This resource consists of a Functional Skills Level 1 reading text with comprehension questions. The text is a magazine article which discusses the question of whether Halloween is the best celebration or not. It presents different viewpoints on the issue and its own opinion. This reading text can lead to the pupils having a discussion on the same topic using our Functional Skills speaking and listening resource that presents this discussion and gives guidance for staff on how to assess the pupils. Please check out our other Functional Skills English Halloween resources that range from Entry Level 1 to Level 1. We have a range of resources for reading, writing and speaking + listening activities.

This is a GCSE English editing activity. It contains some tasks in which pupils have to select the correct words to fit he gaps of a literature text. It also contains a proofreading task for a transactional text.

This resource is designed to be used with Chapter 7 of the novel Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. This chapter is titled ‘Twenty-Eight Minutes Past One’. The is the final chapter set in the home village as they Peaceful boys leave for war at the end of the chapter. It is also the final chapter in which Molly, Mother Peaceful and The Colonel play a central role so they are a focus of this lesson. This resource contains a powerpoint presentation that is used to complete a pre-reading discussion, to check the pupils’ comprehension of this chapter and to generate a discussion whether the pupils think Molly, Mother Peaceful and The Colonel are ‘good’ characters or not. As a teacher, you can decide if you want ‘good’ to mean good in terms of their morals or if you want it to mean effective as a character. This resource also includes some worksheets. These contain a lesson(s) plan, 3 activities and some extension work. The first activity asks pupils to work in a group/pair and to discuss who are their favourite 3 characters and why. They can record their ideas on the worksheet for this activity . The second activity asks the pupils to write whether they think Molly, Mother Peaceful and The Colonel are ‘good’ characters and give reasons for their answers. This activity follows on from the class discussion on the powerpoint presentation. This third activity is an extended writing task which asks the pupils to write a character description of Molly, Mother Peaceful or The Colonel. They are given some tips on what they could include before they write. In the extension activity, pupils are given 10 actions that characters in the novel have done so far. They are asked to use a thesaurus to find suitable adverbs to describe how the characters do these actions. This resource should take at least two lessons to complete, but it could be used for more depending on how much time you allow for the discussions. The extension work could also be used as a whole class activity or as homework. Please look at our other Private Peaceful lessons in this series.

This resource contains two functional skills writing activities with instructions for the pupils to follow. The tasks could be used for either Entry Level 3 or Level 1 with the pupils’ outcome determining their level. You could ask the pupils to plan their work before writing if you wish. The first text asks pupils to write a letter applying for permission to use the Spooktacular Ballroom as the venue for a Halloween Party that they are hosting. In the second task, pupils become magazine writers. They are asked to review a Halloween party that they have attended for their magazine. We at Engage Education believe in making functional fun. Please check out our other Functional Skills English resources.

This resource consists of a literary text about life in the trenches and a soldier charging into no man’s land. The soldier has clearly lost his mind and appears to welcome death. However, during the charge his desire to live returns and this is reflected in the way the text is written. There are 4 different types of reading questions/activities for this text. The first asks the pupils to find five things mentioned in the text that show that life was hard for soldiers in the trenches. The second asks pupils to explain what part of the narrator the writer wants the reader to think was left in no man’s land when he first charged there (his mind). This is a 5 point question. The third activity gives the pupils a passage from the text and asks them to find 4 literary techniques used by the writer and to give an example of these techniques that they find in the passage. 8 points are offered for this activity, 1 for each literary technique and 1 for correct examples of these techniques found in the passage. The final question is for 10 points. It states, “The writer successfully changes both the atmosphere of the text and the main character’s mind-set in this passage.” It then asks the pupil how much they agree with this statement. They are to refer to the language used in the text and the literary techniques used by the writer in their answer.

This is a reading for pleasure assembly best used to promote reading in your school.

This resource is designed to be used with Chapter 5 of the novel Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. This chapter is titled ‘Twenty-Four Minutes Past Twelve’. The main events of this chapter include the discovery of Charlie and Molly’s secret relationship and The Colonel shooting Bertha. It contains a powerpoint presentation that is used to recap on the novel’s previous chapters, to check the pupils’ comprehension of this chapter and to generate a discussion on the different character’s thoughts and opinions on the main events of this chapter. This resource also includes some worksheets. These contain a lesson(s) plan, 2 activities and some extension work. The first activity asks pupils to write their own opinion of the events of the chapter. The second asks them to write a text describing how they think various characters feel about the chapter’s events. The extension work presents the pupils with a letter from Charlie to Molly which they have to correct and improve by adding adjectives. This resource should take at least two lessons to complete, but it could be used for more depending on how much time you allow for the discussions. The extension work could also be used as a whole class activity or as homework.

