Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

Level 1 reading comprehension, spelling and vocabulary tasks based on an Australian local news article about a successful youth art project in Deception Bay. The tasks can be concluded nicely with a related crossword puzzle – ideal for individual work or for group work if displayed on an IWB.

Written for E3-L1 ESOL students but equally suitable for literacy students. Match the two parts together to complete the phrase.

Challenging multiple choice quiz of vocabulary “borrowed” from other languages such as French, Greek and Italian. Words and phrases include: fait accompli, deja vu, ad hoc, bric-a-brac and many more. Makes a good warm up and could be used with small groups or individually.

Two Tarsia puzzles based around formal and informal language. Guaranteed to prompt discussion as learners solve the puzzles. I suggest that the smaller one (16 piece triangle) is roughly at L1 and the larger on (24 piece hexagon) is at L2. I have duplicated some of my word choices from Imogen Stewart’s excellent ‘Little Britain’ (Language: formal, informal or slang?) resource which was also about formal and informal language (see link below). ‘Cheers’ has ‘regards’ as its synonym because of email sign offs – which I have found to be an interesting topic for discussion.

Detailed instructions on how to play this very funny and effective game. The literacy curriculum introduces adverbs at Level 1 but this game will be enjoyed at al levels and can be used to demonstrate verbs only at lower levels.

Makes a good end of term or pre-test activity. 24 fun yet challenging questions cover advanced punctuation (apostrophes, colons, semi-colons), spelling, suffixes, fact/opinion, vocabulary, parts of speech, and more. Can be used individually or in teams.
A separate answer sheet is also available (see below). Thanks to Marion Martin for writing this.

Fun, multi-purpose speaking / reading / listening / writing / maths warm-up activity that can be used at any level and for any subject – particularly effective at Entry Level. Learners shake two dice to locate a word on a number matrix (good for maths:co-ordinates too!).
Five sample grids are provided – covering descriptions, homophones (2 grids), spellings and clothes – plus a blank grid so you can make your own. Includes full instructions and can also be used for numeracy.

This activity is in two parts.Firstly, learners should use the cards to match the words to their meanings. Next they should use the fill in worksheet to give an example for each one. Full instructions included.In addition to parts of speech it also includes synonym and homophone terms.

This wonderful pack of differentiated resources is ideal for mixed ability classes from Entry 1 through to Level 2. It takes the learner through:

• the layout of formal and informal letters
• formal and informal language
• typical vocabulary for formal letters
• sentences and paragraphs
• writing a range of letters
• revision and/or assessment exercises

Includes writing prompts, task sheets, matching /sorting cards, and a many cut and stick exercises.

Fully mapped to the Functional English writing criteria.

A Level 1/2 PPT quiz on commas. Some slides are based on persuasive-type texts so can also be used for purpose of text extension work, others are based on recent news items.

The game is multiple choice and based on colours. I use coloured hoops (as in hoola hoops) and bean bags. It can be team based or individual. Each player throws a beanbag into the hoop that corresponds with their chosen answer.