For students struggling to learn the alphabet. It is an Alphabet Arc with further practice pages that have an increasing number of blanks to fill in. It is designed to be given out as one page at a time, to help in memorising it. I encourage my students to write out the alphabet on their exam paper, to avoid them making avoidable errors in the alphabetical order questions.
Editor's note
Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
FE E1.1 Say the names of the letters of the alphabet
FE 1.14 Write letters of alphabet in sequence & in upper / lower case
FE E2.15 Use 1st & 2nd letters to sequence words alphabetically
Since the demise of the Excellence Gateway (EG) on September 30 2023, there is no official Government backed website where the old Skills for Life core curricula are available. The EG has (partially) migrated to the Education & Training Foundation (ETF) at https://www.et-foundation.co.uk/ but there is no sign of these classic documents.
Colourful graphic organiser that will allow learners to explore Word Class, challenge themselves, and think about how they can use examples in sentences.
A Beginners / Entry 1 level set of activities to introduce and practise using adjectives within the theme of travel.
Practise vocabulary, antonyms, spelling, sentence structure and handwriting.
Editor's note
Although written for ESOL most parts of this resource are also very suitable for E1-2 Functional English. In addition to the many tasks it also provides a short overview of adjectives and basic sentence structure . Great for the build up to summer holidays - or indeed any time of year!
Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
FE E1.8 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 1
FE E1.9 Read simple sentences containing one clause
FE E1.15 Spell correctly words designated for Entry Level 1
FE 1.16 Communicate information in words, phrases & simple sentences
FE E2.7 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
FE E2.16 Spell correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
FS English E2.20 Use adjectives and simple linking words
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E1.1a Recognise a limited number of words, signs and symbols
ESOL Rs/E1.1a Read and recognise simple sentence structures:
ESOL Rw/E2.2a Recognise a range of familiar words
ESOL Ws/E1.1a Construct a simple sentence, using basic word order & verb form
ESOL Ws/E2.2a Use adjectives
ESOL Ww/E2.1b Use knowledge of sound–symbol relationships & phonological patterns when spelling
Short, sweet and very useful 1 page worksheet / handout reminding learners when to use full stops, question marks and exclamation marks. Followed by two short tasks.
Detailed Entry Level Functional English mapping is available in a separate PDF file.
Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
FE E2.13 Use basic punctuation correctly (e.g. full stops, question, exclamation marks)
A reading comprehension exercise differentiated Entry Level 2 and Entry Level 3 Functional Skills English.
Based on an article from Spring 2020 about finding wild plants in towns. Designed for a mixed ability class so that everyone could be working on the same theme. [An E1 version is also available]. Questions cover almost all E2 and E3 FS Reading criteria and allow for practice in sentence writing as well as comprehension.
Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
FE E2.7 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
FE E2.8 Understand the main points in texts
FE E2.10 Use effective strategies to find words meanings & check spelling e.g. simple dictionary, spell-checker
FE E2.11 Read & understand sentences with more than one clause
FE E2.12 Use illustrations, images & captions to locate information
FE E3.8 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 3
FE E3.9 Identify, understand & extract main points & ideas in/from texts
FE E3.10 Identify different purposes of straightforward texts
FE E3.11 Use strategies to find meaning of words e.g. dictionary, context, word types
FE E3.12 Understand organisational features & use them to locate relevant information
Related 'Garden Birds' word search now added. This extra activity is based on the "Guide to the top 10 garden birds" poster that appears on page 2 of the Entry Level 1 resource.
Two reading comprehension exercises differentiated for EL1 and EL2/3 Functional Skills English. The Entry Level 1 version also includes speaking and listening activities.
Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
FE E1.1 Say the names of the letters of the alphabet
FE E1.4 Make requests & ask straightforward questions using appropriate terms & registers
FE E1.5 Respond to questions about specific information
FE E1.6 Make clear statements, communicate feelings & opinions on straightforward topics
FE E1.9 Read simple sentences containing one clause
FE E1.10 Understand a short piece of text on a simple subject
FE E2.8 Understand the main points in texts
FE E2.11 Read & understand sentences with more than one clause
FE E3.9 Identify, understand & extract main points & ideas in/from texts
FE E3.11 Use strategies to find meaning of words e.g. dictionary, context, word types
FE E1.7 Understand & participate in simple discussions or exchanges with another person about a straightforward topic
FE E3.12 Understand organisational features & use them to locate relevant information
FE E3.10 Identify different purposes of straightforward texts
FE E1.8 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 1
FE E2.7 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
FE E3.8 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 3
FE E2.10 Use effective strategies to find words meanings & check spelling e.g. simple dictionary, spell-checker
UPDATED 19/4/23 - two errors fixed on page 12 no 4 (two occurrences of the word 'you' replaced with 'your').
This booklet has many different tools to improve spelling that have been collected from various sources (a list of these resources can be found in the back of the book).
For E3 upwards it could be used as a self-study booklet. For levels before E3 it may be useful to 'cherry pick', be used as a tutor manual and/or an in-class group activitiy.
Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
GCSE L1-5
English
FE E1.15 Spell correctly words designated for Entry Level 1
FE E2.14 Form regular plurals
FE E2.16 Spell correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
FE E3.17 Spell correctly words designated for Entry Level 3
FE L1.21 Spell words used most often in work, study and daily life, including specialist words
FE L2.22 Spell words used in work, study & daily life, including a range of specialist words
10/10/17 Several minor and one major correction made
These tasks assume no previous knowledge of compound sentences and/or conjunctions. They do assume the learner is familiar with simple sentences (i.e. one clause, one verb).
Aimed at E2-E3 students but could be useful at Level 1.
Tasks include joining pairs of Halloween sentences with a suitable conjunction; extending simple sentence with a suitable ‘ending’, and rewriting texts that are initially written using only simple sentence (in order to improve their organisation and readability).
