Intermediate English reading
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Reading texts for intermediate English - CEF levels B1 and B2
1. topics about life in britain, britain in general.
- NEW Charles III, his coronation and the future New audio
- NEW London Fashion - London is the world capital of fashion
- NEW Remembering Queen Elizabeth - simple English New audio
- NEW Britain's new king With audio - Queen Elizabeth II has died. God save the King.
- The Commonwealth . After the United Nations, it is the world's largest grouping of nations ..
- Britain - a nation of cat-lovers - New audio A touching story about an old lady and her cats: interactive
- The tradition of Christmas cards . People have been sending Xmas cards in England since 1843.
- Christmas in England With audio - Christmas is the biggest... and longest... festival in the year.
- Christmas shopping For many people, it is the most important aspect of Christmas.
- Britain, that island With audio - Why did Britain vote for Brexit? Is Britain really so different ? Easy intermediate English
- Living in the Highlands. What is it like to live in the Highlands of Scotland, specially for young people?
- The wind farm controversy - Conservationists oppose plans to modernise a wind farm.
- Moving to the Country - With audio More and more people want to live the rural life, but....
- Leaving home - Leaving home is part of the teenage dream, particularly in Britain. But the dream is often a long way from reality.
- Black and British; an extended document . A full Focus on minorities in Britain.
- No more Fish 'n' Chips? a look at Britain's original fast food
- Scouting moves ahead . The scout movement is over 100 years old, and still going strong.
- English ghost stories New audio Fact or fiction?
- The Mother of Parliaments! The English / British parliament is almost 1000 years old.
- Cambridge new and old - The historic university city is the heart of Britain's "Silicon Fen".
- NEW Polluting for pleasure ? - B1 - a dialogue in simple English
- Pollution - someone else's problem - a humorous dialogue on a serious subject.
- Dialogue: School uniforms With audio - British school pupils discuss the pros and the cons
- Dialogue: Work British school pupils talk about work
- Dialogue: Drugs British school pupils discuss drugs – now less cool than they used to be
- Dialogue: Talking about "culture" What is culture? And do teenagers get enough of it?
- Dialogue: Are you a brand slave? British teens discuss designer clothes
- Dialogue: Fast food, OK ? With audio - British teens discuss fast food.
- NEW Black taxis going green . London's iconic black taxis are changing.
- My name is Bond . An imaginary interview with James Bond.
- New Life for Big Ben. With audio . London's iconic clock is being renovated.
- Charlie Chaplin and the Little Tramp . A classic story of "rags to riches".
- Sherlock Holmes is getting old - The famous detective first appeared in 1887. - over 130 years ago.
- Still No. 1 in 2023 ! Music : the Beatles - Fifty years on, they are still among the best-selling groups in the world.
- Robin Hood - Fact or fiction ? Did this popular hero really exist?
- The Loch Ness Monster - does it really exist?
- Who is James Bond ?
- The story of the BBC - Britain's main broadcaster is one of the most important in the world
- The men who guard the King With audio - who are the red-coated guards outside Buckingham Palace ?
- New Life for Big Ben. With audio . London's iconic clock has been renovated.
- London in the Sea ? - Britain's capital city is at serious risk from rising sea levels.
- The story of London - Britain's capital city, once the biggest city in the world, is over 2000 years old.
- Big red London buses With audio - the story of London's famous routemaster buses
- London : Madame Tussaud's - Where you can be sure to see the celebrities every day
- London: the Lord Mayor's show . One of the biggest free shows in the world.
- London: the Great River Race London's other marathon
- Britain: sport cuts crime. In Bristol, a new football league is making its mark
- Sport: The story of the Derby - With audio - The oldest and most famous horse race in the world.
- Sport: The story of football and rugby - and how football came from England to Brazil.
- More resources coming
2. Topics with a North-American theme
- NEW American Indians - New audio - Also known as Native Americans, they are the original inhabitants of the USA
- Alcohol, Prohibition and Al Capone B1 level, a simple but interesting text with interactive worksheet.
- Profession : Cowboy New audio There are still cowboys working today in the American west
- George Washington - With audio - the story of America's first president
- Hollywood & Superheroes New audio
- USA: Still looking for Gold Out west, the gold rush is not yet over...
- USA: who was Buffalo Bill? With audio - Remembering one of America's great folk heroes .
- USA: Team sports, American style Why do the USA and Europe have different sports?
- Elvis - he's still the "King" and his home Graceland, in Memphis, is a major tourist attraction.
- The story of Silicon Valley What is Silicon valley, where is it, and why ?
- The story of Coca-Cola. New audio The name "Coca-Cola" is the best-known name in the whole world.
- The story of Blue Jeans. The world's most popular garment was first created in 1873
- Hollywood - its life and times A short story of Hollywood, in easy English.
- America's oil - a love affair Americans use a lot of energy; but the cost of oil is going up.
- USA: Winter sports USA Americans love winter sports, because their winters are so cold
- USA: Close encounters with a Twister - A tornado strikes....
- Go West, young man! The phrase that built America - With audio
- Plastic pollution; how can we stop it? - With audio
3. Other resources - short stories, technical English, songs, cartoons
- Looking for the yeti . Does this legendary creature really exist ?
