I am absolutely fascinated by this blog written by Lauren Piovesan, the founder of ESL Reads. Despite spending two decades simplifying texts - a task that I enjoy and sometimes find a challenge - I've never really analysed what I'm doing.
Although written for EAL (English as an Additional Language) teachers this is a useful guide for both experienced and new teachers of ESOL, adult literacy (Functional Skills English) and indeed vocational subjects.
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.
Entry 3 activity to reinforce the importance of good attendance and punctuality in college. First activity asks students to choose and circle the correct word and further activities practise spelling, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation at Entry 3 level.
Editor's notes
A brilliant idea and excellent practice for ESOL students - especially at the start of the academic year.
Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
English
Use knowledge of punctuation and capitalisation
ESOL
General ESOL
ESOL Rs/E3.2a Recognise function of CLs, full stops, commas, question- exclamation- and speech marks, bullet points /numbering
ESOL Rs/L1.2a Use punctuation to help understanding
ESOL Rs/E3.1b Use knowledge of syntax and grammar to work out meaning
ESOL Rs/L1.1a Use implicit & explicit grammatical knowledge to predict meaning & check for sense
ESOL Ww/E3.1a Apply spelling knowledge to a wide range of common & special-interest words
ESOL Ww/E3.1b Apply knowledge of strategies to aid with spelling
ESOL Ww/L1.1a Apply knowledge about vocabulary to aid accurate spelling
ESOL Ww/L1.1b Use strategies to aid accurate spelling
ESOL Rw/E3.5a Use variety of reading strategies to read/understand unfamiliar words
ESOL Rt/E3.1a Understand how meaning is built up in a variety texts of more than one paragraph
ESOL Rt/L1.5a Use skimming, scanning and detailed reading in different ways for different purposes
This is a basic editable word wheel which you can print, cut out and attach together with a brass paper fastener.
Learners can concentrate on one word at a time. Word wheels can be used for building vocabulary, spelling practice and much more. Suitable for all levels of Functional Skills and ESOL.
Instructions and ideas are included within the PPT. For example:
Stretchy:
Write positive or negative words in the table
Look up words that are unfamiliar
Stretchier:
Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
FE READING and understanding words
FE WRITING Spelling
FE WRITING Sentence structure and paragraphs
AL Apply strategies to spell correctly
AL Recognise and understand a range of words
ESOL
ESOL Writing: word focus - spelling and handwriting (Ww)
ESOL: Reading word focus - vocabulary, word recognition, phonics (Rw)
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
I’m using this activity to give learners a writing frame for a piece of creative writing. I want them to really think about purpose of text when they are creating it, so they have to pick the format, style and tone of their work and plan it out.
Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
GCSE L1-5
English
Functional English - writing
Wt/L2.7
Adult Lit Wt/L2.5 Use formal & informal language appropriate to purpose & audience
Wt/L2.1
Wt/L1.6
Adult Lit Wt/L1.4 Use language suitable for purpose and audience
Adult Lit Wt/L1.1 Plan and draft writing
Wt/E3.4
AL Wt/E3.1 Plan & draft writing
GCSE Writing AO5(a) Use tone, style and register for different forms, purposes & audiences
A two sided A4 sheet that builds on the identification of verbs and the spelling rules for past tense verbs. This is followed by a simple knowledge check.
It is designed to be used as a whole group lesson starter. It is differentiated in the sense that more able learners will be expected to complete the more complex tasks.
Editor’s note
The vocabulary in the example sentences is aimed at Painting & Decorating students, but the resource is suitable for all.
Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
AL Apply strategies to spell correctly
Apply grammar
ESOL
ESOL Writing: word focus - spelling and handwriting (Ww)
ESOL: Writing sentence focus - punctuation and grammar (Ws)
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
This is a resource for mixed ability groups. It can act as an ice breaker and will help students ot think about word choice and context. It is useful in writing sessions.
This can be played by 4 or more players. If you have more than 8, you may want to print out the “things” cards twice.
This is a great session starter. Students will work on their sentence construction and vocabulary with a card game that allows them to experiment with word order and effective word choice. Students have to put the words into a sensible order, even if the subject of their film is far from sensible.
In this game, students compete to make the scariest film title, or to sabotage other people’s film titles. It is a light hearted and fun game. The film titles created can also become writing prompts.
