Printable worksheets from other Recommended Sites (Adult Basic Skills)

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Realia - recommended sources of 'real' texts for whole text work. Print these texts for classroom use, cut and paste useful sections, or display on whiteboard or smartboard via data projector.
	The 2010 World Cup might be a long way off but the official FIFA web site is a rich source of interesting official documents (rules, history, mascots, balls, hat tricks, safety, etc.).
	Food a Fact of Life has lots of clear and useful downloads including food cards, recipes and accompanying videos (such as how to make Welsh rarebit, shepherd's pie, etc) that are great for reading and listening to instructions.
	The Food Standards Agency has masses of useful PDF leaflets such as Beat the Barbecue Bugs (PDF), Eat Well - Guide to Healthy Eating (PDF), etc. There is also an excellent interactive food label (needs FLASH). You can also ask for free printed leaflets. Thanks to Margaret Adams, Kenward Trust, for suggesting this site.
	Meat and Education provides support and teaching resources for Food Technology & Home Economics programmes in school but it also a valuable source of literacy and numeracy resources. For example there are video clips that can be used for listening work, data and related numeracy worksheets (e.g. the UK sandwich market) and recipes for working with instructions. Try the Tuck-in resource about the origins of regional foods - great for reading, finding and summarising information - with word search and other activities. Plus high quality set of food pictures (not just meat!) - see our Clip Art section
	Saying 'thank you' in style (BBC News online 'Magazine' ran a competition where readers were invited to write two grammatically correct versions of a Christmas thank-you letters, each using the same or similar words). The five winning versions displayed here are very clever and great for L1/2 punctuation work.

Sites that include literacy and numeracy printable resources
	ABC Teach has dozens of free resources (and more that you can buy), all neatly categorised by subject, level, seasonal holidays, etc. Try the language assessment paper (may need adapting for UK spellings, etc.) and have a look in the maths section too.
	Abiator is an amazing site from a teacher in New Zealand (but is has English School curriculum levels). Many of the Year 5 6 7 8 resources are suitable for or can be adapted for) adults (e.g. this generic magazine activity). There is also a huge maths section with masses of problem solving areas.
	Adrian Bruce, an Australian teacher, has wonderful site stuffed full of Maths and Reading resources. Lots of printable phonics word games suitable for E1-E2 (try 'When two vowels go walking'). Plus games for learning sight words (try '4 in a row'). No childlike images on cards. Check out his reciprocal reading strategy for improving comprehension. Maths section also has games such as 3D shape concentration and an excellent online symmetry project. Also look at his mind-mapping section.
	ARKS (Adult Returners Key Skills) is an EU funded project that has some fantastic, very large PDF resources covering: Study skills, IT, Communication, Numeracy, Participation and Tutor Training. There are worksheets, tutor notes, examples and much more.
	BBC - Hardspell series is not running this year but you can still download a 1000 word spelling list PDF (with definitions, etc.) that could also be of interest to Level 1/2 adults wishing to improve their spelling.
	BBC Keyskills: an excellent site for both students and tutors involved in Key Skills at levels 2 or 3 (KS L2 number and communication tests are identical to adult literacy and numeracy level 2 tests). Includes interactive 20 question practice tests, and a very good tutor toolkit for Level 2 number with masses of information sheets explaining exactly what students are expected to know with sample test questions etc. For example, look at these tutors' fact sheets on calculations.
	BBC Skillswise is aimed at Level 1 learners and has lots of English games and quizzes are now available on this ever -growing site, accompanied by fact sheets, worksheets, information and extra ideas for tutors. Maths section, and a News section which has topical stories. Tutors can sign up for a useful weekly newsletter and there are message boards for both students and tutors. Now with a brand new Entry 3 section - with a huge numeracy section.
	Collaborative Learning Project promotes inclusive learning and sharing of ideas. Numeracy downloads include 2D shapes game, follow me games; Literacy downloads include Connect-4 suffix and prefix games, adjective bingo, poetry sorting boards and some great punctuation games.
	Coxhoe Primary School has some wonderful resources - the Year 4 area is particularly useful and has many resources on synonyms, suffixes and apostrophes.
	Clear English has an impressive and fascinating collection of words and grammar facts - divided into 50 sections. For example, there are 8 pages of homophones, 3 pages of homographs, a page of heteronyms , (all with examples); 30 pages of idioms; masses of spelling rules; 15 pages about pronouns, etc. etc. Mind blowing!
