Adult Literacy: Speaking & Listening

This resource has a range of activities to help students learn useful expressions/ language to make a complaint.
It is useful in building confidence in making complaints in person and on the telephone.

Editor’s note
Includes sample dialogue with questions (can also be used as a reading comprehension), matching cards, sammple scenarios, curriculum mapping and teaching notes.

Based on an hilarious Comics Relief YouTube clip. A great way to get students to look at conversations in speaking and listening or to look at humour, irony and sarcasm.

You can vary the questions or just use them as a discussion prompt. I have found it works well with lower level learners and with higher ones as well. Even students who don’t like the shows or the people will have some comments

A mingling exercise to get students talking to one another. Great as an induction activity for new classes or for ESOL learners to practise speaking and listening.

I developed this simple resource initially as a speaking and listening exercise but quickly discovered I could extend it into a writing activity. The questions are designed not to be too personal. I have used it several times and it has worked well with learners from Entry 1 to Level 2. I particularly like the fact that learners have produced some really excellent writing, which is usually what they find the most difficult.

Page 1: 8 maths questions relating to olympic torch
Page 2: Picture quiz: who is carrying the torch?
Page 3: Picture quiz: famous UK landmarks.
Page 4: UK cities – anagrams
Page 5: Answers

• Quizzes on pages 2 and 3 make good ice breakers and can also be used for SL&C discussion prompts.

This is a worksheet that can be used for discussion and /or writing. The learners can discuss the advice they would give and then practice writing it down in full sentences using correct selling and punctuation. It also helps them to start thinking about being tactful!
Ideal for, and fully mapped to, Functional English writing and discussion.

Set of speaking prompts / paired dialogue sheets and other related worksheets for Entry 1 ESOL. Students can practise reading the conversation in pairs, complete the missing speech bubbles and answer the comprehension questions. Based on a conversation between two male college students. With many photographs and picture prompts.

Lesson plans for employment skills is a set of two detailed plans complete with aims, objectives, assessment methods, etc. The first focuses on speaking & listening skills in interviews and includes a mock interview – aimed at the music industry but adaptable for all. An example job description is included.
The second is entitled ‘Lone Parent Progressions – how to look for work’ but is again suitable for anyone looking for work.

A lovely set of reading, writing and listening activities for Entry 1. Based on describing 4 people – particularly the colours of their clothes. Includes gap fills, labelling, word banks, spelling and more.
Linked to DfES SfL learner materials & audio CDs E1 (page 10) Lit Unit 1 Lost & Found Also see below for our 43 pages book of related word games (Colours, clothes and fruit) and our 3 on-screen ‘decribing people’ activities – all are based on the same series of pictures.

Students must circulate and question other class members in order to complete the bingo grid. Makes a great ice-breaker or warm-up activity. Also makes a good lead in to sentence work.
Aapted from Heidi Griffin’s original version (see below), this new version is differentiated for a slightly higher level learner group and includes sentences to be completed by the learner. Covers many speaking & listening elements (asking & answering questions, giving personal information, etc.).