- Humour and jokes . in easy English
Short stories - teenage fiction ( ► see also short stories )
- NEW Short story: Dr. Trelew's Encounter - (B1) a Victorian mystery with worksheet and audio
- NEW Short story: Dance Macabre - (B1) a short story from the USA with worksheets and audio
- NEW Short story: Driftwood - (B2) a short story from England with worksheet and audio
- Short story: the Wimp . Teenage fiction, in two parts, with worksheets and audio
- Short Story - The Girl in the Denim Jacket , a story in two parts with worksheets and audio
- Short Story - The Trap , a story in two parts
- Mystery : The Titanic and the Temple of Doom Did this really happen ?
- Short story: the Box - a short story in two parts with worksheets and audio
- Short Story - One Foggy Night - teenage fiction - a short story in two parts with worksheets and audio
- Short Story - The path to High Crag , a story in two parts
- Song: I would if I could. An English learning song; theme, modal verbs (+ audio )
- Song: the Titanic. A popular folk song, with words (+ audio )
Technical subjects
- NEW Storing electricity - the big challenge . The sun doesn't shine at night, and sometimes the wind stops blowing....
- NEW Climate change: can we stop it ? - Or are we heading for disaster? With audio
- Polluting for pleasure ? - a dialogue in simple English
- Short text: The car of the future? An easy text in semi-technical English. With audio
- Will there be life after oil? What will happen when the oil runs out ? With audio
- Short text: Holidays in space With audio An easy text in semi-technical English
- The story of Silicon Valley What is Silicon valley, where is it, and why ?
- Short text: Living without energy A short text in semi-technical English
- The legendary Mini Cooper - Semi-technical English
- The story of the bicycle - semi technical English
- Cartoon - MacBrain & MacBrawn 1 - Fiona McBelle - MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 2 : A Walk in the hills MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 3 : The Sales MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 4 : Wishful thinking MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 5 : The motorbike MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 6 : Another dinner date MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 7 : African safari ? MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 8 : A new job... MacBrain & MacBrawn - cartoon 9 : Hang-gliding champion... and more to come.
4. Go to > Intermediate Puzzles and word games
English for a2 b1 and b2 levels. intermediate english reading resources .
Simplified English ?
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22 Effective ESL Reading Activities Your Students Will Love
Do your ESL students sometimes struggle to understand what they’ve read?
Reading comprehension is notoriously difficult for students to learn and for teachers to teach. You have to make it interesting and effective. Otherwise, your students will lose interest and get discouraged from reading in English altogether.
In this post, I’ve compiled 22 awesome and effective ESL reading comprehension activities that your students will surely enjoy. Some are straightforward, while others require a bit of preparation prior to the main activity.
1. Pick the Right Word: Which Is It?
2. picture quiz: brown bear, what do you see, 3. connect the dots: this word goes with that picture, 4. sequence: putting humpty dumpty back together, 5. story retelling: showtime, 6. cause and effect: who solves the mystery, 7. following directions: it’s a treasure hunt, 8. multiple-choice: get it right, 9. short answers: a story within a story, 10. vocabulary focus: show and tell, 11. decoding idioms: guess what the phrase means, 12. question time: prep for the real work, 13. read and repeat: get pronunciation down pat, 14. paragraph summary: tell it another way, 15. quiz writing and giving: stump your classmates, 16. true or false: give me a thumbs-up (or down), 17. puzzle making: cut and paste, 18. taboo: don’t say that, 19. class discussions: talk it out, 20. class debates: fight it out, 21. class presentations: in-class ted talks, 22. class presentations redux: tell me about [a favorite topic], why do esl reading comprehension activities.
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Most ESL reading activities designed to test comprehension look like this:
Sarah went to the (beach/park). There, she met a friend who went to (science class/summer camp) two years ago.
You can usually find exercises like this for free on K12Reader.com and Mr. Nussbaum.com , so you don’t need to spend time making them on your own.
They’re rather cut-and-dry as far as exercises go, but if you’re new to giving out ESL reading comprehension activities or are looking for a safe option, you can always fall back on this one.
If you’re looking for a more creative version of “Pick the Right Word,” you can also craft an ESL reading comprehension activity that doesn’t necessarily involve words and sentences (as strange as that might sound).
Instead of giving students two options to choose from or having them fill in the blanks, you can give them a bunch of pictures and have them do some matching.
Using the example above ( Sarah went to the (beach/park) . ..), you can label several pictures as A, B, C and D. Picture A can be a beach, Picture B can be a park and so on. Students can then sort through the pictures, and write the correct letter corresponding to the correct image in the blank space.
Alternatively, you could also use “Connect the Dots” for the same exercise above. This works especially well with younger ESL learners, who’ll be more appreciative of colorful pictures accompanying their learning activities.
Feel free to throw in an irrelevant picture or two to make the activity a tad more tricky and interesting. It’ll also more accurately gauge whether your students actually understand the answers they’re giving out or are just guessing them.
Nursery rhymes like “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall” are engaging for ESL learners of any age.
For this activity, use pictures to retell the story and help your students remember the main plot points, characters and events of the text.
