Contextual Resources
Select learning level(s) and subject area(s) in the boxes below to find resources to suit. Then click on the title of a resource you are interested in to see full details of that resource, including file downloads, “more like this”, “see also” and comments from other users.
Literacy: Functional English - reading, Rt/E2.1
Free tags: Humour
Context: Motor vehicles & Transport, Politics & News items
Level: E2
Resource type: Reading comprehension, Worksheet or assignment
A short reading adapted from an online news report. Exercises include comprehension questions, placing sentences in the correct order, matching words and phrases and a fill the gap exercise. Answer sheet included.
Editor’s note
Fully mapped to E2 Functional English (reading) with extra teaching tips.
Numeracy: N2/L1.8, N2/L1.9, Functional Maths - number, N1/L1.7, N2/L1.10, N1/L2.3, N2/L2.7, N2/L2.8, N2/L2.9
Context: Business & Money management
Level: L1, L2
Resource type: Game
A set of cards that can be used to play a game where students have shares in a small company. Each group of three players receives ‘market updates’ in the form of cards that require them to divide a number in a ratio, or find the value of an amount given the value of part of the amount. Students are encouraged to keep full financial records.
Literacy: Functional Skills English, General literacy / English
ICT: Developing, presenting and communicating information
Free tags: childrens, scheme, Story
Context: Health, Social care, Early years
Level: E3, L1
Resource type: Lesson plan, Scheme of work
This is a scheme of work I have used in EBD schools to get the pupils engaged with English. It is a 7 week scheme of work aimed at between E3-L2, as it can be differentiated. I have also included the lesson plans that go with the scheme.
Editor’s note
Although written for a Key Stage 3/4 school setting this would work well as a way of embedding Functional English into a vocational childcare course or a family learning situation.
Numeracy: Functional Maths - measures, shape, money, MSS1/E3.1
Context: Business & Money management, Catering Food Nutrition, Employment skills & Public services
Level: E3
Resource type: Worksheet or assignment
This resource is adapted from, and complements, the L1/2 resource with the same title created by Claire Douglas (see below).
The activity is based on recent changes to the minimun wage (Nov 2011). Students have to read the information given on the shop employees’ ages and new minimun pay to work out how much the staff are paid for their work.
I used this activity with my E3 students and they enjoyed it.
Literacy: Rs/L2.1, Rt/L1.4, Rt/L1.5, Rt/L2.1, Rt/L2.3, Rt/L2.7, Rw/L1.1, Rw/L1.2, Rw/L1.3
Free tags: Equality and Diversity
Context: History
Level: L1, L2
Resource type: Reading comprehension, Worksheet or assignment
Level 1 / Level 2 resource for literacy students exploring Chinese customs. This has proved to be a popular resource with my students. Includes: reading, dictionary work, comprehension and grammatical knowledge with a fun part where learners find their Chinese horoscope animal.
Literacy: Functional Skills English, General literacy / English
ESOL: General ESOL
Context: Health and safety
Resource type: Bingo, lotto or Pelmanism, Discussion points, Lesson plan, Listening and/or speaking activity, Warm-up, Wordsearch, Worksheet or assignment, Writing frame, Writing prompts
Level: E1, E2
Worksheets and tasks around the theme of emergencies. Written for ESOL but also suitable for adult literacy and Functionakl English.
The worksheets and tasks include reading for information, preparing and practising an emergency phone call, speaking and writing about an emergency situation. The material is set in an Irish context so some of the vocabulary is specific e.g. ‘garda’ is a police officer and ‘gardai’ is police.
ICT: Entry 3 ICT, Developing, presenting and communicating information
Context: Art Film Media Music TV
Level: E3, L1
Resource type: ICT task sheet
Activity to get students using Word and some of its applications by designing a poster for a gig.
Literacy: Functional English - reading, Functional English - writing
Context: Construction Carpentry Plumbing, Painting Decorating & DIY
Level: E3, L1
Resource type: Assessment material, Worksheet or assignment
Embedded E3-L1 Functional English (spelling and vocabulary) for
L1-2 carpentry, painting & decorating, and construction courses. Match the name of the tools, fault or material to the correct items.
Literacy: Ww/E2.2, Ww/E3.2, Rw/E2.2, Rw/E3.5
ESOL: ESOL Rw/E3.5a, ESOL Ww/E3.1a
Context: Catering Food Nutrition, Sport
Resource type: Sort or match cards
Level: E2, E3
This is a resource for teaching compound words to mixed ability groups. There are five different word match activities and two help sheets.
I use the first two activities, sports and food, with E1-2 learners. Depending on their ability you can either give the learners both topics at once or give them one at a time to make the activity easier. For very low level students I’d give the learners one topic at a time and a help sheet.
Numeracy: General numeracy / maths, Functional Maths - number
Free tags: Sport Relief
Context: Sport, Voluntary & Charity
Level: E2, E3
Resource type: Worksheet or assignment
A Sport Relief task which looks at the dates of the events and the cost of buying products from the Sport Relief shop. It includes reading a calendar and working out the days/weeks left until the event. It also includes questions on comparing, adding, subtracting (working pout change) and halving money. Learners have to read prices from the Sports Relief shop and decide what to buy with a given amount of money.
With answer sheet, and fully mapped to the E2-E3 Functional Maths criteria.