Additional Resources

Spelling, Reading and Writing

• Hopelink Adult Education has reading and writing lessons to download written for Volunteer tutors.
• Listen a Minute has a wide range of reading texts with audio to read along to. No picture support. Fill the gap, un-jumble words, and correct the spelling exercises with each text.
• Skillswise Spelling is arranged at multiple levels under plurals, prefixes and suffixes, root words, common letter patterns, memory aids, words to watch out for.
• Talk Time presents conversation topics that you can use as an introduction to writing activities (Hopelink Adult Education, Seattle USA). More topics here.
• The Proliteracy Education Network has some resources for adult literacy tutors, including reading, writing, and numeracy activities. You’ll have to create an account however, and some resources are available only for paid members.
• Writers’ Circles has some adult learner life stories that can make excellent reading texts and models for their own personal writing.
• Skills Workshop presents free functional skills and skills for life resources arranged in learning levels and subject areas. (UK site, with a good subject search function.)
• The Simple English Wikipedia is a version of the free encyclopaedia that uses simple English, although for beginners the reading levels can still be too high.
• Time 4 writing has a collection of free resources (unsure about their levels however).
• TV411 is a US site that presents adult literacy and numeracy lessons in video format. If students register and create a login, they can track their progress. For example, in the vocabulary section, “An adult learner shows how to expand your vocabulary” (video).
• English language NZ has a superb set of resources, including
  • their Topic Worksheets page with a large number of printable free worksheets such as “Learning English outside your classroom” and “Using an ATM” (direct PDF links), as well as
  • a good set of tips for tutors, with suggested activities

About Learning as an Adult

The VALBEC publication “A Fuller Sense of Self” now has a set of learning materials for adult literacy learners, including video interviews with the people behind the original book. (VALBEC = “Victorian Adult Literacy and Basic Education Council“)

The Resilience project from ACAL gathered many stories of adult learning from around the UK and Australia.

Learning to Learn

Learning Style has an online questionnaire to help you work out your learners’ learning styles. Learning style influences how you best process information and solve problems. Be aware however that for some educators, learning styles have been thoroughly discredited.

Networks to Join (for the adult literacy tutor)

• Be Connected Network (AU) – suggest to tutors that they join the network, and use the list of resources
• 26Ten is a Tasmanian network campaign for adult literacy (facebook group)
• Foundation Skills Teachers on facebook
• ACAL has a facebook group
• Plus: some relevant networks on Linkedin

Overview about teaching literacy to adults

Dr Cheryl Knight has put together an impressive collection of ideas and research in “Inspire a Life of Reading” (Appalachian State Uni, 2005. PDF). The book is sorted by “Alphabetics” (phonics and spelling), Comprehension, Fluency, Vocabulary and Realia.

Worksheets and other pre-prepared learning activities

There are a few sites that let you either generate worksheets or download printable worksheets, for example

• ISL collective specialises in printable worksheets for English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners, free to download. (You’ll need to register and login.)
• Teachers Pay Teachers, where you can buy worksheets for a small amount, or browse their collection of free resources instead.
• Nala Tutors’ Corner is an Irish site of worksheets under reading, writing, spelling tips, numbers, reading practice, writing practice, filling in forms, word searches and crosswords.
• Discovery Education has a classic old Puzzlemaker app that still works. You could make puzzles for your learners (time-consuming), or you could make a group activity where each student makes one puzzle for the group.

Sites with a shared pool of learning materials

• The OER Commons has a group dedicated to sharing resources for adult literacy and EAL, where you can search the shared items. For example their collection of resources for teaching beginner EAL learners. (OER = open educational resources)
• NWT Literacy Council has a collection of games and worksheets (for example this booklet “Literacy Games for Adults“)

On creating your own learning materials

The NCSALL (USA) has a thoroughly researched handbook on “Creating Authentic Materials and Activities” for adult literacy learners (Jacobson et al, 2003. PDF). (Available also via this page, or the LiNCS collection.)

Numeracy Resources

Building Strength with Numeracy is an Australian resource by Beth Marr and accessible on the VALBEC website. Available to download in PDF sections, such as:

• 3. Exploring Numbers
• 4. In head calculations
• 5. Fractions
• 6. Percentages

Skillswise- Maths has activities that cover numbers, calculation, percentages & fractions, measuring, shapes & graphs.

Read Write Now! is a program supported by Training WA. They have some collections of links to

• literacy and
• numeracy
• resources – including stories with activities from the Read Write Now 40th Magazine.

Skillswise English & Maths for Jobs – level 1 is the essential level of literacy, numeracy needed to undertake the jobs listed.

Visual fractions has a good take on understanding fractions, and plenty of activities for practice.

ERCWA Mirrabooka has some good printable resources, including a unit on money.

Money Smart from ASIC has a large collection of resources for learning about money skills.

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Centre has some picture-based learning activities focussing on money.

FunBrain has an activity on calculating change, and you can choose Australian currency.

Tutor Training Videos

• Carringbush adult education has a set of teacher training videos “for teachers of foundation level adult EAL learners”.
• Media Library of Teaching Skills for Adult Learning and Literacy is an American site of training videos classified under ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), ESL, Reading, Writing, and Numeracy.

Other Topics for a Thematic Approach

Indigenous Australia

The Healing Foundation has a resource kit for teaching learners about the Stolen Generations. Lessons are complex, and aimed at various school levels, however there are parts that could be adapted for a group of adult learners.

Employment

• Learn to Earn is a free online resource for intermediate to advanced EAL and ALBE learners (USA) “build skills to prepare you for the workforce”. Focus on 10 study areas including Critical Literacy, Oral Communication and Social Responsibility.
• FYA the foundation for young adults has a resource collection around educating for employment

News & Current Affairs

Behind the News: At the ABC’s BTN, you can watch the news item and read the transcript. Although created for upper primary school children, this site can be excellent for intermediate and above EAL learners and adult literacy learners.

• Pre-teach key vocab before watching and get learners to predict content from prior knowledge.
• The teacher’s pack is full of discussion activities and links to other resources.

Breaking News English has interactive news in 7 levels, with plenty of learning activities – you’ll need to be selective.

News In Level has often quirky news items from around the world. Watch the video at level 3 to predict content. The reading text are written at 3 levels. Choose level appropriate to your learner.

At “The Times in Plain English“, someone has made a plain English version of the New York Times.

Words in the New is suitable for intermediate to advanced EAL learners.

Driving & Transport

• VicRoads has a sample 32-question Learner Test: format and content of the real VIC Roads test.
• RACV – Victorian Road Rules Quiz

Health

The Victorian Better Health Channel has quality, reliable up to date health information in an easy to understand format.

A Health Literacy Curriculum for ESOL Learners is the curriculum of the Queens Library Adult Learner Program suitable for intermediate level EAL learners.

Consumer Rights

Consumer Resources Victoria has real life consumer situations grouped under commerce, consumer environmental and sustainability issues, lure of advertising and reading the fine print, health and wellbeing.

Learn through video

At TED Talks & TED Ed you’ll find video talks and presentations to use with more advanced learners for note taking, summarising etc.

Where to From Here?