Adult Literacy, Functional English, and GCSE Resources

I wanted to introduce the concept of basic parts of speech (nouns and verbs) to my E1 class, even though the terms as such are above E1, to help them get their heads around sentence building.  I put this resource together to focus on nouns and proper nouns which I’ve used as the basis for a couple of sessions on sentence structure and punctuation (capitalisation).

Editor's note

A resource for Entry level 1 learners which includes a variety of activities such as reading comprehension and a writing task. 

Editor's note

A really engaging Entry 1 resource. Includes punctuation,  general comprehension questions, alphabetical order and an excellent writing composition task. An answer / mark sheet with detailed curriculum mapping will be available shortly (for resource contributors only).

Get your learners thinking outside the box with this unusual warm up quiz that works well at all levels

Also provides discussion prompts and makes a great introduction to spelling compound words.

Two reading comprehension exercises differentiated to EL1 and EL2/3 Functional Skills English.

Based on an article from Summer 2020 about the extreme weather in the UK.  Designed for a mixed ability class so that everyone could be working on the same theme.  Simple multiple choice answers for EL1,  questions for EL2/3 allow for practice in sentence writing as well as comprehension.

A hangman style game created in Google Jamboard (a free animated whiteboard app). Based on a game I used to play on a traditional whiteboard with a cut-out crocodile and person (held in place with blu-tac!) and river created with a blue whiteboard marker. When Covid-19 and remote teaching came along, I needed something else.

You can access the jamboard here. 

A set of  Entry Level 1 Functional English tasks based on an article from Spring 2020 about finding wild plants in towns. Designed for a mixed ability class so that everyone could be working on the same theme. [An E2-3 version is also available]. Includes multiple choice comprehension questions; sentence writing, punctuation and alphabetical order questions; and speaking and listening activities.

Updated 11 Mar 21

Related 'Garden Birds' word search now added. This extra activity is based on the "Guide to the top 10 garden birds" poster that appears on page 2  of the Entry Level 1 resource.

Two reading comprehension exercises differentiated for EL1 and EL2/3 Functional Skills English. The Entry Level 1 version also includes speaking and listening activities.

A set of five texts about screen time, physical and sedentary activity, and sleep for Children under age 5. The texts can be used in various combinations for Functional Skills (FS) speaking, listening and communicating; reading and writing activities. Teachers can pick and choose their own texts and create related DARTs (directed activities related to text) and questions to suit. There will also be pre-prepared resources on skillsworkshop. See "See also" for links.

This resource is based on the DfES ESOL Skills for Life E2 recording 'Asking where things are'. It gives exam practice questions (C&G style) in the first section and in the second section an activity to enable learners to tune in to the sounds of English. The first section can be completed in class and the second at home or the whole sheet can be given for homework. Listening development at home enables learners to listen as often as they wish and tune in until they hear the text more clearly.

Delightful reading and writing tasks based on a very short text originally written for a motorbike-loving learner who had difficulties decoding and distinguishing between long and short vowel sounds. Includes comprehension questions and spelling / punctuation tasks. Fully mapped to the reformed Entry 1 Functional English content. This includes detailed phonic breakdown of the reading text.