FIFTY

READING &
WRITING

ACTIVITIES
Beginner-Advanced
Children & Adults

ESL
Resources

Canadian Edition

Reading & Writing 2004

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Reading & Writing 2004

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50
READING

&

WRITING
ACTIVITIES

Deb
Scott

ESL
Resources

Reading & Writing 2004

www.eslresources.com

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Reading & Writing 2004

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Introduction
Fifty Reading and Writing Activities is a companion book to Fifty Listening
and Speaking Activities. Lessons in this series are designed to be used in a
regular classroom with small groups of students or in an E.S.L. class or withdrawal situation. All activities are tested in North American classrooms as well
as in E.F.L. classes in several other countries. The students found them fun
and educational. All the activities are ready-to-use. You may require a few
additional items such as dice or a die for some activities. The activities can be
easily adapted to the vocabulary being taught in class or to that used in a
course textbook.

Getting Started
Start with basic objects, food, clothes, colours and move on to verbs. Youll
find the exercises ready-to-go and easy-to-use. This book is appropriate for
children, teen and adult ESL students. The levels vary from beginner to
advanced. You will be able to use the lessons as they are, or easily adapt them
to specific needs of your students.

About the Author

Deb Scott has 25 years experience in education. She is an elementary
teacher in Winnipeg, Canada, and has taught grades 1 through 9. She has had
many E.S.L. students in her classes over the years. She has also given a
number of E.F.L. in-services to teachers in Thailand.

Dedication
Dedicated to my students in Winnipeg, Canada, and Bangkok, Thailand. Many
thanks to my friends Jock McKeen and Ben Wong for all their love and support.

Deb Scott

Reading & Writing 2004

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Beginner - B
Intermediate - I
Advanced - A

ACTIVITY INDEX
ACTIVITY

PAGE

TOPIC

TIME

GROUPING

LEVEL

#1 Ws and H Facts

Main facts of a story

20

Any size

#2 Whats On TV?

TV Guide

20

Any size

#3 Sports Fashion

Clothing and Sports

30

Any Size

#4 Sell a House

11

Describing a House

30

Any Size

#5 Rebus Stories

13

Stories

30

Any Size

#6 Consequences

15

Consequences

20

Any Size

B-I

#7 Jobs Etc.

19

Jobs, Duties and Worksites

30

Pairs

#8 Your Top Ten

25

Favourites

15

Pairs

B-I

#9 Idioms Match

29

Idioms

30

Any Size

#10 Warm Fuzzies

33

Adjectives

15

Any Size

B-A

#11 Bumper Stickers

35

Slogans and Sayings

15

Any Size

#12 Be the Designer

37

Inventions and Design

30

Any Size

#13 Homonyms

39

Homonyms

20

Any Size

#14 Vacation Time

43

Vacation Spots

30

Any Size

#15 Carpenter

45

Tools

20

Any Size

#16 Wanted Posters

47

Describing Faces

30

Any Size

B-I

#17 Speech Bubbles

49

Exclamations

10-20

Any Size

#18 Menu Maker

55

Food Items

15

Partners

#19 Pros & Cons

57

Decisions

30

Partners

#20 Categorize These

59

Categories

10

Partners

#21 Famous Places

61

Places of Interest

25

Any Size

#22 Self-Report

63

Self Evaluation

15

Any Size

#23 Shopping Around

65

Shopping

15

Any Size

#24 Job Search

69

Applying for a Job

15

Any Size

#25 Commercials

73

Advertising

60

Any Size

Reading & Writing 2004

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ACTIVITY

PAGE

TOPIC

TIME

GROUPING

LEVEL

#26 Recipes

75

Food

30

Any Size

#27 Clothing Ads

77

Clothing

15

Any Size

#28 Favourites

79

Favourites

15

Any Size

#29 Excuses & Reasons

81

Excuses & Reasons

15

Any Size

B-I

#30 Animals Parts

83

Labelling Animals

25

Any Size

I-A

#31 Yellow Pages

85

Reading Ads

30

Any Size

#32 Adjective Poem

87

Adjectives

10

Any Size

#33 Order Forms

89

Order Forms

20

Any Size

#34 Fortune Cookies

91

Future Tense

10

Any Size

B-I

#35 Writing Letters

93

Giving Advice

30

Any Size

I-A

#36 My Journal

95

Daily Journal Entries

10

Any Size

#37 Rules to Live By

97

Lists of Rules

20

Any Size

#38 Review It

99

Opinions

25

Any Size

I-A

#39 Memory

103 Health & School Themes

Any Size

All

#40 Ugly Contest

107 Describing Monsters

20

Any Size

#41 Where Does It Go?

