This presentation should be taught after reading Chapter 1 of Private Peaceful. It is to be taught alongside Engage Education’s Private Peaceful Lesson 1 worksheets. The presentation is used as a speaking and listening exercise where pupils are asked to say what they have learned about the chapter’s characters and plot.

This is a marking sheet to be used with OCR Entry Level English exams. It breaks down the skills OCR describes in their marking policy and puts them into a clear checklist so that you can accurately score the pupils' written work in the exam. There are 3 checklists. One for EL!, one for EL2 and one for EL3. There is also a section on the feeback sheet for telling the pupils 'what went well' and for giving them future points for development. It is a clear and easy to use system that both staff and pupils can understand. This resource makes marking OCR Entry Level English tests so much easier and more accurate. It can also be used to assess any piece of writing and can therefore be a good assessment model for pupils who are or may soon sit OCR Entry Level English.

This is an Entry Level 3 Functional Skills reading activity consisting of two texts with questions. The first text is a discursive text that discusses whether Guy Fawkes was a hero or a villain. Both sides of the debate are discussed with the pupils being asked for their opinion after reading the text. The class could study the Gunpowder plot further either before or after reading the text. This text could also be used to generate a class discussion. The second text is an informative text that explains how to put on a great fireworks display. 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. The first text could also be used in history lessons.

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 to the local council applying for permission to host a bonfire night. In the second task, the council has asked the students to write an informative text to schools describing a celebration or festival and its historical or religious significance. Students can choose real celebrations and write about them and you may also want them to research the chosen topic as they plan their text. Alternatively you may allow pupils to invent their own celebration, adding some imagination to the functional task. We at Engage Education believe in making functional fun. Please check out our other Functional Skills English resources.

This is a Functional Skills Entry Level 1 English writing resource. There are two writing tasks. In the first task, the students become newspaper reporters writing about a firework display that they have seen on Guy Fawkes Night. In the second task, they have to write to a friend to invite them to see a bonfire together. These resources can be used as a stand-alone exam revision exercise or in a series of lessons involving Guy Fawkes Night or other celebrations.

This resource consists of a revision exercise for a Functional Skills Entry Level 2 assessment. 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 Bonfire Night, it can easily be edited for any topic and used multiple times. There are two pages for this resource, one for teachers to assess multiple pupils and one for assessing one pupil which can be placed in this pupil’s file. Please look at our other Functional Skills Bonfire Nights/Guy Fawkes resources ranging from Entry Level 1 to Level 1 and including reading, writing and speaking and listening activities.

This is an Entry Level 1 functional skills reading activity consisting of two texts with questions. The first text gives advice on how to make a bonfire. The second text is an advertisement for a Guy Fawkes Bonfire. 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 a revision exercise for a Functional Skills Level 1 assessment. 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 Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes, it can easily be edited for any topic and used multiple times. There are two pages for this resource, one for teachers to assess multiple pupils and one for assessing one pupil which can be placed in this pupil’s file. This task is a formal discussion about whether late October/Early November is a good time for the people of the UK or not. It asks pupils to research Guy Fawkes Night, Halloween and Mischief Night, looking at why people do and don’t celebrate them, why some people love them and why some people do not enjoy these festivals at all. Please look at our other Functional Skills Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes resources ranging from Entry Level 1 to Level 1 and including reading, writing and speaking and listening activities.

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.

A selection of fiction and non-fiction reading questions that will fit any text or book. The answers can be written by the pupils or the questions can be asked verbally by any other person. This could be teaching, support staff or other pupils in lessons or parents/carers at home. These questions mean that any book can be used as a teaching resource or an assessment tool and that you no longer have to find or prepare activities to fit such a wide variety of texts. Since you can select any text you wish, you can choose books that fit both the pupils reading level and their interests. Each question has four stages of difficulty so this can also be used as an assessment tool.

This document provides tips for finding the answers to Functional Skills reading questions. It then gives 3 example reading tests where these tips are put into practice. The final text is written in made-up language, but the pupils will still be able to find the answers using the reading tips that they have learned. This is a great tool for introducing pupils to Functional Skills reading and to increasing pupil confidence.

This is an Entry Level 3 reading text that can be used as a stand alone revision paper or after reading Chapter 1 of ‘Of Mice and Men’. It has two parts. One is about looking after rabbits and the other is about predicting the weather using nature itself.

This is an Entry Level 2 reading text that can be used as a stand alone revision paper or after reading Chapter 1 of ‘Of Mice and Men’. It has three parts. One about making a rabbit hutch, one a letter from a ranch owner advertising work and the final text is about predicting the weather.

This unit of work is an extension of the ‘All About Me’ topic. It is about ‘My Spare Time’. It consists of reading, writing and speaking + listening lessons. The reading and writing lessons are differentiated. The lessons in this unit include: Read about people in other people’s spare time and complete a profile about them. Have a group discussion with other pupils telling them about the person you have read about and taking notes on the people they tell you about. Complete a writing plan about your spare time. Write about your spare time. Have a group discussion telling other pupils all about your spare time and taking notes on what they tell you about their spare time. Complete a ‘My Spare Time’ poster.

This is a revision test that fits with an Entry Level English exam body. It ca be used for revision or as part of a lesson linked to a play or novel. It was designed to be taught while teaching Romeo and Juliet at the point when Romeo is lovesick over Rosaline. However, it could be used for various novels, plays or poems that deal with the same theme, or as a stand alone revision exercise.

This is The Ultimate Writing Championship! Pupils complete a series of writing challenges that focus on specific skills. Each challenge has a warrior who represents that challenge. To complete the challenge, the pupil has to achieve the challenge target and defeat the warrior. At the end of each unit, they must face the Stage Champion in a battle for the Stage Title. Pupils can also compete for the tag team title, working with friends or with staff support. In these title matches, pupils are assessed on all the skills included in the stage. The Ultimate Writing Championship raising pupils’ engagement when writing. The challenges can be used as part of a literacy hour or as extension work. The writing topics are for you or the pupil to choose. They can therefore be linked to any lesson, therefore promoting literacy across the curriculum. Each challenge has an easy to mark system and each unit has a challenger record for staff and pupils to record their victories. This resource contains all the challenges for the Stage 4: Women’s Division. There are 14 skill challenges and 2 title challenges. Challenges include: Metaphors Similes Spelling Challenge Grammar Challenge Connectives/Conjunctions Varied Sentence Openings Wow Words Writing In Paragraphs Punctuating Speech Alliteration Commas In A List Making Your Writing Interesting

This presentation can be used as an assembly or as a class activity. It can be used to introduce the teaching of any of his novels. It is about his works and his life. Both of these elements are presented in the form of a quiz which can be used as a speaking and listening activity or with the pupils writing the answers. It contains a nice mixture of facts, fun and nonsense.

This resource is to be taught with Chapter 3 of Michael Morpurgo’s novel ‘Private Peaceful’. It deals primarily with two topics. These are the character of Grandma Wolf and that of the kids in the story poaching. This resource actually contains enough activities to last for a series of lessons. The teacher can choose which activities they wish their pupils to do in class and can use other activities as homework if they wish. The activities included are used with the following lesson(s) plan: Lesson(s) Plan: • Listen to/read the 3rd Chapter of the novel. • Complete the comprehension challenge about Grandma Wolf. • Take part in a group discussion about whether the kids should poach or not. • Record the opinions of you and your group on this topic. • Take part in a class debate on this topic. • Work on a writing plan for a discursive essay. • Write a discursive essay about whether the kids should poach or not. There is also a sheet which gives pupil some useful language that they can use in discursive writing.