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.
Numeracy: General numeracy / maths, Functional Maths - measures, shape, money
Context: Catering Food Nutrition, Voluntary & Charity
Level: L1, L2
Resource type: Investigation or project, Worksheet or assignment
Inspired by Judith White’s autumn apple cake resource (ratios, converting measures, formulae, etc.) this series of open ended tasks focuses on the importance of showing working out and explaining/justifying their conclusions. It also helps students get used to the idea that some maths questions do not have just one “correct” answer.
The theme is baking several cakes for a charity event and making a profit.
You will need Judith’s original recipe (see below) to complete some of the tasks.
Literacy: Rs/E1.1, Rt/E1.1
Pre-entry: General pre-Entry
ESOL: ESOL Rs/E1.1a, ESOL Rt/E1.1a
Context: Independent living
Resource type: Cloze exercise, Reading comprehension, Writing frame, Writing prompts
Level: M8, E1
This is a lower-level version of ‘My Busy Day’ Housework by Laurence Fletcher (see below) for a basic literacy for ESOL class. Also suitable for M8-E1 literacy.
Reading comprehension, simplified cloze and sentence exercises.
Numeracy: Functional Maths - data handling, HD1/E2.4, HD1/E3.3, HD1/E3.4
Context: Catering Food Nutrition
Level: E2, E3, L1
Resource type: Hands-on / practical activity, Investigation or project, Worksheet or assignment
A Functional Maths and numeracy task sheet written for a mixed group of entry level learners to collect, represent and analyse data on favourite biscuits. The topic is introduced with a news article about Britain’s favourite biscuits. Learners must create a tally chart/frequency table, a pictogram and a bar chart. Pre-drawn grids and squared paper is included.
I used this task with a mixed group of learners with a range of learning difficulties, in an FE college setting.
Literacy: Wt/E3.1, Wt/E3.4, Functional English - writing
Context: Animal care & Equine, Employment skills & Public services
Level: E3
Resource type: Assessment material, Worksheet or assignment
A writing task / practice paper written for an E3 booster writing group of 16-18 year olds.
You want a Saturday job in a pet shop and write a letter to the manager about possible vacancies.
Fully mapped to the E2 and E3 Functional Skills English writing criteria, it also includes a one page tutor marking sheet. Modelled loosely on practice papers from the major awarding bodies but note that the marking scheme / points system is my invention and is not weighted exactly as it should be for formal assessment.
Literacy: Rt/E1.1
ESOL: ESOL Rt/E1.1a, ESOL Rt/E1.1b
Free tags: Australia, Equality and Diversity
Context: Catering Food Nutrition
Level: E1
Resource type: Reading comprehension, Worksheet or assignment
A short reading text for beginners, followed by fill the gap sentences. Two sheets – one for British students and one for Australian students.
Literacy: General literacy / English, Functional English - reading, Functional English - writing
ICT: Finding and selecting information
ESOL: General ESOL
Context: Leisure Travel Tourism
Resource type: Investigation or project, Worksheet or assignment
Level: L1
A short project for L1 Functional Skills or ESOL, wherein students research aspects of a foreign holiday destination and produce a piece of persuasive advertising based upon findings.
Literacy: Rt/L2.1, Rw/L2.3, Writing: text focus (composition)
Context: Health, Social care, Early years
Level: L2
Resource type: Reading comprehension, Writing prompts
A set of exercises based on an article from the BBC News website. This article would interest learners with teenage children.
There is a comprehension exercise and vocabulary exercises on antonyms and synonyms. Learners are also invited to write their views. Useful for those working towards Level 2 Certificate in Adult Literacy.
Literacy: Apostrophes, Rt/E2.1, Rt/L2.3, Rw/L2.3, Writing: text focus (composition)
Context: Employment skills & Public services
Level: L2
Resource type: Reading comprehension, Writing prompts
A set of exercises based around an article from the BBC News website during the adverse weather of 2010.
There are multiple choice comprehension questions, together with exercises on apostrophes, vocabulary and synonyms and anagrams. The learner is then asked to write his/her views.
Literacy: Rt/L1.1, Rt/L1.3, Ww/L1.1
Context: History
Level: L1
Resource type: Reading comprehension
A set of exercises based on an article fromm the BBC News website.
This may interest learners who are keen on antiques. There is a comprehension exercise, exercises involving the identification of spelling errors (homophones) and a noun anagram exercise.
Useful for those working towards Level 1/2 Certificate in Adult Literacy.
Literacy: Rt/E3.1, Rt/L1.1, Writing: text focus (composition)
ESOL: ESOL Writing: text focus (composition), ESOL Rt/E3.1a, ESOL Rt/L1.1a
Free tags: New Year
Context: History
Level: E3, L1
Resource type: Interactive presentation, Reading comprehension, Sort or match cards, Worksheet or assignment, Writing prompts
This is an activity on New Year. It was written for an E3 ESOL class but could be adapted for E2 fairly easily too. There is a reading comprehension, a group activity, writing practice and also an optional cut-up “top Ten” resolutions activity.
I haven’t done a lesson plan to go with the resources as I think they could be easily adapted and used in different ways.