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 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 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 decorate a Christmas tree, the second is an advertisement for a Christmas sale in a shop and the third is an informative text about Christmas dinner around the world. These texts can be used as class activities, exam revision or as homework. Please look for our other Functional Skills Christmas resources.

This resource consists of a powerpoint presentation and some worksheets to use with Chapter 10 of Michael Morpurpo’s ‘Private Peaceful’. The main activity is for pupils to plan and write a persuasive text in which they attempt to persuade others that a character in the story is a good or a bad leader. Some additional time could be used to turn these written texts into spoken presentations in which the pupils attempt to persuade the class. The powerpoint helps to organise the lesson, checking pupils’ understanding of the chapter and setting up class/group discussions. The worksheets consist of a writing plan for pupils to complete, lined paper for the writing activity and an extension activity in which pupils use a thesaurus to find as many suitable adjectives as they can to describe famous leaders from history. They may also research these leaders if they have time, although they should be familiar with them. This resource can last for between 2 and 6 hours depending on how much time you allow for each activity. This is the lesson plan: • Pre-Reading Discussion: *Discuss what you already know about World War 1 and what life was like for the soldiers in it. • Listen to/read the 9th chapter of the novel. Check your comprehension of the story by describing what happened using the images on the lesson powerpoint. • Class Discussion: Leaders Discuss what makes a good leader Which characters in the story take on the role of a leader? • Lesson Activity: Plan and write a persuasive text in which you attempt to convince others that a character in the story is or is not a good leader. • Extension Work: Adjectives For Famous Leaders Using a thesaurus, find as many different, but suitable adjectives to describe the famous leaders pictured. Please check out our other ‘Private Peaceful’ resources.

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 3 Functional Skills reading activity. It consists of two texts and two comprehension exercises. The first text is about making the perfect love potion and the second is a text advising police on how to catch apothecaries who make illegal potions. It is designed to be taught with Romeo and Juliet. It can also be introduced as a stand alone activity, a revision exercise or as a piece of homework. We at Engage Education create Functional Skills and Entry Level resources to be taught with GCSE recommended literature. We believe that functional can be fun.

This includes a Level 1 Functional Skills English reading resource. Pupils are asked to read a text discussing whether we should celebrate Guy Fawkes Night or not. The writer discusses both sides of the debate and then concludes with their opinion on how we should change the way it is celebrated in modern times. Pupils could research this topic before or after reading the text, looking into the gunpowder plot and the history of how Guy Fawkes Night has been celebrated. After reading, the pupils have to complete a comprehension exercise and they are also asked for their opinion on the topic. The reading leads to a Level 1 Functional Skills speaking and listening exercise where pupils debate whether we should celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, stop celebrating it or continue to celebrate it, but change the way that we do it. The group must come to a conclusion at the end if the discussion, taking everyone’s views into account. The speaking and listening resource included is for staff to use as an assessment tool. There is a checklist of skills used to chart pupil progress both as a group and individually. This is a quick and easy way to assess pupils in their Functional Skills speaking and listening and it provides clear evidence in pupils’ books or folders.

This resource consists of three Entry Level 2 Functional Skills reading texts with questions related to Halloween. The first text gives advice on how to catch a ghost, the second is an advertisement for The Monster’s Club and the third presents information about Halloween-like traditions around the world. The texts can be used as revision tests or as stand-alone activities which can incorporate speaking and listening activities and possible research tasks. Please check out our other Functional Skills English Halloween materials. This includes reading, writing and speaking + listening resources for ranging from Functional Skills Entry Level 1 to Level 1.

This is a Functional Skills Entry Level 3 Reading Activity. It consists of 2 texts. It is best taught while studying Romeo + Juliet, sometime after Romeo and Tybalt’s fight.

This is an Entry Level 3 Functional Skills reading activity. It consists of two texts and two comprehension exercises. The first text gives advice on how to be strong and not join a gang. The second text gives advice to police officers who will be working undercover in a gang. It is designed to be taught with Romeo and Juliet. It can also be introduced as a stand alone activity, a revision exercise or as a piece of homework. We at Engage Education create Functional Skills and Entry Level resources to be taught with GCSE recommended literature. We believe that functional can be fun.

