F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Finding Your Way: Longer Texts and Layout
READING · LESSON 9 OF 10
Lesson by English
This lesson contains 19 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.
F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Finding Your Way: Longer Texts and Layout
READING · LESSON 9 OF 10
Functional Skills English Level 1 · Reading · Lesson 9 of 10 (about 60 minutes)
Covers: subject content 14 (organisational and structural features to locate information), with 9 (main points, ideas and details). Speaking and listening (statements 2, 3, 6) run through the pair talk.
Before the lesson: print the handout (Source A is slides 8, 10 and 12: three pages of a tenant handbook) as an A4 handout, one per learner, so nobody has to read the source only from the board.
Device-free fallback: every activity works with the printed source, mini whiteboards and hands up.
Description: Functional Skills English Level 1 Reading, lesson 9 of 10. Learners find their way round a longer text, a tenant handbook, using the contents page, index, headings, numbered lists and tables to locate information fast.
Tags: contents page, index, reading tables, headings, numbered lists, layout, organisational features, scanning, finding information, longer texts, housing, level 1 reading, exam practice, further education, adult learners Image credit: HiveBoxx / Unsplash
😄 Great – ready to go
🙂 Good
😐 Okay
😕 Not great today
😴 Tired
Wellbeing check: how's your energy today?
Phase 0 · Wellbeing check (first 2 mins)
A quick, low-stakes check-in. Only totals show, so nobody is singled out. Say: "There's no right answer. It just helps me plan today."
Act on it: if several learners choose the last two options, ease the pace and build in a pair task early. Check in privately with anyone you are concerned about, and follow your college's wellbeing and safeguarding route.
Editor note: if any emoji have not come through, re-add them in the editor.
Device-free fallback: learners show 1–5 fingers, or write a number on a sticky note face down.
Read it all, cover to cover
Look for the part I need
Ask someone to explain it
Put it in a drawer
Recycle it (oops)
A 40-page handbook lands on your doormat. What do you really do?
Phase 1 · Hook (0–5 mins)
No wrong answer. Vote, then ask two or three learners about a long document they have had to deal with: a tenancy agreement, a phone contract, a staff handbook, a benefits letter.
Probe: "If you only needed one fact from it, how would you find it?" This sets up today: you do not need to read it all.
Device-free fallback: hands up for each option, or stand by the corner of the room that matches your answer.
What we're doing today
R E A D I N G
Today you will
Why it matters
use a contents page and an index
read tables to find facts fast
use headings and numbered lists
Handbooks, contracts and payslips are long. You need the right part, fast.
The Level 1 reading exam tests finding information in longer texts.
Phase 2 · Goals (5–7 mins)
Keep it practical: nobody reads a handbook cover to cover. Skilled readers use the layout to jump to the part they need.
The Level 1 reading assessment often uses longer texts with headings, lists and tables, and asks you to find details quickly and accurately.
Device-free fallback: read the slide aloud; learners copy the three goals into their book.
Which long documents do adults have to read? Think home, work and money.
Phase 2 · Activation (7–10 mins)
Free association. Every answer counts: tenancy agreement, tenant handbook, council tax bill, payslip, phone contract, bank statement, staff handbook, college handbook, benefits letter, appliance manual.
Probe: "Which of these have a contents page? A table?" (Most do.)
Say: "These texts are long on purpose, so they are built to be searched, not read from start to finish."
Device-free fallback: pairs list as many as they can in 60 seconds; collect on the board. Image credit: Daniil Korbut / Unsplash
Don't read it all: find it
Long texts are not for reading cover to cover. Use the layout to jump to what you need:
contents at the front
headings and numbered lists
tables for facts and figures
index at the back
Phase 3 · Teaching (10–13 mins)
Say: "Long texts are like a big shop. You don't walk every aisle; you read the signs."
Go through the four features. Ask where each one is found: contents at the front, index at the back, headings and tables all the way through.
Vocabulary: a contents page lists the sections in order with page numbers; an index lists topics from A to Z with every page they appear on.
Misconception: the contents page and the index are not the same. Contents follows the order of the book; the index follows the alphabet.
Device-free fallback: pass round a real textbook or handbook; learners find its contents page and index. Image credit: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
Read a table in 3 steps
R E A D I N G
1
Read the column headings first. They tell you what each column is about.
2
Find your row. Scan down the first column for your key word.
3
Go across to the column you need. Read the whole box, brackets too.
Phase 3 · Teaching (13–16 mins)
Click to reveal each step. Model it with a bus timetable everyone knows: column headings are the stops, rows are the buses, read across to your stop.
Misconception: learners often read the first number they see. Always check which column it is in.
Support: give learners the three steps on a card to keep, and a ruler or strip of paper to follow a row across.
Stretch: what could go wrong if you read down the wrong column?
Device-free fallback: draw a small table on the board and point along it.
Ashworth Homes · Tenant Handbook (PDF) · page 2
SOURCE A · 1 of 3
Ashworth Homes
Your Tenant Handbook
Everything you need to know about living in your home
Keep this handbook somewhere safe. Use the contents to find a section, or the index to find a topic.
