Functional English - speaking, listening & communicating

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.

A list of passport prices (converted into £ January 2012) and a set of associated questions.
Useful in Functional English as a discussion or research prompt, especially just before the summer holiday season.

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

Writing, discussion and research prompts particularly useful for sport students at all levels. Inspired by Carrie Bray’s “Giving beauty/hair advice” resource (see below).

You could cut out scenarios and use them to start a discussion, which could lead into individual or paired research and written responses. I’ve also used them to prompt email and letter writing with templates / frames for lower level learners.

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.

A powerpoint to spark discussion and introduce the topic of formal and informal language and choosing which is appropriate for different social and work situations. Aimed at E3-L1 Functional English learners.

The PPT can be used with the word match up game, which gets learners thinking about the difference between formal and informal language. Laminate the page and cut up into individual word cards.

This task was originally used for Functional Skills although it can be applied just as effectively to literacy sessions. The task aims to encourage learners to work in small groups to discuss what each phrase really means and therefore explore the different interpretations that other people have of them. Also makes a good ice breaker. Includes proverb cards, answer sheet and worksheet.

Cards that can be laminated and used over and over again for speaking and listening using persuasive language. Ideal for Functional Skills English speaking, listening and communication practice.

Comprehension questions, writing and discussion based on car adverts. This resource is suitable for motor vehicle students, or a more general audience.

Learners can discuss the important features of a car advert and the advice they would give their tutor. They can then practice writing their own car adverts (not full sentences). They can also write down the advice they would give their tutor, using full sentences and paying attention to spelling and punctuation.

Ideal for, and fully mapped to, Entry 2-3 Functional Skills English.