After teaching English in Thailand for three years I moved home in 2015 to complete my PGCE course. I am now a newly qualified English teacher, specialising in Literacy and ESOL based in the North West of England. All of my resources are from my time teaching Functional Skills English to adult learners I currently teach Level 1 & 2 Functional Skills (Edexcel) and Foundation GCSE English Language
Enjoy, and please take a little time to leave a review if you find my resources useful!
After teaching English in Thailand for three years I moved home in 2015 to complete my PGCE course. I am now a newly qualified English teacher, specialising in Literacy and ESOL based in the North West of England. All of my resources are from my time teaching Functional Skills English to adult learners I currently teach Level 1 & 2 Functional Skills (Edexcel) and Foundation GCSE English Language
Enjoy, and please take a little time to leave a review if you find my resources useful!
L1 or L2 English grammar/writing class focussed on sentence writing specifically compound sentences. Lots of varied sentences and activities, writing own sentences and identifying sentences
PowerPoint presentation which also serves as a lesson plan, with activities throughout, group tasks, paired tasks and individual tasks
Dictionary hunt/game warm up activity
Matching clauses game (can be adapted to suit a whole group games or paired
Email without mistakes- teacher’s copy
Email with mistakes to correct (and used further on to identify some compound sentences)
This is the second session for Level 2 language features, making up the complete list provided by the Level 2 Pearson Edexcel exam spec.
It covers:
Emotive language
Exaggeration/hyperbole
Abbreviations
Simile
Acronyms
Metaphor
Informal language
Alliteration
Contrasts
Sibilance
Positive/negative language
Slogans
With examples of each taken from well known places. There is a short activity for language feature spotting, There is a Jam Board activity for which you would need to create a new Jam Board. Also a matching activity to be done on the smart board with correct answers.
The session ends with a consolidation activity exam style question taken from a Pearson Edexcel mock exam.
There is a table for recording the definition of each feature.
Main topic of apostrophe and comma usage/rules with consolidation activities, being contextualized in a written review in line with Pearson Edexcel possible writing exam task.
Short sentence recap (5 question quiz)
Apostrophe uses with activities
Comma uses with activities
Sentences taken from a written review of a fitness watch to insert commas
Whole review, featuring previous task sentences with accurate commas
Final consolidation quiz based on all apostrophe and comma learning
This lesson aims to provide an introduction to homophones, common examples and their uses in sentences and spelling tips.
Lesson aim and objectives:
Aim: To introduce students to homophones and how to use them in context.
Objectives:
Define what a homophone is.
List examples of common homophones and write own sentences.
Correct sentences using homophones.
Initially I like to ask students if any body has any prior knowledge of homophones, before showing the definitions on the first slide of the presentation.
Discussion about how homophones can change the meanings of sentences, using comedic illustrations.
Some common mistakes that may be familiar with students; their there they’re, too two to, where were we’re. Dependant on ability level it could be useful to ask students to correctly use each of the nine homophones by writing sentences, however some groups may not need this practise.
Shows the correct use of each.
Short quiz using images of common homophone pairs, example: Board and bored. The images make the quiz more fun. Students can complete this individually, in pairs or as a group activity. Answers displayed on slide.
Some tips for helping students remember homophone pairs and the correct usage.
A second, more difficult quiz again using images, which works well if students work together in pairs. Dependant on ability you may need to provide clues or allow students to use dictionaries.
Worksheet where students chose the correct homophones to use in a sentence. Again, dictionaries may be useful. Or the attached ‘homophone bank’ which has the definitions of each homophone pair can be used as a ‘help sheet’. The aim of the homophone bank is that students can add new homophone pairs to it as the come across them.
This lesson introduces students to presentation skills, with dos and don'ts shown through YouTube clips.
Lesson structure:
1) Lesson aims and objectives-
Aim: To provide students with the required presentation skills to succeed in their speaking and listening exam.
Objectives:
For students to develop their own ideas about what makes a good presentation.
For students to understand the visual elements which make a good PowerPoint presentation
To watch video clips of presentations, identify and list the good and bad elements they observe
2) Group discussion/pair work task- what do students think makes a good presentation? I personally use flip chart paper and have students present their ideas back, however this can be adapted.
3) Two YouTube clips (links on PowerPoint) one a good example, one a bad example. Students can be asked to take notes in pairs or individually, for feedback. After discussion, a list of answers/responses on each video is shown on the presentation.
4) Students asked what they think are the six most important pieces of advice when conducting a presentation. Worksheet for this task is provided.
I used this lesson specifically for L1 and L2 Functional Skills English students in preparation for their speaking and listening exams, however it can be used as a more general introduction to presentation skills.
These two worksheets are gap-fill exercises are focused on the different elements of body language, to go alongside the speaking listening and communications elements of the FS English qualification.
It can be used as a warm up or re-cap activity.
The EL3 worksheet gives a space per letter for the answer whereas the L1/2 does not.
Simple exercise to reinforce body language and its importance in SLC.
The PowerPoint presentation goes through some common spelling rules/patterns in a basic manner. There are lots of opportunities to list new words and practice the rules throughout, so you can make it as long or as short as you wish/need.
1. I and E
2. Silent letters
3. Y to I
4. Double consonants
5. Q and U
The worksheet is a gap fill activity with two options to choose the correct spelling version, all based in the above 5 categories. It is based upon a lottery win, and what the lady would do if she won. There are colorful illustrations throughout the activity.