	Department for Transport's THINK! Road Safety site has masses of information including some excellent road safety lesson plans for all ages. The primary site has lesson plans which cover Literacy, Numeracy, PSHE and Science. Investigate each lesson plan as there is a wealth of downloadable associated resources including PDF posters (like this!) and worksheets. Order the free posters and wall friezes - brilliant for pre Entry and Entry 1 (road signs, following instructions, giving directions, etc.). And check out the numeracy plans - the Y5 area has resources for traffic surveys, symmetry etc.
	Donna Young's Homeschool Printables and Resources has masses of handy stuff: interesting maths paper - graph paper with number lines, paper with times tables written all round the edges; fraction manipulatives; stacks of handwriting sheets, and even more English/spelling resources including a very handy listing of the main Dewey Decimal numbers.
	Embedded Learning Portal (DfES) has dozens of great downloadable Skills for Life resources - all mapped to Core Curricula, Key Skills and Occupational standards (main focus seems to be roughly E2-L1 but there are some great Milestone 7-8 /E1 literacy resources in the Family Care section). Currently covers Horticulture, Social Care, Family Health, Trowel Occupations and Communication for International Nurses. Now also has files for E2E, Catering, Hospitality, Warehousing, Construction, Painting operations, Construction, Production line manufacturing, Cross Sector skills (health and safety, food hygiene, etc.) and Sports Leadership. This is also the home of the excellent Skilled for Health embedded learning resources that promote health, self-help and accessing services.
	Global footprints has some wonderful teaching ideas with accompanying, high quality newsletter style PDFs. Particularly good for analysing advertisements (cars, fair trade chocolate, etc.) and maths investigations such as 'The journey of a banana' or 'Sharing a chocolate bar'.
	Irish National Adult Literacy Agency have an excellent Literacy Tools site with printable resources and interactive games and activities. Search for activities by topic (e.g. health, employment, living in Ireland ) or by literacy and numeracy skills. There are some particularly good health worksheets (reading, writing and comprehension) on mammograms, alcohol, medicine labels, etc. Plus good basic maths practice worksheets with step by step explanations and answer sheets (long multiplication, division problems and a wonderful illustrated worksheet on the Euro (pictures of all coins, history, converting currency).
	Key Skills Support Programme provides teachers and managers with training, information, and advice. Lots of resources including many embedded learning resources for a wide range of vocational areas. (Many look suitable for Functional Skills and there seems to be an emphasis on problem solving).
	Kirklees EDNET has a fantastic range of resources - best to explore yourself but here's a taster: great selection of 'text type' PDFs (with lists of key characteristics, sample texts etc.) covers recounts, reports, instructions and 5 more. The numeracy area contains lots of useful general downloadable Word resources such as place value charts, number cards, etc.
	Learning and Teaching Scotland has some excellent resources in the Core Skills area. Try the Access 3 Communication area for a series of 8 wonderful themed assignments - study packs. For example: 'Planning a holiday' includes work on formal and informal letters /emails and asking questions; 'Eating out' includes reading reviews and punctuation; 'Mobile phones' looks at advertising and persuasive writing. etc. I am not quite sure about the levels but Access 3 appears to correspond to Entry 3-Level 1 and Intermediate 1 to Level 2. There are equally useful resources in the Core Skills Maths area. Plus related interactive activities.
	30/04/10 The NGfL Cymru (National Grid for Learning, Wales) contains a mass of learning resources for all levels and age groups from Early Years to A Level. Check out these two areas: Vocational and Key Skills in vocational areas. You will discover huge sets of resources (some are editable Word documents, some are PDF files) for motor vehicles, plumbing, hairdressing, retail, travel, construction, floristry, animal care, horticulture and many other areas.
	The Peace Family site is written for parents and carers of autistic children but happens to have a page of fun Christmas brainteasers for older children that also make good lesson starters during the festive season. Try Wenceslas's Words
	Personal Educational Press make your own FREE worksheets such as flashcards, game boards, and quizzes to print directly from your browser. Edit and personalise the word lists. Useful bingo boards, trace letters and flashcards are very useful with pre Entry and Entry 1 groups
	Primary Ideas has lots of downloadable Word (and PPT) resources aimed mostly at upper primary .Many are suitable (or can be adapted) for Entry 3-L2. Check out the numeracy and literacy areas.
