This essay investigates five teachers’ perceptions of teaching materials, other than traditional texts in English for upper secondary school. The study consists of five semi-structured interviews with upper secondary teachers to understand what materials they use and why they use them. The interviews show that teachers use for example film, music, and games to promote communicative situations in the classroom and the teachers use authentic materials to create authentic situations for language use. The study discusses the differences between textbooks and authentic materials to be able to reflect on how teachers choose and work with teaching materials. The study shows that, according to the interviewed teachers, different types of materials have positive effects that the teacher needs to be able to understand and adapt to the needs of the students, and that new language teachers have to get a better understanding of the materials at their disposal.