Other listening and/or speaking activity

This resource helps learners hear rhymes and recognise corresponding letters/digraphs, rimes and onsets etc. Take simple limericks and poems and get your learners to put them together.

I created my own limericks to match work we had been doing on long vowel sounds (it is not that difficult to do once you get started). Well-known poems and nursery rhymes also proved particularly popular as many knew them already by heart from childhood and some were doing them now with their children.

Level
M8
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
Poetry
SLlr/E1.2
AL Rw/E2.2 Recognise high frequency words & words with common spelling patterns
AL Rw/E1.2 Decode simple, regular words
Functional English reading
Pre-entry
pre-Entry Rw/M8.2 Associate sounds with patterns in letters, syllables, words,
General
Dyslexia support
Context
Health, Social care, Early years

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.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
General literacy / English
Functional Skills English
Context
Employment skills & Public services
Art Film Media Music Radio TV

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.

Level
Level 1
Entry Level 3
Entry Level 2
English
Functional English - speaking, listening & communicating
Adult Literacy: Speaking & Listening
ESOL
General ESOL

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.

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English - speaking, listening & communicating
Plan, compose and draft
Adult Literacy: Speaking & Listening
ESOL
General ESOL

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.
Level
Level 1
English
Adult Literacy: Speaking & Listening
Maths
Functional Maths - numbers and the number system
Functional Maths - measures, shape & space
General numeracy / maths
Functional Maths
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
Context
Sport and fitness

A short reading text followed by exercises: True or False; Putting words in the correct order to answer questions; Writing sentences with words from the story (or sentences may be copied from the story) and a WordSearch.
This is followed by some dialogue using the situations in the story for practising pronunciation.
Suitable for literacy and ESOL.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
General literacy / English
ESOL
General ESOL

Sample dialogue using food idioms for intermediate, upper intermediate ESOL students. Can be used with food idioms list (link provided) to encourage dialogue writing and acting to aid retention.

Level
Level 2
Level 1

Worksheets and tasks around the theme of emergencies. Written for ESOL but also suitable for adult literacy and Functionakl English.

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
General literacy / English
Functional Skills English
ESOL
General ESOL
Context
Health and safety

Learners must choose the next manager of the England football team. Using the task sheet to guide them, they must research, collate and present information for five candidates and then make the final choice.

There is scope for plenty of lively discussion around the choices made and also about what the manager’s job entails.

A Power Point presentation is included as an example, but can also be printed out to use in some of the additional activities described.

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
General literacy / English
Functional Skills English
ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Developing, presenting and communicating information
Functional Skills ICT: Finding and selecting information
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
Context
Sport and fitness

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.

Level
Level 1
Entry Level 3
English
Adult Literacy: Engage in Discussion
Functional English - speaking, listening & communicating