Functional Skills
English
Entry 3
Worksheets 5
Purposes of Text
Rt/E3.2
Excellence in skills development
Tutor Guidelines
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Worksheets
These worksheets are meant to be photocopied for individual use by the learners to
assess their understanding of the concepts taught. At this stage it is hoped the learners
will be able to work as independently as possible. The Resource Sheets themselves are
often referred back to and should, therefore, be readily available to the learners.
Learners with dyslexia or a visual impairment may require additional assistance
with some exercises. Copying on buff coloured paper can also help.
Worksheets available in this section are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
Entertain, inform or persuade?
Explain, instruct or describe?
Where from?
Similar themes: different genre.
Information
Texts
Persuasive
Texts
Entertainment
Texts
Letters
Explanations
Worksheet 1
©West Nottinghamshire College
Entertain, Inform or Persuade?
1
Excellence in skills development
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Read the following texts taken from a newspaper.
Do you think they were meant to:
* entertain (E)
* inform (I)
or
* persuade (P)?
Mark the pieces with the letter you feel most appropriate.
Newtown District Council will be holding a
public meeting to discuss the new by-pass
on Tuesday 8th December at 7.30 p.m. in
the Town Hall.
Rooney’s goal was the best I have seen
this century! This young man has to be
one of the best footballers the world has
ever seen.
Why not take your family to see the new
film showing at the Odeon this week? It
will entertain all the family and not cost
the earth either!
Discuss your decisions with your tutor.
©West Nottinghamshire College
2
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 2
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Explain, Instruct or Describe?
Read the following texts taken from a newspaper.
Do you think they were meant to:
* explain (E)
* instruct (I)
or
* describe (D)?
Mark the pieces with the letter you feel is most suitable.
Send your completed entry to:
The Daily News
Smith Street
Holdswell
XN6 0HH
The Autumn Fayre was held in the Church
Hall on Saturday afternoon. There were
stalls selling home-made jam, knitted toys,
bric-a-brac and Christmas crafts and cards.
Burlington Council would like to apologise for
any inconvenience to local residents on
Fourth Avenue caused by the present road
works. This is because the council are laying
a new drainage system in that area.
Discuss your choices with your tutor.
©West Nottinghamshire College
3
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 3
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Where From?
Decide where each text could be found.
One is taken from each of the following:
telephone directory (T)
tourist information leaflet (I)
recipe book (R)
TV manual (V)
bleach bottle label (B)
Mark each text with the appropriate letter.
BOOTH Henry 7 Low Street Dinworth 01888 54321
This dish should be served hot with
vegetables of your choice.
The castle stands on a hill overlooking the town
and commands beautiful views across the bay.
* Keep the bottle upright.
* Always replace the cap tightly after use.
* Wash hands after use.
When you are watching a satellite channel and
want to find out what else is on, either now or
later, press select to display the Search and
Scan banner.
Discuss your decisions with your tutor.
©West Nottinghamshire College
4
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 4
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Similar Themes: Different Genre
Read the following texts which are all about mortgages.
Decide where you think they may have been taken from.
Is the purpose of them different?
In the right hand column jot down your thoughts.
I am writing to inform you that your mortgage
payments are overdue. Please send your
remittance by return of post.
Can’t get a mortgage?
We advise people exclusively with
arrears, defaults and CCJs. For a
decision in 24 hours ring us now!
Most Building Societies announced today,
because of the drop in the bank rate, that the
mortgage rate would be reduced by 1% from
next month.
Discuss your thoughts and ideas with your tutor.
©West Nottinghamshire College
5
Excellence in skills development
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
Worksheet 5
5
Information Texts
Find an example of a short piece of text that gives you information.
You might find it in a text book, a pamphlet, newspaper, letter or magazine.
Read it carefully. Ask for help if you need it.
Answer the following questions about it.
™
Where did you find it?
………………………………………………………...………………………………………
………………..……………………………………………………………………………….
™
How do you know it is a piece of information text?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….…..
…………………………………………………….……………………………………….….
™
What information does it give you?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
What further information would it be interesting to know about this subject?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………..……………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
What could you do to find it out?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
6
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 6
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Information Texts
These texts are all examples of information texts.
