All materials on the Essential Skills website are available for public use, and are presented in tandem with ideas for how they could be utilized. Be sure to investigate the Analysis, User Tips, and the User Guide Companion to the Authentic Workplace Materials links for further information and instruction on using or adapting materials to suit your needs.

Unlike textbooks or worksheets, workplace materials generally support the concept of reading to do. Exposing students to text and documents that ask them to respond with action, provides a valuable hands-on experience that best reflects the demands made by everyday items, such as road signs, labels, notices, etc.

Questions and Activities for Reflection

1. Look around your home, office, or classroom. What authentic materials could you use with learners in your agency to develop specific Essential Skills? Phone books, take-out menus, product or service pamphlets, or flyers are just some of the many materials that adult learners have to use in their daily lives.
2. Because of the abstract nature of the skills, it may be more difficult to locate authentic materials for Oral Communication and Working with Others. Do you think you would be able to generate your own authentic materials using examples from the Readers’ Guide as a baseline?