Preparation
- Create copies of two stories. Make sure each is single-spaced and printed on a separate piece of paper. Label each story “Story 1” and “Story 2.”
- Make a worksheet of a bunch of pictures (related to the stories you’ve created) labeled with either numbers or letters. Make sure there are spaces or lines immediately below the pictures where your students can write their answers. Depending on your class’s level, you can turn the labeling exercise into the perfect drill for practicing spelling and sentence construction.
- Give your students the picture worksheet, and talk about what’s happening in each picture.
- Ask your students to turn over the picture worksheet, and hand out the two stories to read.
- After the students have finished reading, have them flip the papers with the stories over to the blank back side. Without looking at the story, students should cut out the pictures, and glue them to the back of the right story in chronological order.
If you need some inspiration for fantastic picture reading comprehension worksheets, try ESlFlow.com . There are also some interesting picture worksheets on Cal.org that focus specifically on health literacy for ESL adults .
You’ll probably find that it’s easier and more fun to find a story online, and download images from Google to make your own picture stories.
Story retelling involves reading a text or story and then acting it out to other students. If you have students who love role play, they’ll enjoy this one and similar activities .
- Choose from any of these short stories for ESL students , print them out and make enough copies for the whole class.
- Divide students into small groups. Make sure the size of each group matches the number of characters in the stories you’re handing out.
- Give each group a different story that they’ll need to act out in front of the class.
- Prepare (or have your students prepare) a list of short answers/multiple choice/true or false questions to engage the audience and evaluate how well the actors captured the events of the story.
- Once everything is set, it’s showtime!
Cause and effect questions help students think outside the box and better understand the ripple effect of events.
Text materials that have a mysterious plot or historical background are excellent choices, because they require students to understand the context of the mystery, the clues and the characters to fully appreciate the thrills of crime solving.
For example, you can read this interesting crime scene together with your students in class. Your objective with this activity is to answer the final question: Why isn’t Inspector Coderre satisfied with Ms. Webb’s version of the event?
- Divide students into groups.
- Create a cause and effect map to capture the first part of Ms. Webb’s testimony, which ends right before the sentence, “The inspector was very sympathetic and told her that it was very natural to not want to damage somebody’s property.” For example, you can write something like “ (effect) Ms. Webb could see the study room → it was well-lit. (cause) ” or “ (cause) Ms. Webb broke a small window → to get into the house. (effect) ” It doesn’t matter how you order the cause and effect—the point is to help students notice details in the story and make an effective analysis.
- Ask the students to identify the part of the testimony that made the detective lose his sympathy. Analyze that testimonial section with another cause and effect chart. Do they notice any inconsistencies?
- Discuss the students’ findings in class or in small groups.
You don’t have to limit ESL reading comprehension activities to short stories. You can also facilitate hands-on activities to encourage your students to read, such as this treasure hunt game.
- Create a map. It can be hand-drawn or printed. Give unique names to the basic geographic features of the classroom/schoolyard, so students can navigate the “rainforest” or “dark caves” without getting lost.
- Put together a clue sheet to help locate the treasure. It should be filled with hints, codes and even secret messages for students to decode. For example, if you hid a diamond playing card on the third shelf of a bookcase in the corner, you can give the following clue: It stands in a corner with lots of pages for you to read. The diamond is on the third floor and right under a fairy tale.
- Hide different treasures (cards, small balls and beanies) in the classroom or schoolyard.
- Divide your students into groups.
- Give them the map and clue sheet to locate the treasure.
- The first group that finds their treasure wins the game. But they’re always welcome to join other teams to help them find their treasures, too!
Multiple-choice is a classic, wonderful way to ease your students into new material. It’s also excellent for building much-needed confidence before moving on to more challenging ways of checking reading comprehension.
You’ll want to use “scaling” in your multiple choice questions—i.e., making each question slightly more difficult than the one before it. This way, your students will be challenged just enough to keep going.
To get started:
- Ask students to read a short story, article or blog post.
- Give them a few concise multiple-choice questions afterward.
- Go over the questions and answers as a class.
In this activity, your aim is to get students to dig deeper beneath the surface of what they’re reading. You want them to go beyond answering questions about the events and characters in the story, and talk about related topics as well.
For example, if a short story features lovers who are of the same gender, the students might want to formulate short answers about the concept of homosexuality. (Of course, if this is a taboo topic in the area where you’re teaching, or your students aren’t at the level where they can talk about such topics yet, you may want to pick an easier subject that’s less emotionally charged or controversial.)
There are a lot of ways to go about this activity. You can:
- Give students time to read the story in class.
- Assign the story as homework.
- Pair students up, and have them develop short answers together.
- Have pairs read their short answers to other pairs.
This exercise is a great way to put some of your students’ newly learned words to good use. Plus, you don’t have to search far for new words—the ones that appear in the assigned reading will do.
All you have to do is:
- Pair students up.
- Have them underline key words in the target text.
- Have them look up any words they don’t know.
- Have students present their vocabulary terms to their classmates.
Decoding phrases, especially idioms, can be tricky for most students. That’s why it’s a good idea to devote an entire activity to this concept alone.
- Scan the assigned or target text for idioms that may be difficult to decode based on context alone.