Contents
SECTION
PAGE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
A–Z
Welcome to your new home
Paying your rent
Repairs and maintenance
Bins and recycling
Being a good neighbour
Moving out
Useful contacts
Index
3
5
8
12
15
19
22
24
**Contents page.** Near the front. It lists every section in order, so you can see the whole handbook at a glance.
**Section numbers.** Each section has a number. The headings inside the handbook use the same numbers.
**Page numbers.** Go straight to the right page. No need to flick through.
**Index.** At the back. It lists topics from A to Z, with every page they appear on.
Phase 3 · Reading Source A, page 2 (16–20 mins)
This is the contents page of a tenant handbook. Do not read it aloud line by line: ask learners to skim it for 20 seconds, then open the hotspots.
Probe: "Where would you look if your neighbour's music keeps you awake?" (Section 5, Being a good neighbour, page 15.)
Vocabulary: a tenant rents a home; maintenance means keeping something in good repair.
Device-free fallback: printed page; learners put a box round the section numbers and circle the page numbers. Image credit: Jakub Żerdzicki / Unsplash
Your boiler breaks. Which page tells you how to report it?
Page 3
Page 22
Page 12
Page 8
Phase 4 · Check (20–22 mins)
Answer: D, page 8. A broken boiler is a repair, and section 3, Repairs and maintenance, starts on page 8.
Why the others are wrong: page 22 (Useful contacts) gives a phone number, but not how to report a repair or how fast it will be fixed. Page 3 is the welcome; page 12 is bins.
Probe: "Which word in the question did you look for in the contents?" (Repair.) Key words that are not in the contents, like "boiler", are what an index is for.
Device-free fallback: learners hold up A–D cards or fingers.
Ashworth Homes · Tenant Handbook (PDF) · page 8
SOURCE A · 2 of 3
3 Repairs and maintenance
We are responsible for most repairs to your home. Report a repair as soon as you notice it – small problems can become big ones.
How to report a repair
Check the table to see how urgent it is.
Call our repairs line or report it online.
Give your name, address and phone number.
Write down your job number.
Smell gas? Open the windows, don't use light switches, leave your home and call the gas emergency line straight away.
How quickly we will fix it
Type
Examples
Fixed within
Emergency
gas leak, flooding, no heating in winter
24 hours
Urgent
no hot water, a broken front door lock
3 working days
Routine
a dripping tap, a sticking door, a loose floor tile
28 days
**Section heading.** Its number (3) matches the contents page, so you know you are in the right place.
**Numbered list.** The numbers show the order to do things in. Step 1 comes first.
**Column headings.** Read these first. They tell you what each column is about.
**Rows.** Find your type of repair in the first column, then read across to the answer.
**Warning box.** Colour, a border and bold text make safety information stand out.
Phase 3 · Reading Source A, page 8 (22–27 mins)
Read the heading and the opening together, then open the hotspots. Model reading the table aloud: "Routine… dripping tap… 28 days."
Probe: "Your front door lock is broken. How long might you wait?" Point along the row: Urgent → 3 working days.
Vocabulary: routine means ordinary, not urgent; working days are Monday to Friday.
Safety: make sure every learner knows the gas advice in the coral box applies in real life too.
Device-free fallback: printed page; learners use a ruler to follow each row across.
Find it fast
Scanning race
Spin the wheel, then scan the handbook for the answer.
Say which feature you used: contents, heading, table or list.
You have 30 seconds a round.
second
Phase 4 · Practice: scanning race (27–32 mins)
Spin, read the question aloud, start the 30-second timer. Learners scan Source A (all three pages on the handout) and say which feature they used before giving the answer. Play 4–5 rounds.
Answers: page 5 · 3 working days · Monday · Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm · £15 for up to three items · page 19 · write down your job number · 01632 960 100.
Speaking and listening: ask the winner to explain how they found it ("I went to the contents, then the table…").
Device-free fallback: pull questions from a hat.
Ashworth Homes · Tenant Handbook (PDF) · pages 12 and 22
SOURCE A · 3 of 3
4 Bins and recycling
Put your bin out by 7am on collection day, and bring it back in by the end of the day.
Bin
What goes in
When we collect
Green
food and garden waste
every Monday
Blue
paper, card, cans, glass jars and plastic bottles
Tuesday, every other week (Week A)
Black
everything else
Tuesday, every other week (Week B)
Bulky items such as sofas or fridges? Book a collection online. It costs £15 for up to three items.
7 Useful contacts
Repairs line (24 hours)
01632 960 100
Rent team (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm)
01632 960 200
help@ashworthhomes.org.uk
Page 22. Keep this page by your phone.
**Column headings.** Read them first. "When we collect" is the column for any "when?" question.
**Read across the row.** Blue bin → paper and card → Tuesday, every other week. The brackets tell you which week.
**Bold key words.** "Bulky items" tells you what the paragraph is about before you read it.
**Contact box.** Key numbers in one place. Check the times in brackets before you call!
Phase 3 · Reading Source A, pages 12 and 22 (32–36 mins)
Two more pages from the same handbook. Learners use the table to answer: "It's Tuesday of Week A. Which bin goes out?" (Blue.)