This presentation is to be used when delivering a session to the whole school on how to mark written work. It explains the value of good marking and feedback. It presents different forms of marking and feedback and it explains what is required to make marking effective. Advice is given on what to mark on a written text and what not to mark, so that marking is effective and does not demotivate the student. It then introduces ‘live’ marking and explains how staff can do this successfully in lessons. This then leads to a marking activity where staff put these ideas into practice while marking four examples of pupils’ work. After this activity, the texts are displayed on the presentation for a feedback session. The final part of the presentation is about what should happen after marking, with advice given on how to follow up ‘Next Steps’ and ‘Literacy Targets’ by giving the pupils ownership of their own progress. This presentation can be adapted to include your own school’s writing marking code and policy.

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 lesson is the first in a series of lessons for the Roald Dahl novel ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’. It has a variety of tasks, leading towards the pupils writing about the farmers. There are visual writing help sheets for pupils who require more support and a challenging extension activity that is aimed at building the pupils vocabulary.

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.

This resource consists of a powerpoint presentation and a collection of worksheets on the topic of who pupils would choose to treat to a special Christmas dinner. Pupils complete a series of speaking and reading activities that help to prepare them for their own written text regarding who they would treat to a special Christmas dinner. Using the lesson powerpoint, discuss which of the famous people the pupils would choose to treat to a special Christmas dinner and why. The pupils read a text about who a person has chosen to treat to a special Christmas dinner and complete the profile worksheet about them. (Choose which of the five texts to give each pupil depending on their ability) Using the lesson powerpoint, the pupils’ understanding of these texts is assessed as pupils tell the class what they have learned about the characters that they have studied using the images and words on the slide to help them. Using the powerpoint, the class discusses who they would treat to a special dinner if they could invite anybody in the world (in history). The pupils make the writing plan to describe the person that they would treat to a special Christmas dinner, what they would eat and do and why they would choose them. The pupils use their writing plan to write a text about who they would treat to a special Christmas dinner. This resource normally takes two full lessons to complete, but could last longer depending on the speaking and listening exercises. If there are pupils who do not celebrate Christmas in your class, the lesson can be adapted to be about treating people to a special dinner instead.

This series of resources is to be taught while studying ‘Of Mice and Men’. It is designed predominantly for classes in Special Needs schools in the UK. The resources help the pupils prepare for various qualifications. This includes Entry Level English, Functional Skills English and GCSE English Language. In total, there are 11 lessons in the series. Each lesson is differentiated. This means that the lessons are set at EL1, EL2, EL3 and at wither Level 1 Functional Skills or GCSE. There are reading, writing and speaking and listening lessons. Both the writing and speaking and listening lessons can be taught using various marking schemes. These lessons can also be used in main stream education for pupils working either below GCSE level or at a low GCSE level. This lesson should be taught just before George and Lennie arrive at The Ranch. It prepares the pupils for either Entry Level 3 or Level 1 Functional Skills English writing exams.

This series of resources is to be taught while studying ‘Of Mice and Men’. It is designed predominantly for classes in Special Needs schools in the UK. The resources help the pupils prepare for various qualifications. This includes Entry Level English, Functional Skills English and GCSE English Language. In total, there are 11 lessons in the series. Each lesson is differentiated. This means that the lessons are set at EL1, EL2, EL3 and at wither Level 1 Functional Skills or GCSE. There are reading, writing and speaking and listening lessons. Both the writing and speaking and listening lessons can be taught using various marking schemes. These lessons can also be used in main stream education for pupils working either below GCSE level or at a low GCSE level. This lesson should be taught after George has had the fight with Curley. It prepares pupils for Functional Skills Entry Level 1 reading exams.

This series of resources is to be taught while studying ‘Of Mice and Men’. It is designed predominantly for classes in Special Needs schools in the UK. The resources help the pupils prepare for various qualifications. This includes Entry Level English, Functional Skills English and GCSE English Language. In total, there are 11 lessons in the series. Each lesson is differentiated. This means that the lessons are set at EL1, EL2, EL3 and at wither Level 1 Functional Skills or GCSE. There are reading, writing and speaking and listening lessons. Both the writing and speaking and listening lessons can be taught using various marking schemes. These lessons can also be used in main stream education for pupils working either below GCSE level or at a low GCSE level. This lesson should be taught after Lennie has had the fight with Curley. It prepares pupils for Functional Skills Level 1 reading exams.

These four resources are used to help students to use different types of punctuation. There a variety of activities for using question marks, commas in a list, exclamation marks and for punctuating speech. Pupils are also encouraged to use capital letters and full stops correctly. These resources can be used as class activities, as extension work or as homework.