- Compile these words and phrases, and print them on a worksheet.
- Ask your students to read the collection of phrases, and have them write down or discuss what they think the phrases mean. Be careful not to use too many phrases, or you’ll bore the life out of your students and discourage them from reading the assigned or target text further.
- Once everyone is done, explain the phrases to the students. If you speak your students’ mother tongue, you can also judiciously use the bilingual method of teaching English . Ask them if they have similar idioms in their language.
- Challenge your students to write sentences using the new idioms, either in class or for homework. This allows you to check for comprehension and tweak accordingly.
Often, ESL reading activities involve answering questions after the text has been read. For this activity, it’ll be the other way around.
Pre-reading questions are great for reading comprehension because:
- They orient the reader to the genre, topic and purpose of the text.
- They allow the reader to activate their knowledge of related vocabulary, and glean the key words and phrases they should seek to understand in the reading.
- They provide a focus for the reading of the text, so students know what information is important and what isn’t.
- They save a ton of time during reading comprehension tests.
Encourage your students to underline key words and phrases, and make notes and translations where necessary. This will help them avoid the common error of not answering the question as it’s written on the paper. A little time spent going over their notes here can improve the overall accuracy and relevance of their answers.
Reading comprehension work gives you an excellent opportunity to get in some pronunciation activities for your ESL students . These will enhance their speaking and listening skills all at once.
For example, when working on a text in class, you can:
- Read a sentence in the target text.
- Have the students repeat the sentence after you, paying close attention to their pronunciation.
- If you notice anything off about their pronunciation, give them gentle feedback .
- Once you’ve worked through the entire piece, have the students read it back to you paragraph by paragraph. Again, take the opportunity to correct where necessary.
Similar to the short answer activity discussed earlier, paragraph summary activities can challenge your students and help them develop their unique English voices.
This activity could be done post-reading, but it’s also an excellent way to ensure comprehension as you work through the text with your students.
- Put students in groups.
- Give them the text as you usually would.
- Encourage your students to take notes, annotate and underline as they go. Ask them to talk about any personal connections that they have to the topic(s), or to put themselves in the shoes of someone featured in the text. Students will benefit from relating what they’ve learned to their own lives.
- At the end of a paragraph (or suitable portion of the text), have the students summarize what they’ve read in their own words. They should be instructed to write it out in no more than four or five sentences. Encourage them to use different words and sentence constructions.
- Have them present their summaries to the class. The presentations can last from 30 seconds to a minute each.
- Answer any questions that arise.
A fun post-reading activity is to have a quiz based on the reading comprehension text.
Students generally get lots of opportunities to answer questions in class, but not as many to ask them. Try checking their comprehension by having them ask their classmates questions about the passage they’ve read.
I’ll go into the specific quiz formats later, but the activity will generally go like this:
- Have them create a quiz for the other groups.
- Have the groups grade the quizzes.
- Discuss the quiz questions and answers as a class.
The quizzes don’t have to be in the usual pen-and-paper format. They can also come in the form of an:
- Oral quiz. This gives the students an opportunity to use their new vocabulary in speech.
- Game show quiz. Set up a game resembling “Jeopardy!,” or choose from any other famous TV game show to model your quiz on.
True or false is yet another standard classroom activity that can be made fun for your ESL classroom.
- Take your featured text, and create a good number of “yes or no” questions about it. Each question should be relatively simple, covering the main topic, events, themes, characters and anything else described in the text.
- Read the questions out loud while students follow along on a worksheet. Have the students respond to the statements by giving a thumbs-up for a true statement or a thumbs-down for a false statement. This allows you to easily spot the students who are struggling to understand the piece and support them accordingly.
For longer and more complex pieces, you can review the true or false statements at the end of each paragraph or page, instead of the end like you would with simpler pieces.
This could be done as a pre- or post-reading activity and works best in groups.
- Photocopy the passage, and cut it into pieces. Chunks of one or two paragraphs are best.
- Get your students to put the reading together.
You could also do a cloze reading exercise like so:
- From the reading, choose topic sentences that you want your students to work on.
- Using your word processor software (like Microsoft Word or Google Docs ), type or copy-and-paste the topic sentences into a blank page.
- From the sentences, cut the words you want your students to work on, and paste them at the bottom of the page. Replace the cut words in the sentences with blanks.
- Let your students fill out the blanks using the words pasted at the bottom of the page.
Luckily, here are some ready-to-use cloze activities on different topics you can swipe from.
Taboo is arguably the best game for practicing vocabulary and livening up your lesson. If you haven’t heard of it before, it essentially involves a student explaining what the key word they’re thinking of means without using the key word itself or synonyms of any kind.
Here’s another variation:
- Put students in groups of four to five members.
- One student goes first. They draw their key word on the board. If the word is “financial,” the student won’t be able to say “bank,” “money” or “financial.” They can only make gestures or add details to their drawing.
- The student who guesses which word fits the drawing gets a point.
Class discussions can take place before or after your ESL reading activities.
If you’re doing it beforehand, your goal should be to engage the students and activate their current vocabulary, getting them to talk in broad terms about the topic they’ll be reading.
For example, if the text will be about tourism, kickstart a discussion with questions like:
- What are the benefits of a strong tourism industry?
