Realia

Realia (/rɪˈeɪ.lɪə/) are objects brought into the classroom as part of teaching

Sourcing

Realia can be brought in by the teacher or the students themselves, and includes things like:

• common items, popular items, unusual items, collectible items and traditional items such as clothes, toys, stationery, phones and coins
• publications such as timetables, newspapers, application forms, brochures and recipes
• multimedia samples such as TV clips, radio clips and music tracks

They can be related to aspects such as student interests, current events, and contextual themes

Pedagogy

Realia can be used for a variety of purposes, including the following:

• descriptive language practice activities, using prepositions of place or adjectives for example (e.g. in tango seating)
• comparative language practice activities, using comparatives and conjunctions of contrast
• enrichment activities, for CLIL
• TPR activities
• props for role play
• props for student immersion