Functional Skills English

Applying Reading Skills

Reading with accuracy and

understanding

Effective readers change the way they read to suit the purpose.

Approaches:

Scanning

Our eyes move quickly over the page looking for key words.

Purpose: to look for something particular.

Useful for: e.g. using a telephone directory, timetable

Skimming

Very fast reading; missing out lots of words.

Purpose: to get a general idea

Useful for: e.g. a quick read of any written material to see if it is interesting or

relevant to us.

Light reading

Quite fast reading; taking in more detail.

Purpose: to read for pleasure.

Useful for: e.g. novels and articles.

Careful reading

Slower more concentrated reading; taking in details you need to remember.

Purpose: to gather detailed information

Useful for: e.g. reading Health and Safety guidance, following instructions, reading

important documents such as policies etc.

Scan the bus timetable information below. Highlight the two bus routes that have

been rerouted.

Changes from 07 March 2011 Routes 12 and 12A: the services are rerouted to run via Upton By-Pass, so they no longer serve a part of Arrowe Park Road, Ford Road or Upton Village. The times are changed. (Route 213 is unchanged.)

Skim the page opposite, extracted from August 2012 edition of Merseytravel’s staff

magazine ‘Connect’.

Who is the target audience for the Springboard programme?

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A little light reading…… What are Joanne Maloney’s 5 favourite things?

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Carefully read the following policy extract and answer the questions which follow.

Performance Improvement Policy

1. Purpose of Policy

This policy sets out Merseytravel’s approach to dealing with performance issues of individual employees. It is put into practice through the Performance Improvement Procedure. The aim of the policy and procedure is to ensure that performance issues are dealt with and this is done in a way that is fair and consistent with the ultimate goal of improving and sustaining performance. 2. Scope The policy covers all employees regardless of length of service or status. The policy and procedures run parallel with but separately to the disciplinary procedures. Where an issue of performance is considered to be due to a lack of capability, the Performance Improvement Procedure will be followed. Where problems with performance are linked to misconduct eg carelessness, negligence or lack of effort, these cases will be dealt with under the Disciplinary Policy & Procedures. 3. Policy Merseytravel operates under an agreed performance management framework which incorporates the managing of performance at Corporate, Directorate, Service and Individual level. The performance of individuals is key to the success of Merseytravel and to the quality of the services we provide. It is Merseytravel’s policy to ensure that the performance of individuals is managed by identifying where there are issues relating to an individual’s performance and working with the employee to identify solutions to help the employee to attain the required standards. 4. Equality Implications Merseytravel recognises that there may be underlying reasons why an employee is unable to perform their role to the required standard e.g. related to their race, gender, disability, religion, age etc. Merseytravel is committed to providing support and reasonable adjustments, wherever practicable, to allow employees to continue in their role or redeploy them in a more suitable role. Any proposed adjustments would be discussed between the manager and the employee (in consultation with the Trade Union representative, HR and other specialists as required) and adjustments made would have to be reasonable and proportionate. HR/POLICIES/PerformImprovPolicy/DB/SL/teb* 13.01.12 2

What does the Performance Improvement Policy and procedures run parallel with?

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According to policy in which two ways will Merseytravel ensure that the performance

of individuals is managed?

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List four underlying reasons why an employee may not be able to perform their role

to the required standard

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Writers use a range of techniques to help readers find information.

Examples include use of

headings and subheadings

paragraphs

bullet points, numbers or letters for lists

bold font

colour

underlining

tables, charts, pictures or diagrams

Read the charity update document which follows and find examples of each of the

listed techniques. The first one has been done for you.

Heading: Charity of the Year 2012 Calder Kids

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August 2012

CHAIR/MISC/COY-12-CalderKids-Aug12/PG/SB 31.08.12

1

Thank you to everyone who has donated to Calder Kids this month. Donations include:- (a) £474.97 Office Charity Olympics (b) £14.00 From Olympic Quiz (c) £200.00 From Elvis Tribute Night tickets (d) £20.00 From a member of the public to thank two Merseytravel staff for finding and returning his wallet (e) £160.50 August Dress Down Friday We are joining forces with Macmillan Cancer Care to take part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 28 September 2012. We will be asking for donations to “Dress Down” and there will be cakes available in Mann Island. If you would like to get involved please contact Pat or a member of the Events Team. All monies raised on the day will be divided equally between Macmillan Cancer Care and Calder Kids. Thank you to everyone who sponsored Tony Norbury on the recent Liverpool to Chester Bike Ride. We will let you know how much he raised next month – Tony will be coming round to collect in the next few weeks. The Wednesday Woollies are preparing for their Christmas sale. If you have got any wool, needles, patterns, toy stuffing, etc to donate, please contact Pat. Events 28 September 2012 – Dress Down Friday and Cakes. If you have any ideas or suggestions for fundraising, please contact Pat Gardner on 330 1286 or email pat.gardner@merseytravel.gov.uk. Thank you for your continued support.

£1k

£2k

£3k

£5k Target

£4k

£6k

£7k

£8k

£9k

£10k

£11k

£12k

Total £12,902.83

£13k

Charity of the Year 2012

Calder Kids

Different purposes of text

What is text?

Text is any piece of writing.

This could be:

a letter

an e-mail

a report

a novel

a recipe

a note

instructions for DIY

an article in a newspaper or magazine

writing on a web page or an advert.

All of these documents can be called texts.

When you are reading or writing any text it is useful to think about the purpose of the

text and why it has been written.

What might the purpose of a text be?

An advert might be trying to persuade you to buy something.

A Team Brief might be to inform you about something.

An article might describe somewhere, something or someone to you.