	Primary Resources is aimed at school children but has masses of Maths worksheets - including a huge selection of follow-me (or loop) cards (make great starters), bar charts, etc. Ideas and worksheets for non-fiction texts, particularly instructions and explanations and persuasive writing such as advertisements.
	Resource Room or 'Free spirited structured multi-sensory learning' is full of Numeracy (good ideas for teaching negative numbers) and Literacy resources (try word parts for prefixes or this excellent PDF 'six multi-sensory ways to learn spellings') including hard-to-find topics such as signal words and teaching vocabulary through word relatedness.
	Talent (Training Adult Literacy, ESOL and Numeracy Teachers) hosted by Tower Hamlets College. After registering (free) you have access to a huge range of downloadable teaching materials and links (for basic skills learners and for tutor trainers).
	Teachnology Free Language Arts Worksheets includes Dolch list and five related word searches plus a huge collection of 300 graded language activities with matching puzzles. Layout of most sheets is clear but not at all childlike so suitable for all ages. Plus dozens of cloze, comprehension, sequencing, etc. There is also a maths section.
	Times Educational Supplement has 10 000 free educational resources contributed by teachers across the UK and beyond.
	Tower Hamlets College Curriculum Intranet log on as a guest. For some excellent Numeracy resources select Entry Level from the Resource menu (try Bath Time for a great HD idea!). Also resources for many other areas including English and Communication.
	Worksheet Genius is exactly as the title suggests! The site is the work of Midlands' teacher Simon Currigan and is entirely free. Create superb worksheets and print them out in a few seconds. If you don't like the options on offer (and there are often dozens for each type of worksheet) you can create your own customised versions. Although aimed at primary students the worksheets are suitable for adults and cover both literacy and numeracy. I really like the place value abacus type worksheets and will be using these in my Entry level maths classes. Other numeracy options cover the four operations, clocks, percentages, bingo games and counting. Literacy options include flashcards, bingo, phonics, sentences and a really useful slideshow option which is great for instant LSCWC spelling practice if you use the option of having a blank slide between each word or phrase. There's even a selection of high quality free clipart!

Clip Art
	Clipart Etc (Florida Educational Clearing House) has a huge collection of 14000+ images (mostly 'old fashioned' black and white line drawings).
	Dream of Marchen has two pages of very different fantasy scenes and landscapes that make very good prompts for writing work (stories, adjectives, etc.).
	ESL Flashcards have dozens of sets of free PDF flashcards each available in small, medium or large (one per page). Topics include sport, time (also useful for numeracy), adjectives, clothes, emotions, holidays and much much more.
	ESL-images.com has only a few free grammar image sets (can\can't, used to..., ) but they are lovely. Many more if you pay.
	Florida educational technology clearing house CLIPART ETC has a massive 35 000 royalty-free pieces of educational clipart arranged neatly into hundreds of categories. Very useful for worksheets especially maths - for example there are 80+ thermometers showing different temperatures, hundreds of 'fraction-pies', geometric shapes, protractors, etc. Plus animals, famous people, plants, transport and much more.
	Free digital photos.net has 2000+ free photos for commercial or non-commercial use - inc. everyday items, food, etc. Very useful for worksheets
	Free Foto.com is another very good source of free photos (for non-commercial users).
	Free web graphics it's difficult to find free graphics sites without being bombarded by pop-ups but this site is ad-free and has some lovely bars, bullets, buttons and backgrounds.
	27/09/2009 InsideStory printable flashcards for vocabulary teaching (and much more). Hundreds of high quality vocabulary photographs (nouns, verbs and adjectives) that can be displayed with or without definitions. Arranged in three categories (easy, medium and hard) - the screenshot right depicts 'glower' from the 'medium' selectio. Easy print option allow you to select just the cards you need. All this is free but the site also has an online shop where you can purchase special packs of flashcards.
	Meat and Education has a small but very high quality set of food pictures (not just meat!). Plus lots of other great resources - see our Realia section
	Perfect World has some excellent, very clear clip art arranged in categories such as household, animals, healthcare, etc. that can be very useful for creating your own worksheets or illustrating students' work (metaphor pictures are fun and make for good discussion).
	UVic's Language Teaching Clipart Library if you make your own worksheets or presentations you will love this site that has 1500 simple graphics for language teaching - included prepositions, relationships, colours, food and much more

Printable Numeracy Resources (and ideas for mental maths)
	AAA Math has absolutely masses of online practice activities but also useful printable information such as divisibility tests, techniques for multiplying decimals, etc. Dozens of topics - each with learn, practise and play sections. Mental Maths
	Adult Numeracy Themes teaching ideas and background theory. Part of the Ohio Literacy Resource Center (which also has a very useful lesson plan termplates that can be used as a guide when creating lesson plans using online resources).