- What are the best tourist destinations in their home country, and why?
- What are major problems for tourism for their home country?
You can put these questions on a worksheet with ample space for brainstorming and forming opinions independently.
Alternatively, you could divide students into pairs or small groups to discuss the topic before reading the text. Since you’re already familiar with the text they’ll be looking at, you can skillfully and subtly steer the conversation into issues and areas related to the gist of the text to come.
If you’re doing post-reading discussions, you can use questions from ESL textbooks , come up with your own questions or—if your students are at a high enough level—have them come up with the questions themselves.
- Have them write two to three discussion questions.
- Use the questions as a basis for class discussion.
For some fantastic ESL-oriented discussion questions on a variety of topics, click right here .
If the passage is about something topical, you could use it to organize a debate.
There are many ways to structure a class debate, but the one I usually use is pretty simple:
- One-minute argument
- One-minute rebuttal
- The facilitator (usually you or a capable student) gives feedback.
Suitable for intermediate to advanced students, a debate offers a platform to share opinions about a given topic. Often, with a little imagination, a reading comprehension topic can segue into a debate topic relevant to the students’ own lives.
You know how watching a TED Talk often leaves you with a feeling that you’ve learned something new or even life-changing afterward? Recreate that format in class to further boost reading comprehension.
For example, if the class just read an article about the qualities of a good brand, the students could deliver two-minute presentations about their favorite brand and what makes it special.
To make the most of these in-class TED Talks:
- Show them a relevant TED Talk in class, so they can get the hang of the format.
- Give students time to create their own TED Talks. You could also assign it as a homework assignment instead.
- Decide whether the TED Talk should be done individually or in groups. Both work well enough, in my experience.
Then again, your students might feel intimidated at the thought of having to recreate presentations that are given by big-name personalities and watched by millions of people around the world.
In that case, it’s okay to take a more down-to-earth approach to presentations. Give your students a bit more leeway with the format. Better yet, let them have the freedom to talk about any topic they choose.
This way, they’ll make more of an effort to communicate their passion for something in English. They’ll also have a solid incentive to brush up on the necessary vocabulary and express themselves in colorful ways. Watch them come alive as they talk about the things that matter the most to them.
- Reading doesn’t only teach ESL students grammar, word usage and sentence structure. It also enables them to acquire new information about the culture surrounding their target language.
- Reading helps students see how English is communicated through writing. As you know, good writing and being a good reader go hand in hand.
- Reading comprehension activities help students test their understanding of words in a written context. At the same time, they can get the most out of their reading assignments.
While you’ve undoubtedly used conventional tests to quiz your students, there are ways to make reading comprehension activities effective without relying on the same old methods.
For example, you can:
- Have your students listen to ESL podcasts . Some of them have transcripts, so students could read those first, then listen to the episode afterward and combine listening and reading comprehension.
- Use videos with subtitles in your classroom for a fun twist on reading comprehension. The key is to use videos that have subtitles, like YouTube and FluentU , the latter of which has authentic videos with accurate transcripts. Have students read the transcript first, then play the video in class.
Sure, there’s a time for your students to read for pleasure outside the classroom. However, in-class reading comprehension activities maximize the benefits of reading by making it more relevant and personal to them.
Also, as their teacher, you’ll have opportunities to clarify misunderstandings and ambiguities, as well as enhance students’ vocabulary, word usage and interpretation skills.
With a few dashes of entertainment and creativity here and there, your ESL students will come to love reading in English beyond its educational benefits.
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12 Fun ESL Reading Comprehension Activities for All Levels!
Krzl light nuñes.
- May 30, 2023
Reading is essential to boost your English learners’ skills, so ESL reading comprehension activities are vital to your students’ success. Some students may not be fond of reading or are daunted by the thought of running into unfamiliar words or phrases, but fret not! We’ve got ESL reading comprehension activities that make reading fun and engaging for different types of English students. So without further ado, let’s dive in to some ESL reading comprehension exercises and activities!
Are you a teacher of young learners? Learn about the power of storytelling for young learners in the ESL classroom.
Table of Contents
How do you make your reading comprehension fun in ESL classes?
When it comes to practicing reading comprehension in English classes, it’s not uncommon for some students to think that this activity only involves reading long texts, learning new words, and answering a couple of questions. While they do help your students practice skimming, scanning, inferring information, and many other skills, ESL reading comprehension activities don’t have to be boring at all! Here are some tips on how you can turn your reading comprehension activity from mundane to fun and engaging.
Make your reading comprehension time more engaging by turning it into games or activities that will have learners compete (in a friendly way). Instead of sticking to the usual handouts and ESL reading comprehension worksheets, you can come up with races, challenges, and many other interactive activities that will make your class more memorable and worthwhile.
Even adult learners of Business English love a good game. Learn more with 10 Fun & Easy Games for Teaching Business English to Adults.
Choose activities that will build important skills.
There’s more to reading comprehension than just answering questions – it also trains students to develop reading skills, such as summarizing, sequencing, drawing conclusions, and solving problems. As you develop your reading comprehension activities, you can vary them based on the skills you’d like your students to work on. For instance, you can choose a game wherein students have to order events or create the correct sequence of a story they’ve just read. Over time, students learn to move into higher-order thinking skills related to critical thinking .
