PATHFINDER WEEK 1

• newEditor

WELCOME TO
ESSENTIAL SKILLS

Literacy & Communication

🗣️ SPEAK

👂 LISTEN

📖 READ

✍️ WRITE

Who Am I…?

• TRUTH – my name is Kelsie Donnelly

• TRUTH - My email: [e-mail]

• But can you detect the 2 truths and the lie in these statements?

9/7/2026

Belfast Metropolitan College

Identify the LIE
Scan the QR or Join at
slido.com and enter the code
#1085 272

What influenced your decision?

Who Are You?
Listen carefully to each other’s names…

Who are You?

• Without using your phones, arrange yourselves in alphabetical order by first name.

• 👂 🗣️

What did you need to do/know to get in the right order?

What will we do in our Essential Skills Communication classes?

We will practise skills for college, work and everyday life

🗣️
SPEAKING

Talk to people
Share ideas
Give opinions

👂
LISTENING

Listen carefully
Follow instructions
Understand others

📖
READING

Read texts
Find information
Answer questions

✍️
WRITING

Write clearly
Use punctuation
Write for different reasons

Essential Skills • Welcome Lesson

📅 Attendance and Engagement

Just a few important things to remember.

✓ Come to class PREPARED (bring pens, highlighters, and notebook).

✓ Arrive on time.

✓ Let me know if you cannot attend.

✓ Ask for help if you need it. Take part in ALL class activities – do your best.

Attendance helps you practise and make progress.

Essential Skills • Welcome Lesson

If you know you will be absent from class:

1. EMAIL ME BEFORE CLASS

2. GIVE AN ACCEPTABLE REASON (sickness, emergency)

🎲 PICK & MIX
⭐

Talk to at least 3 people in your class

📱 HOW TO PLAY

• 1. 🎲 SCAN the QR codes to get a question
  2. 🗣️ ASK a classmate
  3. 👂 LISTEN to their answer
  4. ✍️ WRITE 1–3 key words
  5. 🔄 SWAP — your partner asks a new question
  6. 👋 FIND someone NEW

• Ask → Answer → Listen → Record → Swap

https://wordwall.net/play/22092/162/711

Question set 1

Question set 2

Or ask your own!

Question set 3

What did you learn about each other?

• Did anyone discover that someone likes the same thing as you?

• Did anyone find out something surprising?

✍️ Initial Writing Assessment

This helps me find out what you can already do.

WHY?

This is a baseline assessment.

It helps me plan the right work for you.

It is not about getting everything right today.

YOUR TASK

⏱️ Up to 45 minutes

1. Read the task carefully. 👀
2. Think — what do I need to include? 💭
3. Make a quick plan. 📝
4. Write your answer. ✍️
5. Check your work. ✅

If you need longer, tell me. I will record the time you need.

Essential Skills • Welcome Lesson

1. Introduce yourself

2. Write sentence(s) about

   1. Your family

   2. Your college

   3. Your friends

3. Write sentence(s) about things you’re good at and things you have done/enjoyed

4. Your future goals and why

🔍 Check Your Writing

Before you finish, check the basics.

A

Capital letters

.

Full stops

Sp

Spelling

,

Punctuation

✓

Do my sentences make sense? Can I organise my ideas into paragraphs?

Take your time. Read your work again.

Essential Skills • Welcome Lesson

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/termwF3XZT?origin=lprLink