	BODMAS site where Keith Burnett at N. Birmingham College posts topical numeracy links, comments and resources. Check out the useful handouts and exercises such as this Number Practice sheet.
	Cleave books (hosted by University of Exeter) Teacher's resources online has very useful tables and number squares (listed under Fact Sheets), coordinate grids, SI units, huge number lines and thermometers. A great new Su Doku and number placing puzzles (27 page PDF) resource with examples, tips, blank grids, background info, puzzles and OHTs; masses of mathematical games; word searches and cross sums; and some fantastic calendar models including a flexi-tetrahedron! (Although these are currently only for the year 2005). For the inquisitive there are some really interesting papers such as 'BODMAS what does the O stand for?' and 'The Power of 2'.
	University of Plymouth Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching - Mathematics Enhancement Programme (previously based at Exeter University) . Definitely our most used maths site. 100s of PDF worksheets - grouped by school year / NC levels, but many are ideal for adult use. Download the two Certificate of Achievement (now called Entry Level Certificate) workbooks to get an idea of the breadth and quality. The Year 7 area is particularly good for place value, decimals and fractions. The GCSE Revision Foundation Pack is also good. Most worksheets also have optional associated downloads such as OHP slides, answers, revision exercises, lesson plans and mental tests. Other things to look for include: Puzzles and an excellent new section on common maths misconceptions with 8 downloadable resources and a help section with worked examples in 10 topics etc, aimed mainly at primary school teachers but useful for any teacher that wants to brush up their maths. Check out our ILT page for details of the equally good interactive tutorials.
	updated 27/09/09 Count On has something for everyone from reception through to A level, adult numeracy students and teachers. Highlights include: a resource area with documents for parents, teachers and providers (take a look at the 22 PDFs analysing common maths misconceptions - excellent); and the Explorer section where you can find origami, famous mathematicians, patterns - tricks. Also many interactive areas - see our ILT page for details.
	Dollar Times features a set of very useful printable budget sheets. Don't worry about the fact that this is a US site as all budget sheets are available in three formats - Excel (which can be edited) , html or PDF. sheets cover family, pets, holiday, etc.
	Dominoes are great to use in Entry level maths classes. This page has rules for dozens of different games. Link suggested by Janet Kinsey, Abingdon and Witney College. Thank you.
	Emaths is run by Mark McCourt, an Advanced Skills Teacher in Nottinghamshire who is keen to share good practice. There are printable resources (try the substitution card sort for Level 2 students and the follow-me cards) and masses of PowerPoints (see our ILT page for more on these). Thanks to Di Mellor, Darlington College for this link. Mental Maths
	Enchanted learning has a nice page on making tangrams with clear folding and cutting instructions and ideas for making different pictures. Thanks to Brian Curruthers, Gateshead College, for this link (Brian suggests that Tangrams make a good topic for a shape and space micro-teach)
	10/08/2009 Every maths topic (e-maths) is designed for GCSE students and has masses of resources to cover all grades/levels from an F (Nat'l Curr. L4 - equivalent to Level 1 Adult Numeracy) to Grade A. This site needs a lot of exploring - not only are there loads of worksheets but almost every topic has related PPTs which make great introductions to a topic. Covers number. algebra, measures, geometry, averages, handling data, etc. Recommended by Dave Clapham, Park Lane College.
	Fantastic Math Tricks has loads of ideas and techniques for mental calculations. Mental Maths
	Fun Maths has free worksheets, games and puzzles. Mostly aimed at GCSE level but well worth sorting through.
	ICTeachers Resource Vault UK site for teachers of KS1\2 but some useful gems for all ages. For example, under the Maths and Numeracy section has a nice very clear blank clock face, some good bus/train timetable exercises and some interesting spreadsheet (Excel) applications.
	Kangaroo Maths - Kenny's Pouch has masses of free, editable Word resources aimed at Key Stages 3-5. Make sure you look under 'assessment' as well as number, measure and data. There are also schemes of work and dozens of Excel spreadsheet resources. Thanks to Nikkie Almond, Abingdon & Witney College for this link.