A Health and Safety leaflet might instruct you how to do avoid risks and hazards

Depending on the purpose of the text, different methods will be used to get the

message across to the reader.

Persuasive texts

A persuasive text is a text that really wants you to do something. For example:

an advert might want you to buy something.

Persuasive texts might use:

repeated words

texts in capital letters

exclamation marks

rhetorical questions (questions where no answer is needed)

an emotional one-sided argument

humour.

Example:

A world-class city. A world-famous ferry. This is THE

way to see Liverpool.

Hop aboard one of our daily River Explorer Cruises for stunning views, fascinating history

and unlimited sea air.

An iconic Mersey Ferry will take you on a 50-minute journey that lets you explore the River

Mersey’s rich past... and present. You’ll see the unrivalled and ever evolving UNESCO

world heritage waterfront from the deck of this famous ferry.

River Explorer Cruises depart hourly from the 3 terminals listed below and a return ticket lets

you break your journey at any one of them. They can be combined with a visit our waterfront

attractions (see below) and make a great trip for the whole family. So, start planning yours

today!

Task: Highlight examples of persuasive writing techniques in the text above.

Informative texts

An informative text is a text that wants to advise or tell you about something.

Informative texts usually:

● avoid repetition

● contain facts

● give information in a clear way – introducing the subject and then developing it.

Examples

Website information

New park and ride facilities Merseytravel, in partnership with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), are creating two new park and ride facilities on the Wirral Line at Bidston and Birkenhead North Stations providing 464 parking spaces. The new facilities, due for completion in December 2012, will provide dedicated Blue Badge parking, lighting and CCTV coverage, secure fencing and landscaping within the sites. The new park and rides will improve access onto the rail network with links to Wrexham, Birkenhead and Liverpool.

As part of their contribution to the decade of Health & Well Being JK Opticians in North John Street, Liverpool are offering Merseytravel employees free eye tests.

Clinics are held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday between 9.30am and 4.30pm.

Call 0151 227 3232 to make an appointment - quote MERSEYTRAVEL. Offer only available at North John Street branch.

Task: Highlight an example of factual information in each of the informative

text examples.

Instructive texts

An instructive text is a text that instructs or tells you how to do something. For

example:

Health and safety leaflets

Work protocols/procedures

Instructive texts:

are written as though the reader is being spoken to

use direct language and often leave out unnecessary words

often use ‘must’ and ‘must not’

sometimes use diagrams or pictures to help understanding.

Example:

Written Communication [Staff Handbook guidance] When using written communication, make sure you use plain English and are concise, with no jargon. Make sure people know how to contact you by giving your direct line and encourage them to contact you if they have any queries. All written communication must go through the Documentation Production team to ensure corporate standards.

Task: Using the bullet pointed list as guidance, highlight three examples of features of instructive writing in the text above.

Descriptive texts

A descriptive text is a text that wants you to picture what they are describing. For example:

a novel might want you to imagine the characters and see them in your mind.

a travel book will want you to see the country it is describing.

Descriptive texts will:

make use of describing words [adjectives]

use comparisons to help picture it – something is like something else

employ your five senses – how it feels, smells, looks, sounds and tastes

Examples:

Ferry cruise promotion

Fancy ‘Gentle and Relaxing’ or ‘Fun and Exciting’?

At Mersey Ferries we offer a variety of cruise options to suit the kind of Liverpool days out

that you want. Some of our special cruises also run in the evenings too. Every cruise offers

fantastic views, fresh air and that great feeling you only get on the water. Plus, take one of

our Daily River Explorer or Manchester Ship Canal Cruises, and you can also combine your

trip with a visit to Liverpool attractions along the riverside, including The Beatles Story,

Spaceport and U-boat Story.

The Daily River Explorer Cruise runs year-round and is a fantastic way for the whole

family to see Liverpool’s world-famous waterfront. The cruise includes a full

commentary and runs between our 3 terminal locations: Liverpool’s Pier Head, plus

Seacombe and Woodside on the Wirral. Total journey time is 50 minutes, with the

option to break and re-start your journey at any terminal throughout the day for visits

to riverside attractions.

Our Manchester Ship Canal Cruise runs between April and October. On your

departure from Seacombe & Woodside on the Wirral or Salford Quays you’ll be

treated to a magnificent 6-hour cruise along one of Britain’s most historic waterways.

This cruise includes a stopover at either Liverpool or the vibrant Salford Quays and

includes return transfer by bus.

Task: Find and highlight 2 describing words used in the text above

Interpreting what you read.

Fact or opinion?

Things are often written as opinions rather than facts.

Examples

Liverpool has the most exciting football team in the country.

Opinion: a view not based on fact.

Liverpool is a city in the North West of England.

Fact: something that is known to be true.

Opinions can be biased depending on the view point of the writer.

Example

Liverpool is the worst team in the premier league.

Biased opinion written by an Everton supporter.

No1 Mann Island is a fine example of modern architecture

Biased opinion by whoever designed the building.

Pun

A pun is a humorous play on words having a similar sound but different meanings.

They are often used in newspaper/magazine headlines to attract the readers’ eye.

Example

Fair deal demanded

Bus passengers marched on transport offices and asked for cheaper fares.

Fare and fair have the same pronunciation.

Fare is the price a passenger pays. Fair means just.

Read the 6 sentences below. Highlight any which contain an opinion.

There are two tunnels linking Liverpool and the Wirral.

The tunnels are called Kingsway and Queensway.

They are the best way to cross the Mersey.

Ferries regularly cross the Mersey.

It is the most enjoyable form of transport.

One of the ferries is called ‘The Royal Iris’

Find and explain the pun in each of the sentences below.

Go On line shopping- IT’s Christmas

Merseyrail-On track for record passenger numbers