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 is a Functional Skills English writing resource for Entry Level 2. It contains five different writing tasks. In the first task students are asked to complete an application form for a job in Santa’s grotto. In the second task they are to write an advert to inform people about a charity Christmas dinner that they are hosting. In the third activity they write a letter to a friend to tell them about a Christmas party that they went to. In the fourth activity students are asked to complete an online order from so that they can buy a present that they have chosen. In the final activity students review a product online that they have bought for Christmas. 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 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 a Functional Skills English writing resource for Entry Level 1. It contains four different writing tasks. In the first task students are asked to complete an online form for a Christmas tree that they wish to buy. In the second task they are to write an invitation for a Christmas party that they are hosting. In the third activity they write to a friend to ask them to join them for Christmas dinner. In the final activity students are asked to write an advert for a bike that they are selling so they can get some more money to buy Christmas presents. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

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 unit contains a series of lessons for an ‘All About Me’ topic. It includes reading, writing and speaking and listening. The writing lessons are differentiated with higher level planning sheets and writing support sheets. The lessons in the unit include: Read about other people 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 profile about yourself. Write all about yourself. Have a group discussion telling other pupils all about you and taking notes on what they tell you about themselves. Complete an ‘All About Me’ poster.

This resource is best taught after the pupils have read or listened to the first four chapters of Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Private Peaceful’. It contains comprehension exercises regarding the character development of some main characters in the first four chapters. It also deals with the theme in Chapter 4 of ‘An Amazing Event’. In Chapter 4 the kids see a yellow aeroplane and meet its pilot. Pupils are asked to list amazing events from their lifetime and ones they have lived witnessed, before they plan then write about witnessing an amazing event. also included, is a presentation that accompanies the lesson. It can be used with the activities in the lesson, as a starter, a plenary or it can lead to further speaking and listening activities. Here are the main activities in this unit: • Listen to/read the 4th chapter of the novel. • Complete the comprehension challenge regarding 4 characters in 4 chapters. • Make a list of any amazing events that have happened in your lifetime or that you have witnessed. • Take part in a class/group discussion about these events. • Work on a writing plan for describing witnessing an amazing event. • Write a text about witnessing an amazing event.

This unit of work comprises of a short story about a new pupil coming to school who is considered different by the others. This should lead to some discussion about what makes people considered different. The pupil is bullied throughout the day, with the bullying getting progressively worse. The reader learns the bullies own life issues. The story teaches an important moral message and leads to many possible discussions. Many of these are introduced in a worksheet asking the pupil to note their thoughts on the story in detail, with many questions and discussion points raised. The unit then becomes an imaginative writing unit. Various elements of the short story are used as a springboard for the pupils to plan then write their own story about a new pupil coming to a school and being considered different. The unit could be used as part of an English course and should last for a half term if taught once a week. It could be used in late Primary School or early Secondary School. It is also a very good unit to teach to older SEN pupils.

This lesson is best taught after the pupils have read or listened to the second chapter of ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’. The main activities in this lesson are centered on the question of whether farmers should be allowed to kill foxes or not. The main production activities are a class discussion on this question and a writing activity where the pupils write a formal letter to the council giving their own opinion and asking for the council to act. There are structured writing plans for the pupils to complete, one that argues for farmers killing foxes and one that argues against it. These writing plans are differentiated, with different versions to accommodate more and less able pupils. There is also an extension activity for pupils who finish before others in the class, which is called ‘The Angry Farmer Conjunction Challenge!’

This is an Entry Level 1 Functional Skills reading activity. It consists of two texts and two comprehension exercises. The first text is about masked ball etiquette and the second is about the dance you will do at the ball. 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 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 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 unit of work is an extension of the ‘All About Me’ theme. It is about settings in your life, which could include places like rooms, parks, settings of clubs or places pupils regularly visit. There are reading, writing and speaking and listening activities in the unit. The reading and writing lessons are differentiated. The lessons in this unit include: Look at pictures of settings and complete tables to describe them. Read about settings from other people’s lives and complete a profile about them. Have a group discussion with other pupils telling them about the setting you have read about and taking notes on the settings they tell you about. Complete a profile about a setting in your life. Write all about this setting. Complete a self-assessment form. Have a group discussion telling other pupils all about your setting and taking notes on what they tell you about their settings. Complete a ‘Settings In My Life’ poster.