	Little Bookshelf in the Big Woods contain unusual and thought provoking resources. Check out Consumer Numeracy, Misleading Averages, Understanding Big Numbers.
	Math-drills.com has 1000+ quick printable worksheets for practising the basics from adding up through to order for operations, geometry and converting measures. There are also sets of topical worksheets for Valentines Day, St. Patrick's, etc. and a handy selection of printable graph papers. Recommended by Nicola Toms, Matthew Boulton College.
	Maths is Fun has lots of puzzles and quizzes along with printable practice sheets and some very good step by step explanations such as this one entitled long division with remainders.
	Money Matters to Me has loads of practical advice and interactive ideas but is mentioned here because of the excellent cheque writing section (includes option of printing realistic blank cheques for extra practice). Plus some advice pages have useful printable versions such as 29 ways to save money.
?	Mathematical Mistakes great resource for showing students how people can be misled by statistics and other maths. Much is advanced but worth sifting through.
	Maths Online is a subscription site for UK school teachers, but take the free tour to find some useful free printable resources including a very useful random mental maths test generator (suitable for Level 1 and 2 numeracy).
	Maths Tutor GCSE revision site has useful (very visual) overviews - many would make good handouts for Level 1 and 2 numeracy classes (try the data charts and decimals sections). There are also short interactive tests and checks on many pages.
	Mathswatch has many great video clips and worksheets for purchase (only £3 per CD for schools) but also many free assessments (and 180 more worksheets apparently coming soon). Aimed at GCSE but much is suitable for Level 1-2 numeracy. Thanks to Judith White, Somerset Skills & Learning, for this link.
	updated 27/09/09 National Strategies Standards site has masses of useful resources - just select 'mathematics' from the primary or secondary sections.
	Murderous Maths is the official site to accompany the popular series of paperback books. There are loads of ideas for card and other maths 'tricks' some which make very good mental starters. Also a 'research lab'. Thanks to Ruth Wood, Pro Training, Nottingham for this link. Mental Maths
	My Maths contains several thousand maths worksheets, games, follow-me cards, etc. Most are editable Word files. You need time to look through te huge selection but there is something here for all levels and topics.
	NRICH Mathematics Enrichment Club primary and secondary sections are chock a block with games, puzzles, investigations and useful facts. For example divisibility tests makes good background reading before preparing warm-ups for numeracy sessions. Mental Maths
	Sheffield Hallam University Maths Help Drop-In has many handouts, most are A level or above but some (fractions, BODMAS) are suitable for Level 2 numeracy.
	updated 10/09/09 Skillsheets specialise in photocopiable maths worksheets for adult basic skills students. Each book has at least 30 copiable sheets and is available at a very reasonable £13 per book (discount for larger orders). Topics inc. fractions. percentages, measure, football crazy, 3D shapes, algebra, ratios, etc. Get a free taster by downloading sample PDF pages before you buy. Now has a lovely set of 5 free maths posters covering place value, estimating, and more
	Three Rs Arithmetic for the Fearful is a downloadable series of 8 maths modules. The first two are free and take you step by step through basic number awareness, place value, sequencing and addition skills. Modules 3-8 available at a very reasonable £2 each. Link suggested by Anthony Briginshaw the site owner and a former director of the Centre for Mathematics Education at the City University, London.
	Transum sell maths software to UK school but also have a host of free ideas including a great Maths starter of the day page with 366 starters for KS3 (lower secondary) students (go here for a useful overview). There is also a great Shine and Write page with interactive ideas for display on a smartboard, and a Fun Maths page with paper construction and much more. Thanks to Mary Wheeler, Virtual College, Birmingham for suggesting this link. Mental Maths
	Vocational numeracy online has a series of very good PDF worksheets - some teach a general skill (e.g. fractions decimals and percentages PDF or this 32 page document on measure (3MB PDF), then there are others where you can apply the skill. These are selected via a vocational menu which includes business, forestry, care, automotive, tourism, etc.

Printable ESOL Resources
	Breaking News English is an amazing news site that provides up to date news (The latest one as of May 8 is the Burmese cyclone disaster) and topical articles accompanied by instant, ready to use lesson resources. These are all fully editable and include: warm up ideas, vocabulary exercises, cloze exercises, discussion exercises and ideas, writing tasks, Yes /No and other comprehension questions, and much much more. Incredible! Thanks to Jan Long for suggesting this link.