Where do you think you might find them?
™
The Academy Award winning actor, Paul Newman, lost his fight against cancer
today. He was 83.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Snow is expected over the weekend. Temperatures will drop to below freezing and
high winds are expected.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Catherine Cookson was born in 1906 on Tyneside. Although she didn’t write her
first book until she was over 40, by the time of her death in 1998, she had written
over 104 works.
………………………...………………………………………………………………………
™
£837 will be deducted from your bank account for the payment of tuition fees for
Suzanne Claire Thompson on 04/03/2009. Thank you for paying by direct debit; no
further action is required by you.
……………………..…………………………………………………………………………
Discuss your answers with your tutor.
©West Nottinghamshire College
7
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 7
5
Presenting Information Texts Differently
Information is not always presented in the same way.
Sometimes it is in the form of a chart or table.
Oven Temperature Settings
Electric Oven (oF)
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Gas Oven (Mark)
¼
1
2
4
6
8
9
Read the information given on the chart and answer the following questions.
1)
My recipe says Gas Mark 4. What would the temperature on an electric oven be for
this recipe?
2)
If the temperature on my electric oven is set at 450o, what would the setting on my
friend’s gas oven be?
3)
Rice pudding cooks best in a cool oven. Suggest a gas mark that would be good for
rice pudding.
4)
Yorkshire pudding cooks best in a very hot oven. What temperature would you set
on your electric oven for Yorkshire pudding?
5)
Work out what gas mark would be about the same as 325o on an electric oven.
©West Nottinghamshire College
8
Excellence in skills development
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
Worksheet 8
5
Using Charts for Information
Information is not always presented in the same way.
Sometimes it is in the form of a chart or table.
Study Resource Sheet 7. It shows information about temperatures shown on a
thermometer.
Using that diagram, answer the following questions.
1)
What is the boiling point of water in oC? …………………………………………..……
2)
What is our normal body temperature in oF? ……………………………………..……
3)
What is the freezing point of water in both oC and oF?…………………………………
4)
About how many oF are the following temperatures? …………………………………
90 oC ………………
10 oC ………………
60 oC ………………
110 oC ………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
9
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 9
5
Information Texts
Multiplex Cinema
Nottingham
Multiplex Cinema
HARRY POTTER
HARRY POTTER
and the Philosopher’s Stone
and the
Philosopher’s Stone
Wednesday 6 March 5.45 p.m.
Adult £5.00
Row F
Seat 15
Wed 6th March
5.45
Row F
Seat 15
Read the information on this cinema ticket.
Answer the following questions about the information on it.
1)
What is the title of the film? ……………………………………………………….………..
2)
What time does the film start? ……………………………………………………………..
3)
How much does the ticket cost? …………………………………………………………..
4)
Which row is the seat on? ………………………………………………………………….
5)
Where is the film being shown? …………………………………………………………...
6)
What day and date is the film being shown? …………………………………..……….
©West Nottinghamshire College
10
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 10
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Persuasive Texts
Find a piece of text which sets out to persuade you to do something.
You might find it in a newspaper, magazine, holiday brochure, entertainment
pamphlet or guide, or tourist guide.
Read it carefully.
Answer the following questions.
™
Where did you find the piece of text? …………………………………………………….
……………………………………..…………………………………………………………
™
How do you know it is a piece of persuasive text? ………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
What is it trying to persuade you to do? ……………………...………………………….
…………………...……………………………………………………………………………
™
Was it successful? In other words, when you had finished reading the text, did you
feel like doing what it set out to persuade you to do?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Why/why not? .……………………………………………………………………………...
©West Nottinghamshire College
11
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 11
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Persuasive Texts
These texts are all examples of persuasive texts.
Where do you think you might find them?
™
Come and enjoy our colourful new show. Well known music from the past and
present is cleverly inter-woven to create a two hour ice skating spectacle that will
delight the whole family.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Take advantage of our free home delivery service on orders over £10 and enjoy a
taste of India in your own home.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Why not send for our exciting new brochure today and choose your next holiday
from the comfort of your own armchair?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Call this number to find out more about our interesting new courses which start in
the autumn.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Headache? Backache? Period pains? Why suffer any longer? Our new effective
treatment is available at your local chemist.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
12
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 12
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Entertainment Texts
Find a short entertainment text. You may find it in a novel, poetry book, magazine or
newspaper.
