adaptation.
Thus, teacher should select the material carefully, with the needs and interests of the students in mind
to ensure that pupils can develop the skill of writing.

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