Useful Links

A video of Taylor Swift songs (lyrics) that enables learners to identify language features such as personification, similes, metaphors, rhetorical questions, first person, direct address, hyperbole, alliteration and informal language. Learners could also question and explore the use of punctuation used in the songs. 

Editor's notes

Marvellous and exceedingly topical.  Makes a great ice breaker or starter.  Well done Steph :)

A new series of comprehensive Functional Skills Maths books now available from talented mathematician and teacher Marsida Horeshka who you may already know from her popular Functional Skills maths site https://marscademy.com/ (previously known as Maths Made Fun). The three Entry Level books are now available on Amazon (and soon from other booksellers).

Originally used as a diagnostic tool for Level 2 ESOL at the beginning of term - a short 'quiz' created in Google forms about The Runner poem submitted by Jean Morten (2023) You don't need to log into Google to complete it but if you do you can make a copy and adapt it for your own learners, and your own email address to collect responses, etc. 

Editor's notes

ALERT (Adult Literacy ESOL Resources Training) is a website that provides free adult education resources. There are ESOL, literacy and ICT resources available from levels E1 to L2. Please feel free to download any resources you may find helpful - and of course, please free to add your own!

Editor's notes

There are some wonderful resources here - especially for Entry ESOL and Literacy. Resources include interesting topics such as Chinese New Year, St Patrick's Day,  The Great Famine, etc. Well worth a browse.

We at MESH (Migrant English Support Hub) run the LEYH (Learning English in Yorkshire and the Humber) website, as well as its sister site Learning English Plus, which includes a staffroom and resources section. We have started producing our own resources which are locally referenced to Yorkshire and the Humber, but which are useful nationwide too.

Scroll down the English for Action page until you reach section 6. Here you can find the download link to this superb 76 page toolkit, along with a brief overview. I don't know why I have only just come across this resource! IMO, it makes inspiring and fascinating reading for all teachers, not just ESOL specialists. 

I am absolutely fascinated by this blog written by Lauren Piovesan, the founder of ESL Reads. Despite spending two decades simplifying texts - a task that I enjoy and sometimes find a challenge - I've never really analysed what I'm doing.

Although written for EAL (English as an Additional Language) teachers this is a useful guide for both experienced and new teachers of ESOL, adult literacy (Functional Skills English) and indeed vocational subjects. 

I like this - it's very well executed - even though I'm not sure exactly how it could be used within a Functional Skills English classroom. I receive many suggested links and mostly ignore them (due to them not being free or not being useful for Functional Skills). However, I always have a soft spot for "Words of the Day" as they can make great warm up activties at almost any level.

Simon from Here to Teach (HTT)  has many wonderful work-throughs of Edexcel and C&G Functional Maths papers (E3 , L1, L2). Well paced with very excellent audio and video, showing clear methods and working out c. Marvellous for learners to watch over and over as many times as needed. Both non-calculator and non-calculator papers are  covered. This paper has a floristry theme but provides practice and revision for any vocational area (or indeed no vocational area!).

I recommend subscribing to Simon's channel to keep up-to-date with all his maths videos.

An incredible collection of free worksheets from OUP. Designed to support the excellent book ‘Maths the Basics’ by June Haighton et al (see our separate entry about this book) but can be used independently. I haven’t looked at them all ( there are more than a 100 - plus answer sheets!) but they seem to cover Entry Level 3 to Level 2. 
In addition there are many other useful downloads including tips and hints for non-specialists on delivering Functional Skills maths, English and ICT and much more.