In addition, a lot of these reading skills also serve as strategies when your learners are preparing for English proficiency tests such as the PTE , IELTS , and TOEFL . The reading sections of these exams typically involve long texts and various types of questions, such as finding the main idea and identifying key information, so you’ll definitely want to prepare your students for these tasks!
Use realia and visual aids.
Bring your reading comprehension activities to life with realia and visual aids such as pictures, props, diagrams, timelines, and other tools – they not only make your class activities more colorful and engaging but also help your learners comprehend what they’ve read more easily, especially if they are visual learners. Also, instead of you writing or illustrating on the board (or virtual whiteboard) all the time, you can have students do these tasks for a more interactive experience.
What activities help with reading comprehension?
As long as your students are able to learn and understand your reading activity and there is a lot of interaction involved in the class, you can create your own reading comprehension tasks. Here are some activity ideas you can get inspiration from and tweak depending on the kind of learners you have:
- Pre-reading vocabulary games (search for the synonym, word hunt, word pairs)
- True/false type of activities (guessing games, races)
- Sequencing activities (drawing, picture story, puzzles)
- Retelling activities (role-plays, summarizing a story)
- Making predictions (guessing games, charts)
Do you have students who struggle with new vocabulary? Learn some top methods for introducing new ESL vocabulary words.
ESL reading comprehension activities for beginners
Here are some ESL reading comprehension activities and exercises your beginner learners will enjoy.
True or False Race
What you’ll need: four cards, two with “true” written on them and the other two with “false”
How to do it: In this game, the students compete to win as many points as possible. After the class reads the text, divide the class into two groups. Give each group a pair of “true” and “false” cards. Then, tell them that you will read out a statement based on the text they’ve read and they have to raise the correct card. The first person who raises the correct card wins a point.
Online variation: You can create your own true or false games on free, game-based learning platforms like Kahoot!
Fun Story Elements
What you’ll need: a whiteboard, small cards to draw on
How to do it: On the cards, draw different symbols or shapes (e.g., a heart, a circle, a smiley, etc.). Then, assign a story element to each one (e.g., heart=setting; circle=main characters). After reading the story, have each student pick a card from the pile. Then, they have to identify the story element based on the card they’ve gotten.
Online variation: You can use the virtual whiteboard on Zoom or Skype or make use of Google Jamboard . You can also create online cards using digital flashcard maker platforms .
Draw the Character
What you’ll need: a sheet of paper, pencils and/or coloring materials
How to do it: This activity can usually be done after reading a story, but you can also use it for other types of texts such as news articles and biographies. After having the class read the text, tell the students that they’ll have to draw their version of the character in the story. Give them some minutes to create their drawings, which they’ll have to present to the class afterward.
Vocabulary Bingo
What you’ll need: a whiteboard, Bingo cards (4 x 4)
How to do it: For this pre-reading vocabulary activity, you’ll have to choose 16 words from the text and find a synonym for each. Write the synonyms on the board and have the students write the words in the boxes of their Bingo cards. Next, read out a word from the text. The students then have to look for the synonym of the word you’ve read and cross it out on their Bingo cards. The first student who completes a straight vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line with four boxes should shout “Bingo” to win.
ESL reading comprehension activities for intermediate learners
Here are some ESL reading comprehension exercises and activities that will engage your intermediate learners.
What you’ll need: a whiteboard, paper strips or small cards to write on
How to do it: You can do this activity after reading a story, a news report, or any type of narrative text. On the board, create a timeline – you can write the dates or days in the story to guide the students. Then, on the strips of paper, write down the events described in the text.
After reading the story, have the students pick a strip of paper and place it on the correct date on the timeline. For bigger groups, you can create two copies of the paper strips, and then divide the students into two groups. Afterward, tell the groups that they have to construct the timeline of the story as a group, and the first one to complete it wins!
Online variation: You can create the timeline on a virtual whiteboard and have students take turns filling in the events correctly as you read them aloud.
Text Scavenger Hunt
What you’ll need: a whiteboard
How to do it: Prepare challenges or questions that will have students “hunt” for key information in an article or text. These can be challenges related to vocabulary (e.g., “Look for the synonym of ‘pretty’ in the first paragraph”) or finding key information (e.g., “Where did Joe go on Friday night?”).
After reading the text, tell the students that you will read out the question or challenge and they’ll have to write their answers in their notebook or on a sheet of paper. Then, announce the correct answer, and the students will confirm whether they’ve found the right information. Correct answers will earn a point, and you can keep track of the students’ points by writing them on the board.
Roll & Recall
What you’ll need: a dice
How to do it: Create six comprehension check questions about the text the students are going to read. Assign each question to a number (one to six) After reading, ask a student to roll the dice. Match the question with the number that the dice lands on. The student will then answer the question.
Online variation: For games like this that require dice, you can use virtual dice .
