FE L1.13 Use reference materials & appropriate strategies for a range of purposes, inc. to find word meanings

Reading and related activities focusing on a simplified version of a BBC news article reporting the results of the 2021 Australian Census. Ideal for practising reading strategies including:  relating images to text, using headings, skimming, scanning and using context to predict. My (Australian) students found it challenging but were engaged in the content. Lots of possible ways it could lead into other written and oral activities. Numbers and a graph involved so can also be used to revise numeracy concepts such as percentages and extracting information from graphs.

A simplified version of a news report taken from ABC's Behind the News. Dating from 2020 it talks bout US Gun Laws from an Australian perspective. The reading text also comes with comprehension questions, a cloze passage, dictionary activities and a writing prompt. There are related tasks at two levels E3/L1 and L1/2.

Editor's notes

Also ideal for stimulating discussion (and thus great practice for the FS speaking and listening assessments). The L1-2 questions provide the opportunity to write longer answers and include a  writing prompt.

This lesson is based around the story of Birkenhead resident Charlie Wright, who famously refused to leave his house when the local council decided to demolish the estate around it. Students have the opportunity to discuss themes of community, identity and change. Students watch a short documentary about Charlie from the BBC archives and answer comprehension questions. Charlie's story provides a context for a role play task whereby learners have to decide how best to regenerate Charlie's lost neighbourhood.

Written in and inspired by the July 22 heatwave where temperatures in the UK exceeded 40 degrees! 

Three texts about hot weather and its effects on the body. Questions start at Entry Level 1 and progress to Level 2. L1-2 Learners will still need to access the Entry Level texts as the final questions involve comparing two or more texts. 

Slides designed to support delivery of Gateway's EDSQ (Essential Digital Skills Qualification), Unit 2, at Entry Level and Level 1, with embedded Functional Skills English activities at L1 and L2. This set of slides covers skills from section 2 of the standards (Creating and Editing) with the focus being on creating and editing accessible documents (Entry and L1). Includes link to a Wordwall quiz.

Editor's notes

Slides designed to support delivery of Gateway's EDSQ (Essential Digital Skills Qualification), unit 1, at Entry Level and Level 1, with embedded Functional Skills English activities at L1 and L2. This set of slides covers section 1 of the standards (Using Devices and Handling Information) and includes: using devices, finding & evaluating information, managing and storing information, and identifying and solving technical problems

Editor's notes

Here is another reading comprehension that I made. Based on a BBC news article about the sad fate of the alpaca Geronimo. A few of my colleagues at work have used it (Bucks Adult Learning) and they said it worked well - Level 1/Level 2 Functional Skills English (inc. ESOL learners). Questions cover language features, purpose, using  punctuation to aid understanding, vocabulary/dictionary work, inferring from images, and organisational features.

A short information text is followed by several pages of cloze exercises for Motor Vehicle students. To support subject knowledge, working out the meanings of technical vocabulary and learning subject specific spellings.

Editor's note

A cloze exercise for Motor Vehicle students. To support subject knowledge, working out the meanings of technical vocabulary and learning subject specific spellings.

Editor's note

A reading, spelling and punctuation add-on Wordwall quiz for our popular Shrove Tuesday L1 reading assessment (Maggie Harnew, 2016). Select the correct answer(s) for each question. Uses a Pancake Day text from an online newspaper article. 12 quick questions covers purpose, source, main points and detail, comma use and vocabulary. Can be used independently of the original resource.