Four worksheets with different topics for students to write their personal views and opinions on.
These are great as a warm up to get students thinking and to start a class debate or discussion.
(The topics chosen can be sensitive)
1. Knife crime in schools- should mandatory knife-related first aid be taught in schools?
2. Life skills in schools- are life skills such as cooking, budgeting, laundry etc. more important than maths equations and English grammar?
3. Social media? Is social media ruining our lives and our personal relationships?
4. Dogs and their owners- should dog owners be prosecuted when their dog attacks another person?
A presentation with direct teaching of the first 9 language features, these are the 9 features needed for Level 1 (as specified by Pearson Edexcel literature) so this can be adapted to suit a L1 class.
They also make up the first 9 that L2 students need, a second presentation is available with the remaining language features needed at L2. I usually use this as the first week on this topic. (Second L2 session also available)
Each one is explained in detail and leaves room for discussion, there are examples throughout, recap questions, a link to a word wall revision quiz and a final task for consolidation.
This PowerPoint goes through the grammatical rules of choosing the correct article in written English
1. Today’s lesson plan- objectives
2. Lesson warm up- how many words can you make from the letters given
3. An introduction to articles
4. The difference between two sentences- one with ‘a’ and one with 'the’
5. Terminology- space for the class to give definitions for ‘definite article’, ‘indefinite article’ ‘count noun’ and 'uncount noun’
6. Some grammatical rules
7. Noun sorting activity - sorting count and uncount (resource two is the student resource for this activity. This slide is left blank for teacher to put the nouns in the relevant categories as students give answers.
8. Some examples with missing articles to complete as a group
9. The rules for choosing ‘a’ or 'an’
10. The rules for using 'the’
11. Writing task to use articles- students asked to chose a recipe they like to make and list the ingredients and some basic instructions, as food is a good way to use articles.
This lesson and accompanying resources act as a good introduction to English spelling. The PowerPoint goes through what to expect from the lesson, I followed the structure below:
1. How do you feel about spelling? I usually make notes on the blank PowerPoint page the different connotations 'spelling' has for students
2. Common spelling myths- students given a list of common spelling myths as discussion points, students asked if they think the provided statements are true or false. This usually sparks a good discussion with my groups. The PowerPoint slides which follow show which statements are true/false and also gives an in-depth explanation of each.
3. The PowerPoint contains a 10 minute video about the history of the English language (produced by The Open University- available on YouTube) with an accompanying booklet I have designed myself.
4. The booklet guides learners through the different stages of the development of the English language and the different international influences. There are dictionary activities and sentence writing activities throughout.
5. The final activity is a sorting activity where students sort the different words into the correct categories of Viking origin, French origin, Anglo Saxon and Arabic origin.
This booklet acts as a revision guide for the EL3 FS English qualification, specifically City and Guilds but can be tailored to other exam boards.
1. A gap fill exercise about what to expect on the exam
2. How to use the question to make a plan and draft
3. Making your plan
4. Writing your draft
5. Writing your final piece
6. Space to complete the final piece.
The guide takes students through the whole process of a written task with spaces for them to write ideas/plan/draft/final throughout. There is also a short vocab re-cap and formal/informal language recap.
This lesson is aimed at second language learners taking L1 and L2 functional skills English qualifications. The presentation also acts as a lesson plan and can be followed in stages, my lessons are approximately 2 hours long so this could be spread over 2 shorter sessions if needed. All activities mentioned, which have separate sheets are included.
Presentation- starts with an introduction to articles in English and goes through different rules, activities, opportunities to use the skills discussed etc
Funny news story without any articles, learners encouraged to read it aloud to see how strange it sounds, before working on where the articles need to be inserted
A more serious news article without articles, learners encouraged to use the infographic/flowchart included on the presentation to help them answer
Brief introduction to count and uncountable nouns, with a noun sorting activity (I normally go into types of nouns in more detail in the following session, also providing further practice with articles and more consolidation- I will also upload this second session)
This is the second lesson I deliver on ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ allowing learners to have further practice and further consolidate their knowledge on the topic. The presentation also acts as a lesson plan and can be followed throughout the whole session. Included files:
Presentation: begins with lesson warm up- verb alphabet, count nouns and uncount nouns in more detail, article rules with count/uncount, practice activity/gap fill, revisiting the infographic from previous class, measuring words/quantifiers, introduction to different types of nouns with noun sorting activity and final writing task
Inserting measuring words activity- separate handout
Articles and measuring words writing activity
Article assessment with multiple choice quiz and writing activity- can be used to check understanding of the topic
A jeopardy style quiz based on mostly general knowledge and fun facts about Christmas. I usually split into teams of around 4 students and record scores on the board. It works best with 2 teams, but will depend on your class size.
There are 5 categories of questions (General Knowledge, Christmas facts, True or false, Spelling and English traditions).
Each category has 5 question, worth 100 up 500 points, which increase in difficulty/reward.
Each slide has the answer on it (shown by animation).
All slides link to the first page, with a ‘home’ icon in the bottom right of all pages.
It works best to go to your question, reveal answer, then use the home icon to go back to the first page and mark off which questions have been asked.
On the final slide there is a final jeopardy question worth 1000 points, which means this final question can change everything!