Merry Hill Shoppers is a series of tasks based on this Midlands shopping centre. Covers reading comprehension, maps, giving and following instructions and makes a good starting point for discussion about crime (theft) and the police. First used with New Deal students. With ideas for extension and for adapting to your local area.
Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
AL Rt/L1.1 Understand continuous texts
Rt/L2.1 Trace and understand the main events of continuous descriptive, explanatory and persuasive texts
SLlr/L1.2
SLlr/L2.2
SLc/L1.3
Adult Lit SLc/L2.3 Express clearly statements of fact, explanations, instructions, accounts & descriptions, using appropriate structure, style & vocabulary
An L1-2 investigation that covers direct proportion (best buy), and rounding / calculating with money /decimals. Two options are included: students can either research Easter egg and chocolate prices on internet shopping sites or use those given. In both cases they must investigate the cost per 100g chocolate and work out the best buy. Final extension work includes consideration of ‘buy one get one free’ and ‘two for £…’ offers.
Editor’s note. New update for 2016 – based on supermarket prices in February 2016
Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
General literacy / English
Maths
AN N2/L1.7
AN N2/L1.6
AN N2/L1.5 Calculate with decimals up to 2dp
AN MSS1/L1.1 Add, subtract, multiply & divide sums of money and record
Two sets of real-life problems to solve. Page 1 (5 problems) is based on a motorist, page 2 (6 problems) on a waitress. Great for practising chosen written method of multiplication (e.g. traditional, lattice or grid).
Covers alphabetical ordering, adjectives, reading comprehension, sentences and web research for E2-L2.
Sadly the original background history (on which the comprehension is based) is no longer available on the Swizzels Matlow or Love Heart sites. However related information can be found at the following sites which can make a good introduction to the assignment.
An interesting E1-2 text (and questions) useful for general comprehension and introducing the third person present simple. With ideas for extension work and adapting the text for your local area.
Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
AL Rt/E1.1 Read short familiar texts
AL Rt/E2.1 Follow main points of short texts
ESOL
ESOL Rs/E1.1a Read and recognise simple sentence structures:
ESOL Rt/E1.1a Follow a short narrative on a familiar topic or experience
ESOL Ws/E1.1a Construct a simple sentence, using basic word order & verb form
Buying clothes provides group vocabulary work along with many ideas for speaking practice. Please read the notes area on slide 1 of the PPT for teaching ideas, curriculum links, etc.
Covers buying a t-shirt (can be used with separate dialogue/clothes cards available below as PDF file), laundry symbols, UK shoe and clothes sizes, fabric patterns.
Level
Entry Level 1
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E1.1a Recognise a limited number of words, signs and symbols
ESOL Sc/E1.2a Make requests: ask for things or action
Great way to practise using alphabetical order (and maps) to locate information. Note – probably best for those that live in the Wolverhampton area and requires a local AtoZ map (but the idea could easily be adapted for any area).
Your task is to set up a new web site for ‘Blackwell Supermarkets’ but you need to check out the competition first! Encourage your learners to use and evaluate organisational features of web pages. 4 questionnaires (with tailored questions) for Tesco, Aldi, Morrisons and Asda.
Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
Rt/L1.4
Rt/L2.6 Use organisational features and systems to locate texts and information
A great way to practise rounding and adding/subtracting money. Choose a shopping list card and estimate the cost of the bill, then work out the bill exactly. 4 pages – two to be laminated, one is a custom worksheet for recording answers.
Level
Entry Level 3
Maths
AN MSS1/E3.1 Add & subtract money using decimal notation