Read it carefully.
Answer the following questions about it.
™
Where did you find your entertainment text? …………………………..……….……
……………………………………………………….……..………………………………….
™
How do you know it was an entertainment text? …………………….……….………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
What was the text about? ………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Why did you choose this particular text? …………………...………………………….
…………….…………………………………………………………………………………
™
Did you enjoy it? Explain your answer ……………………...……………………………
……………………….………………………………………………………………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
13
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 13
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Entertainment Texts
These texts are all examples of entertainment texts.
Where do you think you might find them?
™
Taurus:
You can expect a miserable week. Take care with affairs of the heart and make
sure you are careful with matters of money!
……………………………………………………………………………….………………
™
We were extremely proud of our ladies’ curling team who beat the Swiss team into
second place to win the Olympic gold medal in Salt Lake City this week.
…………………..……………………………………………………………………………
™
I left London in early March sunshine. There was a high wind too but that didn’t
bother me as I had only one thing on my mind – to get home to my husband as
quickly as possible.
………………..………………………………………………………………………………
™
“Soldier, soldier, won’t you marry me,
with your musket, fife and drum?”
…………………….…………………………………………………………………………
™
Tamsin opted for a clean new look for her bedroom and so she chose soft aqua and
blue shades for the walls and brilliant white for the paintwork.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
14
Excellence in skills development
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
Worksheet 14
5
Letters
You will need Resource Sheet 5.
You will have shared this reading with your group and tutor.
Now see if you can remember what you discussed about the different kinds and
purposes of letters you met on that sheet.
•
How do all of the letters on this sheet begin? ……………………………………..……
•
Which of those letters is trying to persuade you to use their company’s services?
……………………………………..…………………………………………………………..
•
Who has been sent an invitation? ………………………………………………..………
•
Who is going into hospital shortly? ………………………………………………………
•
Who has received a reply to a job vacancy? …………………………………...………
•
Who will be attending a parents’ evening on Thursday 12th February?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
15
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 15
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Letters
You will need Resource Sheet 5.
Read the different kinds of letters again.
Answer these questions.
•
In the first letter, why do you think it begins ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ rather than with
someone’s name? ………………………………………………………………………...
…………….…………………………………………………………………………………
………………….……………………………………………………………………………
•
What must Mr. Jones do if he is unable to accept his hospital bed? ………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
•
What should Year 12 parents take with them to the parents’ evening? ……….……
………………..………………………………………………………………………………
•
At the bottom of the Silver Wedding invitation are the letters R.S.V.P. What does
that
mean you should do? ……………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
•
What two things does Mr. Sharma’s letter expect him to do next? …………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
©West Nottinghamshire College
16
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 16
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Explanation Texts
These are all examples of explanation text.
Where do you think you might find them?
™
Because all the cutlery lies flat in this dishwasher, it’s much cleaner and safer to
load.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
In winter the temperature cools, so the grass grows more slowly and you don’t need
to mow your lawn so often.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Roman roads are often thought to be a miracle of engineering when you consider
how long ago they were built and how little modern technology they had. They
needed to build roads in order to move their large armies about more easily.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
If more than one player wants to play this game then the players will have to
compete in a fastest finger round. Each player needs to pick a key on the keyboard
to use as a personal buzzer.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
17
Excellence in skills development
Worksheet 17
DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF TEXT
ENTRY 3
Rt/E3.2
5
Explanation Texts
Find a short explanation text.
You might look in a newspaper or magazine, text book or recipe book.
Read the explanation carefully.
Answer the following questions about the text.
™
Where did you find the explanation? ………………………………..….………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….…
™
How did you know it was an explanation text? ……………………..…………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
What did it explain to you? …………………………………………….………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
™
Was the explanation clear? Explain why you thought so. ………..………….………
………………………..……………………………………………………………….………
…………………………………………………………………………………………...……
™
Did the explanation include a diagram? Did it/would it have helped you understand
the explanation better?
…………………………………………………………………………………………..……
..………………………………………………………………………………………………
©West Nottinghamshire College
18