Summary Sentence Puzzles
What you’ll need : small strips of paper
How to do it: For this game, make sure to divide the text into small paragraphs. Then, write the summary of each paragraph on a strip of paper, and cut it out in between the words so that it becomes a sort of puzzle (don’t forget to keep the puzzle groups separated). Then, after reading the text, give the students a puzzle group and have them rearrange the words so that they create a complete sentence. Finally, the students have to match the sentence with the right paragraph it summarizes.
Online variation: You can use a virtual whiteboard and move words around to form sentences as a whole class.
Get more fun ESL games and activities for kids and teens.
ESL reading comprehension activities for advanced learners
Lastly, here are some reading comprehension exercises and activities to engage your advanced learners.
Predictions
How to do it: This activity is best done for reading involving long stories or other types of sequential texts. Divide the text that you’ll read in class into three or four parts (make sure the students can see only one part at a time). Then, read the first part of the text. Afterward, ask the students for their predictions for the second part. Write their predictions on the board. Then, continue reading the next part of the story. Check the predictions of each student. The predictions that are close to what is written in the text win a point.
20 Questions
What you’ll need: This activity doesn’t require any special materials or props, but students need to have a notebook or a sheet of paper to write their questions on.
How to do it: This activity can be applied to any type of text. After reading the text, students take turns asking their classmates questions related to the text. In turn, the other student has to answer the question. The teacher can write the questions on the board until the class has created a total of 20 questions.
Detective for a Day
What you’ll need: printed or digital handouts containing the mystery questions
How to do it: This activity can be done using any text, as its goal is to build your students’ skills in identifying key information and making inferences. Divide the text into three or four sections, and then tell the students that they’ll be solving different mysteries as you they go along the story.
Before the reading activity, prepare “mysteries” that the students have to solve. Create questions that will have students identify key characters, solve problems, or order the events in the text. Once the students have answered all the questions correctly, you can write (or stamp, if possible) “Case Closed” on the paper and give them the green light to go to the next round.
What you’ll need: This won’t require special materials either, but students can use any props they see fit!
How to do it: You can do this activity with a group of students using any type of narrative text. After reading, the students have to create a role-play of their own or a dialogue based on the story they’ve just read. Then, they’ll have to act it out (or read the dialogue) in front of the class.
No matter how challenging reading comprehension activities may seem, there’s always a way to make them more manageable and enjoyable. By trying out the activities above or creating your own reading comprehension activities, your students will see reading comprehension in a different light and will surely look forward to the next assignment!
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Back in her hometown in the Philippines, Krzl worked as a writer at a TV station before moving to Chile. After she completed her TESOL certification, she worked for language institutes and then decided to become an independent English teacher to business professionals. When she’s not giving classes, she’s either surfing along Chile’s long stretch of coastline, traveling, or practicing photography by the beach.
Reading Comprehension Exercises - Pre-Intermediate
The Party A short description of a party with some famous guests. Some phrases have been taken out. Find the correct place for them to complete the story. Exercise Number: 2R1
Confused Letter Use the missing paragraphs to fill in the spaces in this letter from Mike about his vacation in Europe. Exercise Number: 2R2
Caribbean Cruise Read the advert for the cruise, then answer the true/false questions. Exercise Number: 2R3
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The Silver Glove Film critics give their opinion of the latest pirate film. Exercise Number: 2R4
Just Married Read about the newly weds, then answer the true/false questions. Exercise Number: 2R5
English Town A new type of town in China. Exercise Number: 2R6
Pen Pals A letter from one friend to another. Exercise Number: 2R7
Eating Out Four people talk about the last time they went out to eat. Exercise Number: 2R8
The Circus: Superlatives and Comparatives A reading about a circus and some true/false questions - and good practice of comparatives and superlatives too. Exercise Number: 2R9
Black Hollywood Read this movie review about an exciting film.
Vocabulary Definition Quiz Read the definitions of words used in the text. Exercise Number: 2R10
Reading Comprehension Multiple Choice Answer these multiple choice questions about the text. Exercise Number: 2R11
Aunt Helen's House Read about a strange house.
Multiple Choice Questions Multiple choice quiz. Exercise Number: 2R12
The Scotland Trip Read the instructions for the trip to Scotland.
Multiple Choice Questions Read each sentence about the reading and decide if it's true, false or not stated. Exercise Number: 2R13
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Are you a learner at A2 English level (pre-intermediate) ? This section offers reading practice to help you understand simple texts and find specific information in everyday material. Texts include emails, invitations, personal messages, tips, notices and signs.
Each lesson has a preparation task, a reading text and two tasks to check your understanding and to practise a variety of reading skills. Make a start today.
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A message to a new friend
Read a direct message on social media to practise and improve your reading skills.
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An airport notice
Read a notice at the airport and answer the questions to practise reading important information.
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An email from a friend
Read an email about plans for the weekend to practise and improve your reading skills.
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An end of term report
Read an end of term report to practise and improve your reading skills.
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An infographic on the forgetting curve
Read an infographic about forgetting to practise and improve your reading skills.
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An invitation to a job interview
Read an email invitation to a job interview to practise and improve your reading skills.
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Choosing a conference venue
Read two adverts for corporate venues to practise and improve your reading skills.
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English course prospectus
Read the prospectuses for two different English courses to practise and improve your reading skills.
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Professional profile summaries
Read two professional profile summaries to practise and improve your reading skills.