109 House & Furniture

20

Pairs

B-I

#42 Buy a Pizza

113 Ordering a Pizza

15

Pairs

#43 Lost & Found

115 Lost & Found Ads

25

Any Size

#44 Similes

119 Comparing Using As

10

Any Size

#45 Fluency

121 Vocabulary Review

20

Any Size

All

#46 Tuscaloosa

123 Describing Activities

15

Any Size

All

#47 Id Like to Live

125 Housing

20

Any Size

#48 Animal Research

127 Research

30

Pairs

#49 Convince Me

133 Persuasive Reasons

30

Pairs

#50 Small Books

135 Theme & Pattern Books

Any Size

Reading & Writing 2004

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15 x 3

1
VOCABULARY
who
what
when
where
why
how
Themes
weather
rescue
family
school & travel
business
police

WS & H FACTS
TOPIC Main facts in a story
OBJECTIVE Students read newspaper articles and determine
the main details about the story.
TIME NEEDED 20 minutes.
GROUPING Any size.
LEVEL Intermediate.
MATERIALS Newspaper articles, paper and pencils.
STRUCTURES This story happened in______.
It is about________.
This story happened on________.
PRE-TEACHING Practise finding the details of the five Ws
and one H several times as a class before assigning this activity.
DIRECTIONS 1. Cut out the cards on the facing page.
2. Pass out the cards. 3. Ask your students to read the
newspaper articles on the cards. 4. Write sentences telling the 5 Ws
and H of the article. If students get lost use the chart below to
gather facts.
VARIATIONS 1. Use stories in local newspapers and
ask the students to find the 5 Ws and the H. 2. Students
write their personal stories making sure they include enough
details to answer all the 5Ws and H facts. Then trade with other
students and find the 5 Ws and H.
WHO

WHAT

WHEN

WHERE

WHY

HOW

Reading & Writing 2004

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Storm Hits the Maritimes

A cold front dumped up to 35 cm of snow on
the Maritime provinces yesterday. Schools
were closed and
residents stayed
home from work.
There were traffic
problems and lots of
buried cars.

Local Man Saves Dog

Fireman Sam Holding
saw a dog stranded on
an ice flow floating
down the Red River
yesterday. He grabbed
his row boat and risked
his own life to rescue the dog. Happy owners
Sally and Ahmed Smith were thrilled to have
their dog home safely.

40th Wedding Anniversary

Local School Band Goes to Japan

Marie and Luis Brown of Burlington

celebrated their fortieth wedding
anniversary on June 15.
A dinner and dance was
held at the Roy Hotel.
The Browns have seven
children and 15
grandchildren.

Sanding High School Band has been chosen

from a field of 20 bands to represent the
city next year at the Osaka Concert Band
Competition in Japan. Band
teacher Ollie Spicer says the
band members are very
excited and will be organizing a
series of fundraising concerts
to be held in July.

Fries Shop Closes Its Doors

Police Charge Drunk Driver

Local fries store West Best Fries sold its

last fries on Saturday. Competition with
three fast food chains has been too much
for owner Sam
West. Mr. West has
been selling fries
from his Main Street
store for 35 years.

Reading & Writing 2004

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A woman was arrested

for drunk driving early
Friday morning. Officer
Jane Bloor said she saw
the car weaving down
90th Ave. The driver told
her she was coming from a birthday party.
The driver failed to pass the Breathalyser
Test and was arrested.
2

2
VOCABULARY
movie
documentary
game show
comedy
news program
sitcom
music concert health
program
travel program
home repair program
cooking program

WHATS ON TV?
TOPIC TV guides
OBJECTIVE Students use a TV guide and choose programming.
TIME NEEDED 20 minutes.
GROUPING Any size.
LEVEL Intermediate.
MATERIALS Newspaper, paper and pencils.
STRUCTURES Id like to watch__________.
This program is ____ minutes long.
Whats on at ______?
Do you like ________?
PRE-TEACHING Discuss TV shows and categorize them. Talk
about the types of shows the students enjoy. Practise questions and
answers about the TV listings.
DIRECTIONS 1. Students are asked to read the TV listings on
pages 5-7 and decide what they would watch for the evening, and
then explain why they have made these decisions.
VARIATIONS 1. Student one will ask student two whats on TV at
various times, whats on various channels. Reverse roles. 2. Choose one
of the TV Guide and question pages, page 5, 6 or 7. Cut the sheet of
questions into strips and put them in a bag. The students take turns
picking a question and asking their partner that question. 3. Have
students make up their own TV guides or viewing lists for an evening
at home. Have them predict program content based on titles.

