Functional English reading

Reading’ within Functional Skills English qualifications is defined as the independent understanding of written language in specific contexts. Can be demonstrated through the use of texts on screen or on paper.

A work book style resource to support the development of Functional Skills English for Construction students (also specific activities for Painting & Decorating and Plastering students).
Editor’s note
Includes reading comprehension, planning leaflets, summarising key points, and report writing. With curriculum mapping (and very useful writing frames for lower level students).

Level
Level 2
Level 1
Entry Level 3
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English reading
Context
Painting Decorating & DIY
Health and safety
Construction Carpentry Plumbing

A rigorous and fully mapped reading assessment with mark sheet and detailed answers. This resource takes account of the changes demanded since Ofqual published its thematic review of Functional Skills in January 2015. Can also of course be used for normal classwork, revision, homework or private study. Ideal for Pancake day but could be used any time of year.

Level
Level 2
English
Rt/L2.8
Rt/L2.4 Read an argument and identify the points of view
Rt/L2.3 Identify the main points and specific detail
Rt/L2.2 Identify the purpose of a text and infer meaning which is not explicit
Rt/L2.1 Trace and understand the main events of continuous descriptive, explanatory and persuasive texts
Functional English reading
Context
Leisure, Hobbies, Travel & Tourism
History, culture, museums, libraries
Catering Food Nutrition

A short reading comprehension and writing task based on a section of the Highway Code for motorcyclists.

Level
Level 1
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English reading
Context
Motor vehicles & Transport

This resource is useful for lessons relating to sports and diversity. It includes reading comprehension, alphabetical ordering, reading simple instructions, using a map/key, and a short writing task.

Editor’s note
Written for E1-E2 ESOL students but also suitable for E1-2 Functional English.

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
Functional English - writing
Rw/E3.4
Rw/E2.4
Functional English reading
ESOL
ESOL Ww/E1.2a Form the letters of the alphabet using upper and lower case
ESOL Rw/E2.5a Sequence words using basic alphabetical ordering skills
ESOL Rt/E1.1b Obtain information from texts
Context
Sport and fitness

The first page of this resource will help students to identify consonants and vowels, which then leads onto CVC word building and reading skills.

Pages 2 & 3 have two short texts that my students enjoyed very much. These help students practise reading and identifying the structure of CVC words. They will then be able to answer simple comprehension questions.

You may want to cut up the passages and set up a jigsaw reading activity. Can be used with lower level students.

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
English
Functional English - writing
Wt/E2.1
Wt/E1.1
AL Rw/E1.2 Decode simple, regular words
AL Rt/E1.1 Read short familiar texts
Functional English reading
ESOL
ESOL Reading (R)
ESOL Rw/E1.2a Use basic sound-letter correspondence to sound out words
Context
Animals, animal care, farming & equine

Suitable for guided reading with Entry level learners in the run up to Christmas, this version of Dickens’s classic Christmas story (first published in 1843 and never out of print since) has been created using content downloaded from https://www.ego4u.com/en/read-on/literature/christmas-carol on 26th October 2016 and only slightly adapted for use as a paper resource.

Level
Level 1
Entry Level 3
English
AL Rt/L1.1 Understand continuous texts
AL Rt/E3.1 Understand longer texts
Functional English reading
Fiction

This is a selection of literacy tasks, based on the Poppy Appeal 2016 and John McCrae’s poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, covering aspects of speaking and listening, reading and writing.

Editor’s note: covers all aspects of L1-2 Functional English – also suitable for GCSE.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English - speaking, listening & communicating
Functional English reading
Functional Skills English
Context
Voluntary, Charity and Community
History, culture, museums, libraries
Employment skills & Public services

A Bonfire Night themed resource covering some aspects of literacy and numeracy.
The resource contains a basic reading comprehension about the History of Bonfire Night. This is followed by a numeracy activity where students have to buy fireworks for a display with a budget of £300. The final activity is a writing task and learners have to create a poster advertising the event.

I created this for an ILS (independent life skills) class but it could be used with Entry Functional Skills learners too.

Level
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
Functional English - writing
Functional English reading
Maths
Functional Maths - measures, shape & space
Context
Independent living
History, culture, museums, libraries

A reading comprehension activity, based on an extract from a Guardian article on the value of smart meters. Questions cover the following skills: reading for gist, skimming, scanning, identifying the use of a pronoun, vocabulary matching and inferring. Suitable for Entry 3 – Level 1. Could also be used as a starter activity at Level 2, prior to using the full text of the article for other activities.

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
English
Functional English reading
ESOL
ESOL: Reading text focus - comprehension (Rt)
Context
Electrical, Electronics & Technology

Three sets of dominoes to use in warm-up and for letter and word recognition activities. The first set, for pre-Entry ESOL and Literacy learners with very low levels of letter and word recognition, matches lower case to capital letter versions, the second set is a set of “doubles”, which can be used alongside the first. The third set, for pre-Entry / Entry 1 ESOL learners, matches a category to an example. Each set has 17 dominoes, so 4 each for a group of 4 learners, plus one to start.

Level
M7
M8
Entry Level 1
Entry Level 2
Entry Level 3
English
Rw/E3.2
Rw/E2.1
AL Rw/E1.1 Have limited, meaningful sight vocabulary of words, signs, symbols
Functional English reading
Form filling
Pre-entry
pre-Entry Rw/M8.3 Recognise & read a growing no. of words signs symbols
ESOL
ESOL Rw/E3.2a Read & understand words / phrases commonly used on forms
ESOL Rw/E2.1a Recognise words on forms related to personal information
ESOL Rw/E1.1a Recognise a limited number of words, signs and symbols
Context
Employment skills & Public services