	English Banana is a resource centre for English and drama students. Free PDF worksheets are available as individual pages or arranged in four huge (100+ pages each) books. These include an Entry Level (Elementary) grammar workbook, two resource/activity books for L1 (Intermediate) and a great 'Check it Again' book with 60 real-life extracts - all with mistakes (sense, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) to be spotted. Many PDFs are suitable for adult literacy: try the Chinese restaurant menu, chocolate cake recipe and map directions (all in 'The Big Resource Book'). Plus dozens of ideas for listening and speaking. 100s more worksheets are available to purchase on a CD.
	Englishpage have a massive dictionary of 470 irregular verbs (inc. archaic forms) plus dozens of online grammar and vocabulary tutorials.
	ESL Flow have masses of printable worksheets and teaching ideas. Allow plenty of time to explore. For Elementary, pre-Int and Int.
	ESL Galaxy have a great section of printable worksheets (grouped under themes such as food or sport and also under levels and grammar topics) plus some wonderful board games and editable board game templates. Don't be put off by the advertising just keep scrolling down the page and you will reach al the great resources!
	ESL HQ have thousands of resources all neatly categorised and with full teaching notes. Don't be put off if they appear at html files - if you scroll down you have the option of converting them to a printable PDF. 400 board games, 300 matching games, 200 labelling worksheets, and much more! You must register but this is free.
	ESL Pro sell ESL software but have a dozen very high quality downloadable e-books. These are all substantial books (20+ pages) and are great for higher level study skills etc. E.g. Improve your listening, vocabulary clinic, tricky English punctuation, etc. Many are also suitable for literacy students. Registration is free.
	ESLtime.org has masses of useful information and practice material and is particularly good for business English - letter writing , replying to enquiries, business etiquette etc. Also has sections on 'Happy English' (great cartoons!) and 'Living English'.
	Lanternfish (Bogglesworld) is an interesting and very large collection of ESOL resources for both adults and children. Worksheets etc. are available as Word documents so can be customised to suit your own learners. Many are topical so this is a good place to look at Christmas, Easter, etc. There's also a good set of 30+ phonics worksheets suitable for Entry 1 Literacy. Recommended by Marion Crocker, Abingdon and Witney College.
	Online Tutoring World has masses of teaching ideas for games and activities.
	Oxford University Press has a new Skills for Life Preparation Pack plus lots of of free downloadable practice writing papers with sample answers, etc.
	Read to Learn Skillpacks are a series of PDF reading materials each accompanied by comprehension questions / activities. Although provided by Illinois Adult Education many are suitable of UK students. Topics include ATM safety, identity theft, women's personal safety, carbon monoxide, allergies, health, colds and flu. Categorised under Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced ESL but also very suitable for literacy students
	Straightforward course from Macmillan has new PDF downloads each month (check out the archive for previous months' resources) - can be used independently
	Teachitworld is a new site specialising ESL/ESOL resources. The selection is small but growing and is arranged logically by topic (grammar, speaking, present tense, etc.) and by level. Resources are available as free printable PDF files or (for a fee) editable Word documents. Thanks to Karen Bruin for suggesting this link.
	Ted Power English language learning and teaching has an impressive collection of worksheets and handouts; themed discussion points (with excellent related resources) for advanced students. Although mostly for ESOL students there are also handwriting sheets and other adult literacy resources.
	Tefl-Magic has some beautifully presented lesson idea arranged under headings such as everyday life, idioms, health. Each idea complete with printable PDFs, comments and teaching notes.
	TEFL.NET has some nice topic based worksheets with fun illustrations (try Holidays: word partners or Food: eating habits).
	UsingEnglish has hundreds of printable exercises and handouts. Some are members-only but this is free. Other highlights include huge reference files on idioms, irregular verbs and very active bulletin boards where you can ask for advice.

Printable Literacy Resources
	Two interesting ideas from Alaska State Literacy Resources: use shapes and lines to improve listening skills, writing extended metaphors.
	Cando's Helper Page is full of great phonics activities and much more (try the syllable or synonyms pages). Printable (and interactive activities). Link suggested by Maricristin Sealey, Thank you.
	Chris Jackson's site at The Manchester College has many curriculum linked online and printable activities. Check out the teachers page for masses of good links. Plus some great E1/E2 practice assignments. Chris's new Skills for Life blog also interesting links, resources and news.