Reading & Writing 2004

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7:00

7:30

New Fancy
Homes

Silly
Sights

Animals
Acts

12 Hours
Later

8:00

Home
Repairs

8:30

Build a
Shed

Race the Clock

Big
Elephants

9:00

Fix It Up

9:30

Handyman Connection

Chicago
Cops

Baseball: Montreal vs. New York

10:30

Garage
Repairs

Movie: Ghoulish Ghosts

Movie: Huckleberry Finn

News: Special Report

10:00

The Law and You

Lets Talk About Issues

The
Nightly
News

Sports Bloopers

Ski Finals

12

Dating Connection

Love Strings

Dr. Deb on Marriage

15

Bugs in the Garden

Ill Paint Your House

Planting Flowers

What time is Dr. Deb on?

Whats on at 8 oclock?

Is there a baseball game tonight?

What are the movies tonight?

Are there any nature programs on?

What teams are playing baseball?

What time is Handyman Connection on?

When does the Huckleberry Finn movie end?

How long is Ghoulish Ghosts on?

What do you want to watch?

Is there a police program on?

Is there a show about skiing tonight?

What channel is Love Strings on?

What time is The Nightly News on?

Is there a gardening program on?

Are there any scary movies on?

Are there any funny shows on?

What can we watch at 9:30?

I like dating shows. Are there any dating

shows on?

I like shows about bugs. Is there anything

about bugs on?

Reading & Writing 2004

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7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

Homes with Class

Bathroom
Renovations

Travel to Thailand

Trivia Challenge

Top Hits

Weather
Report

9:30

Build a
Deck

10:00

10:30

Jigsaw Magic

Your Health

Movie: My Sister Falls In Love

11:00

Build a
Porch

Cops and Criminals

Train Your Pets

Seven Oclock
News

This Day in Review

Report on Crime

Legal Matters

Downhill Skiing

Golf Digest

Extreme Sports

Snowboarding

12

Dr. Joe on Relationships

Boyfriends

Find a Spouse in 5 Easy Steps

Big
Date

What time is Boyfriends on?

Whats on at 7 oclock?

Is there a baseball game tonight?

What are the movies tonight?

Are there any renovation programs on?

What time does Legal Matters start?

What time is the weather report on?

When does Extreme Sports end?

How long is the movie on?

What do you want to watch?

Is there a trivia show on?

Is there a show about golf tonight?

What channel is Love Strings on?

What time is Your Health on?

Is there a gardening program on?

Is there a romantic movie on?

Are there any funny shows on?

What can we watch at 10:30?

I like sports shows. Are there any sports

shows on?

I like shows about travel. Is there anything

about travel on?

Reading & Writing 2004

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7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

Plumbing in an
Hour

New Home Review

My Uncle the Cow

Kissing Cousins

Music
Video
Review

The Exciting
Game Show

City News

World Issues

Wembly Horse
Show

Ski Moguls

Angry People

Build a
Deck

10:00

10:30

Renovation Woman

11:00

Backyard
Barbeque

How to Marry a Hunk

Movie: Super Hero

12

9:30

Divorce
Court

Courtroom Capers

Legal Loopholes

Police Report

Baseball: Washington vs. Chicago

Mate Match Up

Fashion Makeover

What time is My Uncle the Cow on?

What starts at 8:30?

Is there a basketball game tonight?

What are the movies tonight?

Are there any game shows on?

What teams are playing baseball?

What time is Ski Moguls on?

When does Legal Loopholes end?

How long is Angry People on?

What do you want to watch?

Is there a court program on?

Is there a show about horses tonight?

What channel is Police Report on?

What time is Mate Match Up on?

Is there a fashion program on?

Are there any action movies on?

Are there any funny shows on?

What can we watch at 7:30?

I like extreme sports. Are there any extreme

sports shows on?

I like music videos. Are there music video

programs on?

Reading & Writing 2004

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3
VOCABULARY
shirts
shorts
running shoes
boots
t-shirt
skates
pads
helmet
socks
pants
knee pads
helmet
knee pads
elbow pads

SPORTS FASHION
TOPIC Clothing and sports
OBJECTIVE Students draw a picture of an athlete and write a
description of his/her clothing and equipment.
TIME NEEDED 30 minutes.
GROUPING Any size.
LEVEL Intermediate.
MATERIALS Paper and pencil.
STRUCTURES He is wearing
.
On his feet he has
.
She has
.
PRE-TEACHING Use the pictures on the following pages and
develop a vocabulary list. Practise describing the sports outfits in the
pictures.
DIRECTIONS 1. Students are asked to draw a picture of someone
doing their favourite sport. 2. They then write a description of what
the person is wearing for the sport and any equipment used.
Some possible sports:
rowing

football

baseball

wrestling

karate

water polo

hockey

bowling

archery

dancing

gymnastics

soccer

fencing

skiing

running

VARIATIONS Hand out all the sports descriptions to members of

the class without the pictures. Have students work in partners to
draw a picture of a person as described in writing by a fellow

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