General Resources

What is the International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination? Why is it important and what can we learn from it?
Slides for L1 and L2 English learners to find out more about the importance of racial equality while building their English skills.

Reading, discussion and writing tasks exploring fake ads and online shopping scams on sites such as Facebook and Google. Discussion points to encourage learner engagement and two tasks to develop ideas through their writing.

Editor's note

Slides (with short texts. images and videos) that explore the connection between stress and social media, social media addiction and the life we portray via social media.  This resource combines reading, writing and speaking and listening tasks to expand key vocabulary and encourage deeper critical thinking.  Maths skills are embedded through the reading and interpretation of line graphs.

Editor's note

Suits ESOL students at Entry 3+.  It creates plenty of scope for  further work e.g.

A reading comprehension and writing activity based on a Cadbury’s Easter Brand Fact Sheet. Ideal for Level 1 Functional English.

Editor’s note
Fully mapped with answer sheet and S&L idea.

Page 1: 8 maths questions relating to olympic torch
Page 2: Picture quiz: who is carrying the torch?
Page 3: Picture quiz: famous UK landmarks.
Page 4: UK cities – anagrams
Page 5: Answers

• Quizzes on pages 2 and 3 make good ice breakers and can also be used for SL&C discussion prompts.

Learners must choose the next manager of the England football team. Using the task sheet to guide them, they must research, collate and present information for five candidates and then make the final choice.

There is scope for plenty of lively discussion around the choices made and also about what the manager’s job entails.

A Power Point presentation is included as an example, but can also be printed out to use in some of the additional activities described.

Fun, multi-purpose speaking / reading / listening / writing / maths warm-up activity that can be used at any level and for any subject – particularly effective at Entry Level. Learners shake two dice to locate a word on a number matrix (good for maths:co-ordinates too!).
Five sample grids are provided – covering descriptions, homophones (2 grids), spellings and clothes – plus a blank grid so you can make your own. Includes full instructions and can also be used for numeracy.

Questioning for understanding is a really useful help sheet that encourages learners to ask relevant questions (any topic, any level). Based on Kipling’s “What and Why and When, And How and Where and Who” with teaching ideas and useful links.

For a related resource using the same idea to investigate and write newspaper reports please see Ellie Walsh’s Looking at Newspapers (below).

Encourages learners to think (and mind-map / thought-web) about skills required for a good conversation and then test them out and evaluate after a 5 minute conversation with a partner.
Written for young adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Aspergers Syndrome but suitable for all.