	National Strategies Standards site is the UK government site for all school key stages. Masses of useful phonics and literacy downloads are available (you must must register but all downloads are free). For example, the primary Support for Spelling document is a huge 100 page very useful resource (replaces the old KS1 and KS2 spelling bank documents). There are many equally good documents on writing, text types, grammar, etc.
	Durham Schools Curriculum Internet has some very good English resources try the Raising Achievement in Writing area where there are great examples of forms / purposes of text based on Titanic disaster (a formal invitation, a formal report and a newspaper article). Also check out connectives posters, writing paragraphs and some good guided reading and reading searchlight prompts .
	E. L. Easton - English Online Hundreds of clearly and logically organised links for every possible aspect of English and Languages, eg. spelling section leads to dozens of links including very useful audio alphabet sites suitable for M8 & E1 literacy. Plus maths, sport, ESOL and much, much more. Suggested by Bob Davis, Basic Skills tutor - British Army.
	English Online has some good ideas for 'Word of the week', some great printable resources on reading and writing newspaper reports and some useful online gadgets inc. "Collapser" which will sort your own texts into alphabetical word lists (omitting duplicates).
	English Online (New Zealand - different to site above) has masses of resources including step by step themed lessons on recounts (Titanic), mystery writing, persuasive writing and much more
	English-Zone.Com huge selection of printable work sheets, handouts and mini lessons (see our Interactive Sites page for more on their interactive exercises). "Verb Families" worksheets - great for learning irregular past participles. A great quiz on lie /lay and other confusables including common homophones. E2 upwards. Unfortunately now a paying site but many parts still available as trial pages.
	Exploring English clickable links give fast definitions on parts of speech, types of sentences, punctuation, elusive words.
	Reading Quest is a gold mine of resources for all levels. Try the reading comprehension strategies page with downloadable PDF planners, graphic organisers and a very useful vocabulary word map.
	Scholastic's site is huge with masses of useful plans, resources and ideas. The graphic organisers pager is well worth a look and there are interactive activities.
	Sitton Spelling has dozens of very good free PDF 'instant activities' these consist of complete lesson plan, resources and worksheets. Aimed at US grades 1-8 you will need to browse through them (arranged by year and grade but not by subject) but they cover a huge range of topics such anagrams, suffixes, plurals, etc.)
	Geoff Barton, a UK headteacher, has his resources available as Word files. Loads of good stuff for L1/2 Literacy. E.g. paragraphs handout in the student area, an excellent selection of non-fiction texts (plus 85 things to do with them) in the teacher area. Many Powerpoints on grammar, literacy, spelling.
	Hillingdon Adult Education Community ESOL project has a fascinating report on their approach to teaching English in the community in North London. Plus loads of excellent really high quality resources including this PDF selection of reading materials.
	Kingscourt McGraw Hill UK have some free downloadable resources - such as two large sets of writing frames.
	The National Archives Learning Curve has some fantastic resources for teachers of all ages. Although aimed at history teachers there are some fantastic teaching ideas here - especially for older students.
	National Adult Literacy Database huge site, don't miss the Literacy Collection where there are dozens of downloadable texts (some fully illustrated) - fiction, healthcare, rights, oral history, cooking, family literacy and much more.
	Reading A-Z has thirty free downloadable books (and exercises) they are aimed at children but some of the non-fiction titles (such as this book about whales pdf and worksheet pdf) are ideal for Entry Level readers. There is also a lot of useful information and ideas on the teaching of reading, for example this page on reading, prediction and work attack skills.
	Read, Write, Think is a partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the MarcoPolo Education Foundation. There are hundreds of literacy lesson plans (with related downloadable resources) aimed at ages 5-17 but many are suitable (or can be adapted) for adults. There is also a very interesting monthly calendar with key dates (e.g. John Lennon's Birthday, Scotland Yard's 175th anniversary) that link to suggested classroom activities and lesson plans.
	Scott Foresman Everyday Spelling designed for US spelling grades 1-8 (approx ages 6-14) but there is a lot that is useful for adults too. Each grade has "Cross-Curricular" worksheets - where subjects such as maths, health and science are used in illustrated worksheets along with an associated spelling list: try this one on First Aid. The Workout Room has masses of crosswords, excellent ideas for writing prompts, "Words in the News" and "Language Facts" about the history of words. You need hours to explore properly.
