Science, Nature & Weather

Update 27/2/24: If you are a resource contributor, the answer sheet should be ready tomorrow morning - I just have a few questions to finish off tonight. Please email me (or message via Twitter ) if you would like a copy. 

Based on two adapted newspaper articles (an article and a comments page), this bumper set of 22 reading questions covers all the L1 & L2 Functional Skills English reading content descriptors, using assessment-style questions. There are two texts and the paper is split into three sections. 

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L1.10 Compare information, ideas & opinions in different texts
FE L1.11 Identify meanings in texts & distinguish between fact & opinion
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L1.15 Infer from images meanings not explicit in the accompanying text
FE L1.16 Recognise vocabulary typically associated with specific types and purposes of texts (e.g. formal, informal, instructional, descriptive, explanatory and persuasive)
FE L1.17 Read & understand a range of specialist words in context
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L2.11 Identify when main points are sufficient & when specific details are important
FE L2.12 Compare information, ideas & opinions in different texts, inc. how they are conveyed
FE L2.13 Identify implicit & inferred meaning in texts
FE L2.14 Understand how textual features/devices can shape meaning for different audiences/purposes
FE L2.15 Use a range of reference materials & resources (e.g. glossaries, legends/keys) for different purposes
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
FE L2.17 Analyse texts, of different levels of complexity, recognising their use of vocabulary and identifying levels of formality and bias
FE L2.18 Follow an argument, identifying different points of view & distinguishing fact from opinion
FE L2.19 Identify different styles of writing & writer’s voice
Context
Science, Nature & Weather
Mental health, awareness & psychology
News, Politics & Government items

Read adapted texts about the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree.  Tasks cover vocabulary and dictionary work, informal language, idioms and language work.

Editor's notes

Two page text from two BBC News articles that has been cleverly  adapted to focus on recognising and understanding typical features of informal text such as slang, contractions, idioms and hyperbole. Further questions cover general comprehension and inference.

There's also a question that can be used as a discussion prompt or a short writing task.

 

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FS Eng L1.5 Express opinions and arguments and support them with evidence
FS Eng L2.6 Express opinions and arguments and support them with relevant and persuasive evidence
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE L1.16 Recognise vocabulary typically associated with specific types and purposes of texts (e.g. formal, informal, instructional, descriptive, explanatory and persuasive)
FE L2.11 Identify when main points are sufficient & when specific details are important
FE L2.13 Identify implicit & inferred meaning in texts
FE L2.17 Analyse texts, of different levels of complexity, recognising their use of vocabulary and identifying levels of formality and bias
FE L1.22 Communicate information, ideas & opinions clearly, coherently & accurately
FE L1.24 Use format, structure & language appropriate for audience & purpose
FE L2.23 Communicate information, ideas and opinions clearly, coherently and effectively
FE L2.27 Use language & register (e.g. persuasive techniques, supporting evidence, specialist words) to suit audience & purpose
Context
News, Politics & Government items
Science, Nature & Weather

A descriptive poem on the theme of Nature.  Can be used as a reading and pronunciation exercise or may be extended to include a discussion about the seasons, local environments, the life cycle of animals and plants, global warming or the benefits of outdoor exercise.

Editor's notes

Super for many levels and situations - includes suggested questions and discussion prompts.

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Poetry
FE SL&C Discussion
FE READING and understanding words
ESOL
ESOL Speak clearly & with appropriate register
ESOL Engage in discussion (Sd)
ESOL: Follow/participate in exchanges or discussions
ESOL Rw/E3.1a Recognise and understand relevant specialist key words
ESOL Rw/E3.3a Use a dictionary to find the meaning of unfamiliar words
ESOL Rw/L1.1a Use reference material to find the meaning of unfamiliar words
ESOL Rw/L1.3a Recognise and understand an increasing range of vocabulary
ESOL Rw/L2.2a Use reference material to find the meanings of unfamiliar words
ESOL Rw/L2.3a Recognise & understand vocabulary associated with different text types
Context
Animals, animal care, farming & equine
Gardening & Horticulture
Science, Nature & Weather
Mental health, awareness & psychology

A poem on the theme of urban nature.  Can be used as a reading and pronunciation exercise or may be extended to include a discussion around nature and wildlife, living in different environments or climate change.

