Contextual Resources

A worksheet which aims at getting pre-entry /E1 ESOL learners to practice different responses to greetings; both positive and negative responses. It also includes a picture matching task which helps learners to understand feelings and moods.

Editor’s note
Also suitable for pre-Entry literacy.

Three sets of dominoes to use in warm-up and for letter and word recognition activities. The first set, for pre-Entry ESOL and Literacy learners with very low levels of letter and word recognition, matches lower case to capital letter versions, the second set is a set of “doubles”, which can be used alongside the first. The third set, for pre-Entry / Entry 1 ESOL learners, matches a category to an example. Each set has 17 dominoes, so 4 each for a group of 4 learners, plus one to start.

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.

Matching exercise for preEntry and E1 learners to recognise signs and their names.

A flexible set of exercises based on common classroom items such as pens, pencils. folders, hole punch, etc. Can be used in a variety of ways – with or without learner support. Includes worksheets and flash / matching cards. Detailed preEntry mapping information. First used at the start of the academic year with a new preEntry class.

Housework is a set of three related resources:
Housework is a very funny video (with a rather predictable ending!) accompanied by words and jolly music and designed to introduce, complement or summarise the two related resources below.
Although aimed at M8-E2, ESOL/Literacy groups of all levels will enjoy this video and it is bound to prompt disucssion. Supplied as a zipped WMV (Windows Media Video) file (6.8 MB). A big thank you must go to Janet Fletcher who co-authored this video!

A set of two resources:
PPT with audio, so you can leave students pressing the left button and repeating the words, while you attend to others. 13 different objects such as pen, stapler, ruler, etc. are covered.
Classroom equipment cards
These cards show some items of vocabulary for equipment which could be requested in class. 12 different objects such as calculator, pencil case, rubber, etc. are included. Cards can be used with or without the words attached – see ideas below.
Picture cards only:

A great set of Entry/preEntry word level games that’s ideal for ESOL students at the start of term. Includes word picture match, alphabet ordering, word fill, word shapes, missing vowels and more. Ideal for themed lessons and the start of term. With answer sheets and teaching ideas.

A great set of Entry/preEntry word level games on this popular topic. Includes word picture match, word fill, word shapes and more. Ideal for themed lessons. With answer sheets and teaching ideas.

A great 2.5 hr differentiated lesson plan complete with resources including ordering and matching worksheets and cards, simple spelling sheet, healthy eating chart (please download the accompanying Excel file – see below). The main topic is making an omelette and the lesson includes sequencing, letters, word recognition and building, and simple sentences. You will also need food leaflets from supermarkets, plastic or wooden letters and a tape recorder.