	Step by Step is a programme of 100 synthetic phonics lessons for children and adults. Each lesson is complete with notes and resources and can be downloaded and printed for free from the site. Alternatively you can order the complete pack for only £5 direct from the author Mona McFee, a retired teacher who developed the system in order to teach her her son, who has Downs Syndrome, how to read. Mona believes that anyone can teach children to read using her method - and with no special training, just common sense! She also helped set up the UK branch of the (American) Reading Reform Foundation - their sole aim is to bring phonics back to the teaching of reading.
	Southwest Adult Education (Colorado) has a great selection of 'very short stories for adult readers' - all accompanied by comprehension questions, discussion or reflection. Most look suitable for Entry 2-Level 1.
	Spelling it Right - Learn to spell confidently very useful site with printable work sheets and handouts. Great on suffixes, prefixes, silent e, consonant blends, spelling tips and much more.
	30/04/10 Sutherland College oral histories project is an oral history collection and a teaching and learning resource. It records the histories of students studying Social Inclusion and Vocational Access courses - second chance learners, and teaching and general staff of Sutherland College, Sydney. In addition, this fascinating wiki also includes 10 language-literacy lesson based on 10 oral histories. Each lesson includes an audio file so learners can listen/read along with the written history. The associated PDF files include a range of resources including comprehension questions, research tasks, cloze exercises and much more. Thanks to Carol McKirdy, Head Teacher, Adult Basic Education, TAFE, Sutherland College, NSW for recommending this site.
	TeachitUK specialises in school (Key stages 2-5) English resources. The huge selection is arranged logically by topic (drama, media, language, etc.), key stage and application (e.g. PowerPoint, Word, etc). Resources are available as free printable PDF files or (for a fee) editable Word documents.

Pre Entry/ Entry 1 Printable Resources
	Bus Stop from Macmillan Heinemann ELT is really aimed at young (primary) ESL learners but some of the free resources, especially in the games section, are ideal for pre-Entry students.
	Carl's Corner is the work of a retired English teacher, Cherry Carl. Ignore the Teddy Bears on the home page - there are many suitable word level worksheets on this site for preEntry through to Level 1. Visit antonym alley for some great picture matching cards, bingo games, word searches and more. Blends Boulevard is amazing with dozens of activities, sheets, domino games, etc. Then there is Sort City with 70 sets of word-picture cards (seasonal and shape sort would be useful for preEntry) and dozens more pages.
	National Strategies Standards site is aimed at school children but is a rich source of ideas and resources. The intervention section is particularly useful - but it is also worth looking in the primary and early years areas for ideas that can be adapted for adult beginning readers.
	Embedded Learning Portal (DfES) has dozens of great downloadable Skills for Life resources - all mapped to Core Curricula, Key Skills and Occupational standards (main focus seems to be roughly E2-L1 but there are some great Milestone 7-8 /E1 literacy resources in the Family Care section). Currently covers Horticulture, Social Care, Family Health, Trowel Occupations and Communication for International Nurses.
	First School Years is a great site put together by a small group of Primary School teachers - aimed at Early years, and KS1. However some of the phonics worksheets (Word format) are great for pre-Entry and Entry 1. Plus a really cool wordlist generator where you can type in required beginning (clusters for example), end or middle of a word or specific prefixes, suffixes and it generates an editable word list (also finds synonyms, antonyms, rhyming words, etc.
	SEN Resources for teachers, parents and carers has some lovely printable resources phonics, letter recognition, numbers.
	SEN Teacher Resources has a printables page with a superb set of 28 fully customisable worksheets covering money, time, place value, handwriting, letter fans, certificates and much more.
	Society for Quality Education has a huge, complete reading scheme (Stairway to Reading) aimed at struggling beginner readers (children - but there are no childlike graphics and almost all the resources are VERY suitable for adults). Includes a complete set of 40 phonic based lesson plans, flashcards, a huge (100+ pages) of related bingo games and a super 124 PDF of reading material ranging from CVC word lists to complex, multi-paragraph texts (up to to Entry 3). This site recommended by Vicky Douglas, Northern Learning Trust.
	Symbol World is a fantastic site created by Widget Software where symbol readers can read up to date news reports (e.g. Live 8, Tsunami, Glastonbury) etc. You can also register for free to receive brilliant full colour printable newsletters written using symbols.

More basic skills links on our embedding ILT and useful links for tutors pages

CONTENTS
Sources of 'realia' for whole text literacy and ESOL work		Clip Art and Flashcards	Pre Entry Sites
Literacy 30/04/10	ESOL	Literacy and Numeracy	Numeracy (& mental maths)