Editor's notes

Super for many levels and situations - includes a list of suggested questions/prompts.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Poetry
FE SL&C Discussion
FE READING and understanding words
ESOL
ESOL Speak clearly & with appropriate register
ESOL Engage in discussion (Sd)
ESOL: Follow/participate in exchanges or discussions
ESOL Trace and understand main events of a text
Context
Science, Nature & Weather
Animals, animal care, farming & equine

A lovely activity to use with groups of learners who are developing basic IT skills. This lesson focusses on the basic features of PowerPoint. The topic for this lesson is 'endangered animals' which is something that can start interesting discussions about the environment and sustainability as well as eliciting vocabulary for animals if working with ESOL learners.

Editor's note

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
FE READING understanding and locating information
FE E2.7 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E2.2a Recognise a range of familiar words
ESOL Rw/E2.3a Use context & range of phonic / graphic knowledge to decode words
ESOL Rw/E3.1a Recognise and understand relevant specialist key words
ICT
Entry 1 and 2 ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Using ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Developing, presenting and communicating information
Context
Science, Nature & Weather
Animals, animal care, farming & equine

Functional skills Level 1 English writing. This is an example I have written for students who find it difficult to think of ideas. Enclosed are notes about Global Warming, that the students can get ideas from, and a sample answer.

Editor's note

Wonderful idea to provide scaffolding by way of notes, ideas and a sample answer that learners can refer to.  Without the scaffolding, this resource also makes an ideal practice question for Level 2.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE Writing composition
Context
Science, Nature & Weather
News, Politics & Government items

A quick interactive add-on exercise, created in Wordwall, for our popular Thundersnow reading resource (L1-2 version - but this act would probably suit E3 too). Drag the organisational features to the correct places in the text. 

https://wordwall.net/resource/28052371/english/thundersnow-l1-l2-functional-english-organisational

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE E3.12 Understand organisational features & use them to locate relevant information
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L2.16 Understand organisational features & use to locate relevant information in a range of sources
Context
Science, Nature & Weather

An interactive add-on exercise, created in Wordwall, for our popular Thundersnow reading resource (L1-2 version). Drag punctuation items to the correct places in the text. Written for L1.18 (use  punctuation to aid understanding) but challenging enough for Level 2 too!

https://wordwall.net/resource/28071142/english/thundersnow-l1-l2-functional-english-using-punctuation

 

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
FE L1.19 Use a range of punctuation correctly (e.g. full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, commas, possessive apostrophes)
FE L2.20 Punctuate writing correctly using a wide range of punctuation markers e.g. colons, commas, inverted commas, apostrophes, quotation marks
Context
Science, Nature & Weather

A quick interactive add-on exercise, created in Wordwall, for the popular New Year 2022 (Warmest New Year's Day) reading resource. Match the organisational and textual features to the correct places on the text.

https://wordwall.net/resource/28051407/new-year-2022-e3-l1-functional-english-and-maths-tasks

 

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE E3.12 Understand organisational features & use them to locate relevant information
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L1.12 Recognise that language & other textual features can be varied to suit different audiences & purposes
Context
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism
Science, Nature & Weather

NEW 8/2/22  answer sheets now also  available for both versions (E2-E3 and L1-L2) - visit our ANSWER SHEETS page for more information.
New 27/1/2022  A related interactive Wordwall activity (using punctuation to aid understanding) is now available to accompany this resource.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE E2.8 Understand the main points in texts
FE E3.9 Identify, understand & extract main points & ideas in/from texts
FE L1.9 Identify & understand the main points, ideas & details
FE E3.11 Use strategies to find meaning of words e.g. dictionary, context, word types
FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings
FE E3.12 Understand organisational features & use them to locate relevant information
FE L1.14 Understand organisational / structural features use to locate relevant information
FE L1.18 Use knowledge of punctuation to aid understanding of texts
Context
Science, Nature & Weather