This lesson is to be taught with Chapter 8 ‘Fourteen Minutes Past Two’ of Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. There is a series of worksheets and a powerpoint presentation to be used during the lesson. The presentation is used to help organise the lesson structure and to provide visuals to help check pupils’ understanding of the text and to generate ideas for their oracy and their writing. This resource is normally used for between two and three hours of teaching. The activities of the lesson are: • Listen to/read the 8th chapter of the novel. • Check your comprehension of the story by describing what happened using the images on the lesson powerpoint. • Group Discussion: What makes a character effective in a story? • Lesson Activity: Write A Character Report On Charlie Peaceful Complete a writing plan for your report on Charlie Peaceful. Write your report on Charlie Peaceful. • Extension Work: • Were Charlie’s Actions Right Or Wrong? Write down as many reasons as you can for why Charlie’s action were right and wrong. Plenary: Class Discussion Class debate on whether Charlie was right or wrong to act the way he did. Please look at our other Private Peaceful lessons.

This text has been specifically designed for pupils to use when learning how to pick out literary techniques used by writers and for them to explain why the writer has used these examples that they have picked out. The text is about a person entering a haunted house. It is best used with our other resources on Writer’s Techniques which are also available on this site.

This is an Entry Level 2 Functional Skills English reading resource. It consists of 3 non-fiction reading texts with comprehension questions. The first text gives advice on how to safely make a bonfire, the second is an advertisement for a Guy Fawkes fireworks display and the third is an informative text about different ‘fire’ celebrations around the world. These texts can be used as class activities, exam revision or as homework. Please look at our other Functional Skills Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes resources.

This resource consists of a Functional Skills Level 1 reading text with comprehension questions. The text is an article which discusses the question of whether Christmas is too commercialised or not. It presents different viewpoints on the issue and the writer’s own opinion. This reading text can lead to the pupils having a discussion on the same topic using our Functional Skills speaking and listening resource that presents this discussion and gives guidance for staff on how to assess the pupils. Please check out our other Functional Skills English Christmas resources that range from Entry Level 1 to Level 1. We have a range of resources for reading, writing and speaking + listening activities.

This resource contains a selection of activities to be used after teaching the 1st Chapter of Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Private Peaceful’. It contains comprehension tasks, tasks where pupils are asked their opinion and task which asks pupils to write an imaginative response to the novel.

A selection of reading questions that will fit any fiction book or story. There are 4 stages of difficulty for each question so they can be used as an assessment tool. They can also be used effectively in a reading session meaning that pupils have a greater choice of reading materials since you will not have to prepare different tasks on every possible book they may wish to read. They can be answered on paper by the pupil or be asked verbally by any member of staff or by parents/carers at home. Inference questions are included.

This is an Entry Level 3 Functional Skills reading activity consisting of two texts with questions. The first text gives advice on buying Christmas presents for the one you love. It gives tips on how to do this successfully and what you should not do. This text could also be used to generate a class discussion. The second text gives advice on decorating your home at Christmas. The texts and questions are used to help the pupils improve their Functional Skills reading while at the same time being engaged with the themes that they deal with.

This resource consists of three activities for Functional Skills Entry Level 1 speaking and listening. It is for staff use, providing a topic for a discussion and a checklist to assess whether pupils have passed the test or not. Although this assessment follows the theme of Christmas, it can easily be edited for any topic and used multiple times. There are two pages for each activity, one for teachers to assess multiple pupils and one for assessing one pupil which can be placed in this pupil’s file. The first speaking and listening activity asks students to discuss what they want for Christmas. The second activity asks them to discuss what they like and don’t like about Christmas dinner. The third is a discussion about which things related to Christmas are the most important. Please look at our other Functional Skills Christmas resources ranging from Entry Level 1 to Level 1 and including reading, writing and speaking and listening activities.

This is a Functional Skills English writing resource for Entry Level 3 and/or Level 1. It can be used for both levels as the tasks are suitable for either of them. The student's writing is differentiated by outcome, but Level 1 pupils should be told to write between 300 and 350 words for each task. It contains four different writing tasks. In the first task students are asked to write an advert to inform people about a charity Christmas dinner that they are hosting. In the second activity they write an informative text for pupils in a school about a celebration (Christmas). In the third activity students have to write to friends and family to ask them for sponsorship as they try to raise money for charity by doing a Santa Dash race. In the final activity they write a letter to a friend about an interesting Christmas party that they went to. Each writing task comes with a set of instructions for the student to follow. This resource improves pupils Functional Skills writing skills and prepares them for exams. It can be used as a series of stand alone activities to be performed in class, as extension activities or as homework.

This resource consists of two speaking and listening discussions for Functional Skills English Level 1. It is for staff use, providing a topic for a discussion and a checklist to assess the pupils progress. Although this assessment follows the theme of Christmas, it can easily be edited for any topic and used multiple times. There are two pages for each activity, one for teachers to assess multiple pupils and one for assessing one pupil which can be placed in this pupil’s file. The first discussion asks pupils to imagine that they are arranging a charity Christmas dinner. As a group they must discuss what food and drink to serve, what activities to put on, where to hold it and what charity to raise money for. The must make a final decision as a group to end the discussion. The second discussion poses the question, “Is Christmas too commercialised?” In a group, students must discuss this question and come to a group conclusion. This discussion is linked to our Christmas Functional Skills English Level 1 reading resource. Both discussion should last around 15 minutes, but it depends on the number of pupils involved. Please look at our other Functional Skills Christmas resources ranging from Entry Level 1 to Level 1 and including reading, writing and speaking and listening activities.