Teaching a foreign language, it is important to give students a visual representation of the life, traditions, and linguistic realities of English-speaking countries

Video materials selection criteria

• Films and videotapes can be linked to a syllabus in various ways: by language items, by functions, by thematic units, etc. (See Allan 1985:50 for further discussion.) If one is working in the context of a content based curriculum, the subject matter of the selected film or videotape must be related. In this way, students can use previously learned information in the film related activities, or vice versa, reflecting true-to-life demands. For example, if "cultural diversity" were the theme of an instructional unit, a film about a particular minority ethnic group or the relationships between two ethnic groups would be appropriate. The type of film/videotape chosen should complement one's overall instructional and curricular objectives; academically, films/videotapes falling into the following categories could be considered as appropriate: documentaries, historical narratives, historical drama, educational films, social issue films, drama, mystery and suspense, animated films, and even films without narration. Videotapes fall into additional categories: adaptations of television materials, commercially produced language teaching programs, teacher produced recordings, and student recordings