I attach handouts for one of my recent sessions. It’s fairly self explanatory and tests learners’ comprehension skills. Also covers scanning for info and correcting punctuation errors. Great for teenagers.
This integrated set of worksheet tasks develops speaking, listening & communication; reading and writing skills in relation to a topic of individual interest to the learner and also encourages independent research and planning.
Uses the call-and-response song “Knock on Wood” from “Casablanca” to discuss superstitions (touch wood), opposites, emotions, and contracted words.
Two pages, the first of which has the vocabulary and song lyrics printed out for students, the second is the teacher’s lesson plan. Teachers will either need a “Casablanca” DVD or access the song clip from YouTube.
This is a great session starter. Students will work on their sentence construction and vocabulary with a card game that allows them to experiment with word order and effective word choice. Students have to put the words into a sensible order, even if the subject of their film is far from sensible.
In this game, students compete to make the scariest film title, or to sabotage other people’s film titles. It is a light hearted and fun game. The film titles created can also become writing prompts.
This is a combination of speaking & listening, note taking & writing, that I have used successfully as an ice breaker with new groups. It involves learners talking to several people and finding out about their food likes & dislikes (plus allergies, religious considerations etc) before planning a menu for a dinner party. The menu must be acceptable to all the guests! Finally each learner produces their menu presented in a conventional style.
Level
Entry Level 3
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English - speaking, listening & communicating
This is a news article about the death of Whitney Houston followed by a series of questions which ask the reader to decide whether statements in the artice are true, false or inferred.
I have used it with several groups of adult learners who were working towards Edexcel level 2 Functional Skills. They really enjoyed discussiong the article. I did make an answer sheet but I changed it so many times in the light of discussion with different groups that I decided it was best to let them make up their own minds.
Level
Level 2
English
Rt/L2.5 Read critically to evaluate information and compare information, ideas and opinions from different sources
Rt/L2.4 Read an argument and identify the points of view
A collection of resources based around the BBC programme CrimeWatch.
Designed with L1 Functional English students in mind, the lesson can lead in to further discussion about crime, security, safety etc.
Editor’s note
The PPT also acts as a lesson outline which covers the following learning objectives.
Written for students to practise their skills just before the old-style multiple choice literacy exams – but it can be used to check many Functional English reading and writing skills at any time.
