General Resources

This ‘random number generator’ is an open ended resource that the author originally designed to use for mental maths (adding or taking away 10 from the displayed number). It was later used it as part of a ‘Question of Sport’ quiz (in the spelling round!): learners choose a picture and then spell the ‘random’ number that appears: 49, 32, 28, 46, 67, 55, 21, 74 and 13 (these be edited to suit and could also be linked to any set of numbered, pre-prepared quiz questions on any topic).

A great project that covers many L1/2 numeracy elements. You win the lottery, buy a nursery and have to furnish it from catalogues and/or Internet sites.
Learn about budgeting, displaying data, working with areas and floor plans, bank statements, rounding, estimating, and much more. Everything must be written up as a comprehensive report with a clear conclusion (a great guidance page on report writing is included in the resource).

A great way show any Skills for Life learner how to play this popular puzzle and makes a good warm up activity. Use to provoke general discussion on logic-steps and how puzzles help to sharpen the mind and increase brain activity!

A set of 10 questions with optional picture clues and differentiation ideas. Makes a great end of term filler for all levels.

A straightforward illustrated guide for beginners that can easily be adapted to suit your own institution. Ideal for many students including E2-E3 Skills for Life ICT.

Provides useful prompts for general discussion work (small groups). Its budgeting slant also makes it suitable for numeracy classes.

A short but very useful PPT that is bound to stimulate much discussion about the different ways we communicate.

A substantial resource designed to encourage students to tackle large projects in bite sized pieces. Originally used with E2E learners but suitable for all age groups. Aimed at E3- L1, it covers many literacy and numeracy topics and also requires some IT and research skills. Also used for L1 Key Skills IT portfolios and would now (2010) make an ideal Functional Skills project.

A work / help sheet for dyslexic learners who have difficulty distinguishing between these two letters. Underline the letters, read the words and write sentences.

A very useful sheet (best used on-screen) providing online links to a range of mouse exercises where learners can learn about right and left clicking, double clicking, drag and drop, etc. Activities range form straightforward tutorials to ‘Dress the Eggplant’, Join the Dots and a bubble game. Many also provide very useful practice on reading instructions.