Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

Displaying 1 - 10 of 68 resources:

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. 

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Adult literacy curriculum
ESOL
General ESOL

Based on the exercises in the Functional Skills Entry Level English exams, this is a revision resource that also provides practice in spelling and reading. I use this as a starter activity, whilst the students are settling into the classroom. It is not intended to be completed at one time. The resource is kept in their folders and can also be used in spare time or for homework. 

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
FE E3.16 Use 1st, 2nd & 3rd letters to sequence words alphabetically
FE E2.15 Use 1st & 2nd letters to sequence words alphabetically
Alphabetical order
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E2.5a Sequence words using basic alphabetical ordering skills
ESOL Rw/E3.4a Alphabetical order 1st & 2nd place letters

English Entry Level exam revision. This is based on the exercises in the Functional Skills Entry Level English writing exams.  It provides revision and practice in spelling and reading sentences. I use this as a starter activity, whilst the students are settling into the classroom. It is not intended to be completed at one time. The resource is kept in their folders and can also be used in spare time or for homework. 12 pages.

Editor's notes

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
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

A light-hearted poem to celebrate International Pi Day and British Pie Week.  Pi Day is celebrated on 14th March every year (3.14) and British Pie Week is usually during the first full week of March.

In English classes this poem could be used as a discussion starter on the theme of food likes and dislikes, vegetarianism and diet.

In Maths classes it could be used as a humorous introduction to Pi.

Editor's notes

Love this  :) 

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Poetry
FE SL&C Discussion
Maths
General numeracy / maths
FM L2.16 Calculate perimeters & areas of 2-D shapes inc. triangles & circles and composite shapes including non-rectangular shapes (formulae given except for triangles & circles)
FM L2.16 Calculate perimeters & areas of 2-D shapes inc. triangles & circles and composite shapes including non-rectangular shapes (formulae given except for triangles & circles)
ESOL
General ESOL
Context
Catering Food Nutrition

Short set of slides about different poppies used for Remembrance Day, to be used as a discussion prompt covering the British Values of Mutual Respect and Tolerance, and Individual Liberty.

Editor's notes

Super discussion prompt for the time around Nov 11th. Includes information about red, white, purple and black poppies - along with a link to a thought-provoking video from Benjamin Zephaniah. For Functional English, ESOL and wider use.

Level
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
Level 1
English
FE E2.1 Identify & extract main information & detail from short explanations
FE E2.4 Follow the gist of discussions
FE E2.5 Clearly express straightforward information & communicate feelings / opinions
FE E2.6 Make appropriate contributions to simple group discussions with others about a straightforward topic
FE E3.1 Identify & extract relevant information & detail in straightforward explanations
FE E3.3 Communicate information & opinions clearly on a range of topics
FE E3.5 Follow & understand the main points of discussions
FE E3.6 Make relevant contributions to group discussions about straightforward topics
FE E3.7 Listen to & respond appropriately to other points of view, respecting conventions of turn-taking
FE L1.1 Identify relevant information & lines of argument in explanations & presentations
FS Eng L1.4 Communicate information / ideas / opinions clearly & accurately on range of topics
FS Eng L1.5 Express opinions and arguments and support them with evidence
FE L1.6 Follow / understand discussions & make contributions relevant to situation & subject
ESOL
ESOL Make requests, ask questions, respond
ESOL Engage in discussion (Sd)
ESOL: Understand instructions, explanations & narratives
Context
History, culture, museums, libraries
Voluntary, Charity and Community

A lovely activity to use with groups of learners who are developing basic IT skills. This lesson focusses on the basic features of PowerPoint. The topic for this lesson is 'endangered animals' which is something that can start interesting discussions about the environment and sustainability as well as eliciting vocabulary for animals if working with ESOL learners.

Editor's note

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
FE READING understanding and locating information
FE E2.7 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E2.2a Recognise a range of familiar words
ESOL Rw/E2.3a Use context & range of phonic / graphic knowledge to decode words
ESOL Rw/E3.1a Recognise and understand relevant specialist key words
ICT
Entry 1 and 2 ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Using ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Developing, presenting and communicating information
Context
Science, Nature & Weather
Animals, animal care, farming & equine

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

Level
M8
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
FE E2.12 Use illustrations, images & captions to locate information
Pre-entry
pre-Entry Rw/M8.3 Recognise & read a growing no. of words signs symbols
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E1.1a Recognise a limited number of words, signs and symbols
ICT
Entry 1 and 2 ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Using ICT

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

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
FE E1.8 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 1
FE E2.7 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 2
FE E2.12 Use illustrations, images & captions to locate information
FE E3.8 Read correctly words designated for Entry Level 3
FE E3.12 Understand organisational features & use them to locate relevant information
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E1.1a Recognise a limited number of words, signs and symbols
ESOL Rw/E1.2a Use basic sound-letter correspondence to sound out words
ESOL Rw/E2.2a Recognise a range of familiar words
ESOL Rw/E2.3a Use context & range of phonic / graphic knowledge to decode words
ESOL Rw/E3.1a Recognise and understand relevant specialist key words
ESOL Rw/E3.5a Use variety of reading strategies to read/understand unfamiliar words
ESOL Rt/E2.4a Obtain information from illustrations, maps, diagrams and captions
ESOL Rt/E3.3a Identify the key organisational features of instructional texts
ESOL Rt/E3.5a Locate organisational features, such as contents, index, menus
ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Using ICT
Functional Skills ICT: Finding and selecting information
General
Generic resources for literacy, numeracy and beyond
Context
Independent living
Catering Food Nutrition
Retail Hospitality Customer service