Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

A set of tasks to practise reading and writing skills. Read about a student and his work and college life.

• Practise using conjunctions.
• Learn synonyms
• Practise using punctuation correctly.
• Write about your own experience of studying and working

Editor's notes

So practical and down to earth! Find out about Joseph's day to day college life and his busy job with Deliveroo. Also very useful for E2-E3 Functional Skills English students.

This scaffold has been designed to be used either as as a diary for use in class and / or as a way for students to record and reflect on their literacy/language experiences outside of the classroom.

Emojis are used to try to encourage them to consider and record their feelings.

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! 

These lesson activities are based on scenes from David Lean’s 1984 film, A Passage to India. Topics relating to culture, integration, separation, race, ethnicity, identity and humanity can easily be raised and discussed via the materials and the film scenes. There are many ways of using this original material and the suggestions are just activities that have worked with L2 and [even] L1 students.

Some games to play with literacy or Functional English groups for revision.
Ideal for Entry 3-Level 2

Editor’s note
The students make the games, play them and then discuss them. A great combination!

Students design a board game to demonstrate their learning. This can incorporate IT skills (Word template provided below) or can be done with paper, card and pens.

I originally did this with an E2E group and it proved popular. It’s an alternative to the “design a poster” task to review learning. The instructions are set out as a board game. it can be used for literacy, numeracy, ICT or ESOL.

Written for students to practise their skills just before the old-style multiple choice literacy exams – but it can be used to check many Functional English reading and writing skills at any time.

[img_assist|nid=5297|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=100|height=70]A functional skills practice writing task for English at E3-L2. Learners write to the Bayfords, recent winners of the £148m Euro Millions jackpot, suggesting what they could spend the money on to help others (or themselves!).

Could be linked to maths: examining costs, interest, odds of winning etc. and discussions around spending, working, and life after a big lottery win could be undertaken.

Layout reflects the City & Guilds exam format for E3 and L1/2.

This carousel of Jubilee tasks was hurriedly put together for a group of 10 E1-E3 Functional Maths and English 16-19 year old learners who had just (very successfully!) finished all their Edexcel Functional Skills assessments.

After a year of hard work from my students, the emphasis was on celebration and fun. However, learning objectives included: measuring, counting, writing an email, spelling, 2D shapes, estimating, rounding and working with money. Rough lesson outline also included.

This is a scheme of work I have used in EBD schools to get the pupils engaged with English. It is a 7 week scheme of work aimed at between E3-L2, as it can be differentiated. I have also included the lesson plans that go with the scheme.

Editor’s note
Although written for a Key Stage 3/4 school setting this would work well as a way of embedding Functional English into a vocational childcare course or a family learning situation.