6. Unit Development
Materials consist of several units that are arranged with some considerations. In each unit, a linked sequence of tasks also should be arranged
appropriately. In relation to this, Nunan 2004 proposed a six-step procedure in developing a unit. Since this research only focuses on reading materials, there are
only five steps which will be taken into account. These five steps are schema building, controlled practices, focus on linguistic elements, provide freer practice,
and introduce the pedagogical task. The explanation of each step is presented below.
1 Schema building This first step includes developing a number of schema-building exercises
which aims to introduce the topic, set the context for the task, and introduce some of the key vocabulary and expressions. These are needed by the
students in order to complete the tasks later. 2 Controlled practice
In this step, students are provided with controlled practice in using the target language including vocabulary, structures and functions. This step also
introduces the language within a communicative context to the students. 3 Focus on linguistic elements
Now, the sequence of exercises is focused on one or more linguistic elements such as grammar and vocabulary. By doing these exercises, the students are
expected to be able to see the relationship between communicative meaning and linguistic form more easily.
4 Provide freer practice The activities provided here are beyond simple manipulation. The students
should be encouraged to use whatever language they have learned to complete the tasks.
5 Introduce the pedagogical task This final step introduces the pedagogical task itself such as group work
discussion and decision making.
7. Task Development a. Definition of Tasks
Richards and Renandya 2002 defines a task as an activity which learners carry out using their available language resources and leading to a real outcome.
According to Richards 2001, tasks can be divided into two which are pedagogical tasks and real-world tasks. The former is intended to require the use
of specific interactional strategies and specific types of language skills, grammar, vocabulary. While the latter, as the name suggests, is defined as tasks that reflect
real-world uses of language. Regarding the pedagogical task, Nunan 2004 states that it is a piece of classroom work that involves learners in comprehending or
interacting in the target language while their attention is focused on expressing and conveying meaning rather than manipulating form. From the explanation has
been mentioned, it can be concluded that in classroom context, tasks are activities which require students’ language skills in order to complete them.
b. Task Components
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