Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

GCSE AQA Language Paper 1 Question 3: this resource uses a pop music video (Stay by Shakespears Sister) to help students grasp the concept of analysing fictional texts for structure. Many students struggle to get to grips with the idea of structure; this activity is designed to demonstrate how stories are structured in a more visual way. There's a worksheet with links to three short video clips; students watch each clip and then make notes about what they see in the story (introduction of characters, setting, atmosphere / mood / tone, action, plot, etc). 

This is a fun activity which encourages learners to use IT vocabulary to identify common devices, emojis and icons. It includes a link to an on-screen Wordwall activity where they can test what they already know about devices and common computing icons. 

Editor's note

Updated 24/3/22 10.30pm the writing resource is now available for download again. Apologies for any frustration. 11/3/22 3.00pm (typo fixed, page 3 question 8 writing assessment paper)

Two mega-sized Entry Level 1 Functional English assessments with a Mother's Day theme. Modelled closely on the Pearson-Edexcel assessments (but 1.5 times the size! ) but ideal pre-exam practice for any Awarding Organisation. 

An interactive onscreen exercise plus two printable versions, created in Wordwall, to celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) 2022.  IWD is held on March 8th  every year. In the on-screen version learners must drag each label to the correct area of the text. The first printable version is similar except learner must draw a line from each label to the correct spot on the text. The second version is more challenging (and may have more than one  set of correct answers!) as, in addition, the learner must describe each of the 12 features

A reading, spelling and punctuation add-on Wordwall quiz for our popular Shrove Tuesday L1 reading assessment (Maggie Harnew, 2016). Select the correct answer(s) for each question. Uses a Pancake Day text from an online newspaper article. 12 quick questions covers purpose, source, main points and detail, comma use and vocabulary. Can be used independently of the original resource.

Learner reflection sheet for learners of Functional Skills with prompts to think about next steps.

Editor's Note

An inspiring and friendly-looking 2 page document. Ideal for Functional Maths and English learners from E3 upwards. Very useful! 

Update 24/2/22: written by Sharon Roberts and Alexandra Bates, both of Essex ACL. 
This is a fun activity which encourages ESOL learners to engage with digital technology and transacting online. It provides opportunity to explore vocabulary related to shopping while also discussing the advantages of shopping for food online. It can be adapted to all levels and can be extended for a longer activity if required.

Editor's note

What is the International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination? Why is it important and what can we learn from it?
Slides for L1 and L2 English learners to find out more about the importance of racial equality while building their English skills.

Update 24/2/22: written by Paula Fulton and Alexandra Bates, both of Essex ACL. 
A fun activity for ESOL learners which draws on the popularity of the online word guessing game, Wordle.

Editor's note

A complete mini-lesson for ESOL or Functional English! Introductory PPT and a detailed and very useful lesson plan. A great way to integrate spelling strategies with basic ICT skills. Includes discussion about the 26 letters but 44 phonemes of the English language. 

An interactive onscreen exercise, created in Wordwall, to celebrate the successes of the GB curling teams in the Beijing Winter Olympics. Based on the Queen's congratulatory message of Feb 20, 2022. 12 multiple choice questions cover  purpose, style,  main points and detail, punctuation and vocabulary. Also makes a great discussion prompt. Written for Level 1 and beyond but many questions will be accessible to Entry Level 3.