Then open the hotspots. Point out the colour-coded first column: the colours match the real bins.
Vocabulary: bulky items are large things like sofas, beds and fridges.
Misconception: "every other week" means once every two weeks, not twice a week.
Device-free fallback: printed pages; learners highlight the column that answers "when?" questions.
Which feature would get you to the answer fastest?
Contents page
A table
The index
Which pages mention damp?
How fast is a broken lock fixed?
Which page does "Moving out" start on?
When is the blue bin collected?
What sections are in the handbook?
Is "pets" mentioned anywhere?
Phase 4 · Practice (36–41 mins)
Learners decide which feature they would use first. Talk through any they disagree on: more than one route can work, but one is fastest.
Answers: Contents page: "Which page does Moving out start on?" and "What sections are in the handbook?". A table: "How fast is a broken lock fixed?" and "When is the blue bin collected?". The index: "Which pages mention damp?" and "Is 'pets' mentioned anywhere?".
Rule of thumb: a section → contents; a topic or word → index; a number, time or day → table.
Device-free fallback: read each card aloud; learners show C, T or I on a mini whiteboard.
Boiler problems
Keys (lost)
Bins and recycling
Gas safety
Rent payments
Damp and mould
An index lists topics from A to Z. Put these entries in index order.
Phase 4 · Practice: index order (41–44 mins)
An index is in alphabetical order, so knowing it makes an index fast to use. Learners drag the entries into A to Z order.
Answer: Bins and recycling · Boiler problems · Damp and mould · Gas safety · Keys (lost) · Rent payments.
The tricky one: Bins and Boiler both start with B, so look at the second letter: i comes before o.
Support: write the alphabet across the top of a mini whiteboard.
Device-free fallback: learners number the entries 1–6 on paper.
Exam-style practice
minute
second
Answer on paper using Source A (all three pages). Look at the marks: they tell you how many things to write.
1. On which page does "Bins and recycling" start? (1 mark)
2. How long could a dripping tap take to fix? (1 mark)
3. Give two things you must tell them when you report a repair. (2 marks)
4. Which day is the green bin collected? (1 mark)
5. When can you call the rent team? (1 mark)
6. Which feature finds every page about damp? (1 mark)
Starters
It starts on page…
It could take…
You must give…
The feature is…
Phase 5 · Independent practice, exam style (44–54 mins)
Learners work alone, on paper, with all three pages of Source A. Start the 10-minute timer. This is the format of the Level 1 reading assessment: short questions, with the marks shown.
Support: let learners use the starters, and remind them to say which feature they will use before they look.
Stretch: for each answer, write the page and feature that helped.
Mark it together on the next slide.
Device-free fallback: the questions are written to be copied from the board or printed.
Check your answers
R E A D I N G
1. Bins section
2. Dripping tap
3. Reporting a repair
4. Green bin
5. Rent team
6. Every page about damp
Found on the contents page.
Routine row of the table. Not 24 hours.
One mark each, up to two. Step 3 of the numbered list.
Accept "every Monday".
Both the days and the times are needed for the mark.
The index lists topics A to Z with every page.
Page 12
Up to 28 days (it is a routine repair).
Any two: your name, your address, your phone number.
Monday
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
The index (page 24).
Phase 5 · Mark it (54–57 mins)
Click each yellow marker to reveal the answer. Learners mark their own work with a different colour pen and add up out of 7.
Common errors: Q1 "page 2" (that is the contents page itself). Q2 "24 hours" (wrong row: a dripping tap is routine). Q5 "24 hours" (that is the repairs line, not the rent team).
Device-free fallback: read the answers aloud.
You can now…
R E A D I N G
use a contents page and an index to find the right part
read a table by its headings, rows and columns
use headings and numbered lists to find details fast
Phase 6 · Celebrate progress (57–58 mins)
Click to bring in each tick. Ask: "Which of these feels solid now? Which one needs more practice?" Name it as real progress: these are the skills that get you through a tenancy agreement, a contract or a staff handbook.
Device-free fallback: learners tick the three statements in their book, adding a question mark next to any they are unsure about. Image credit: LessonUp Studio (made for this series)
The contents page
The headings
The index
Any tables
Ask someone to show me round it
Next time you get a long document, what will you use first?
Phase 6 · Reflect (58–60 mins)
No right answer. Ask one or two learners why they chose theirs, and which real document they will try it on (e.g. a tenancy agreement, a payslip, a work handbook). Asking for help is a good strategy too: say so.
Device-free fallback: thumbs up for each option, or write the feature on an exit slip.
Take it further
R E A D I N G
Stretch: in class
Before next lesson
Write three scanning questions about the handbook for a partner.
Add the answer and the page number for each.
Find a long document at home: a contract, a payslip or a handbook.
Write down:
one heading
one fact from a table or list
how you found it
Take it further
Stretch is for early finishers in class. Check that each question can only be answered from the handbook, and that the page is right.
Before next lesson needs no device. Learners bring their notes to Lesson 10, our exam-ready walkthrough, where we put every reading skill together.
Device-free fallback: this slide is already paper-based.