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Study skills tips
Read the study skills tips to practise and improve your reading skills. You'll learn some great study tips at the same time!
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Are you an upper intermediate (CEFR level B2) learner of English? Practise and improve your reading skills with these texts and exercises.
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Are celebrities bad for you?
What's wrong with enjoying a bit of celebrity gossip? It doesn't do us any harm ... or does it? Read the article to find out if celebrities really are bad for you.
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Are zoos a good thing?
How do you feel about keeping animals in zoos? Read both sides of the argument to help you decide.
Choosing a musical instrument
Have you ever thought about taking up a musical instrument? Here's the perfect guide for you.
Are you suffering from FOMO – that is, Fear Of Missing Out? Research shows that a growing number of young people are, with worrying consequences for their sleep and schoolwork. Read the blog post to find out more.
Leaving home
Leaving your family home to go to university is not always easy. Read the advice from a first-year student and her dad to get two points of view on the experience.
Study problems – help is here
Are you going crazy with the amount of homework and exams you've got? Never fear, help is here ... in the form of E-tutor's online problem page.
The end of life on Earth?
Could a meteorite collision really mean the end of life on Earth? Read this to find out what happens when small meteorites collide with Earth, and just how much damage a big one could do.
The Facebook party that became a riot
How did a quiet 16th birthday celebration turn into a full-scale riot? Read this to find out what happened when a Dutch teenager made a Facebook error.
The history of graffiti
Is graffiti a vibrant urban art form or senseless vandalism? When did graffiti first become popular? Read this article to find out about the history of street art and hear from both sides of the debate.
The world's weirdest food
How hungry would you have to be to eat a brain sandwich? What about some fried spider? Read this to find out about the world's weirdest food.
Video games are good for you!
You know all those people that told you that video games are bad for you? They were wrong. Read this to find out more.
Your digital footprint
Every time you do anything on the internet you leave a trail behind you, in the same way you leave a footprint when you walk on sand or mud. Do you know how to take care of your digital footprint? Here are some tips.
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Reading - beginners
Reading - elementary
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Reading - exercises
Comprehension: elementary.
- Sedna the Sea Goddess 8a - recreating the story 8b - summarizing
- Raven steals the light 9a - recreating the story 9b - summarizing
- Raven and the first people 10a - recreating the story 10b - summarizing
- A special Christmas present 11a - recreating the story 11b - summarizing
- The magic paintbrush 12a - recreating the story 12b - summarizing
- The monkey and the crocodile 13a - recreating the story part A 13b - recreating the story part B 13c - summarizing
- The tongue-cut sparrow 17a - recreating the story 17b - summarizing
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Are you a learner at B1 English level (intermediate)? This section offers reading practice to help you understand texts with everyday or job-related language. Texts include articles, travel guides, emails, adverts and reviews.
Beginner Intermediate Advanced Level: Intermediate (22) Explore our intermediate-level reading comprehension exercises to strengthen your English reading skills. These exercises offer a variety of texts, helping you grasp the language's nuances and enhance your understanding effectively. Ada Lovelace: The First Computer Programmer
Reading comprehension exercises: intermediate and advanced level esl. Free interactive reading exercises online to learn English. Reading comprehension ... Home. Content. Reading - exercises Comprehension: intermediate. The most amazing structure 1b - Vocabulary test ; Boost your brainpower 1b - Vocabulary test ; Secrets of a happy brain 1b ...
Reading Comprehension Exercises - Intermediate. Reading Comprehension - "Learning English". Read this short text about learning English, then answer the multiple-choice questions. Exercise Number: 3R1. The Alien Story. Read this story about a credible UFO sighting - and then put the pieces of the story into the correct order. Exercise Number: 3R2.
A collection of reading resources mostly about life and issues in Britain and the United States, in intermediate level English - with word guides, exercises and classroom activities NEW : Grammar index: find articles for specific points of grammar and types of exercise / classroom activity / lesson plans.. 1. Topics about life in Britain
The death car. The American Pepper. The carpet fitter. Romulus and Remus - exercise. The choking dog. The hitchhiker. Tarzan of the Apes. The wild life. Culture shock - exercise.
B2 reading. Are you a learner at B2 English level (upper intermediate)? This section offers reading practice to help you understand texts with a wide vocabulary where you may need to consider the writer's opinion. Texts include articles, reports, messages, short stories and reviews. Each lesson has a preparation task, a reading text and two ...
A growing collection of English reading comprehension exercises. Test your understanding by reading through short passages of text and then answering a number of questions. Contents Exercise List Types of Exercise Benefits of reading comprehension FAQ Free reading comprehension worksheets
10+ minutes Close filters Reading Learn English with our free online listening, grammar, vocabulary and reading activities. Practise your English and get ready for your Cambridge English exam.
Challenge your reading comprehension with our B1 Intermediate Reading Tests. Dive into diverse texts & benefit from immediate feedback.
Explore courses Here you can find activities to practise your reading skills. Reading will help you to improve your understanding of the language and build your vocabulary.
Texts with reading comprehension exercises. Intermediate level esl. Free interactive reading exercises online to learn English. Reading comprehension. Reading 1 ... Reading 4 - exercises. