The place of Instructional Materials in Teaching and Learning

I enjoy teaching or reteaching so that students can better understand. I have realized that the place of instructional materials cannot be underestimated in the teaching/learning transaction.
When the learners understand the lessons better, their faces will beam up and likewise that of the instructor.
In one of my classes, my student told me that their teacher had taught them about a wooden cup. To them this was very strange as they've not seen one before. I dashed into our kitchen and brought a few things that they are familiar with but in another form. For example they know of clay pots and so on but have never seen a clay tray or clear teapot. I also showed them wooden spoons and things and they were able to understand.
One of my student had learned in her physics class about dry cells and electricity. I showed her a dry cell, we measured the voltage together and she was really excited to have done that. So instructional materials must not be lacking in the teaching-learning process if at all any meaningful verbal learning is going to take place.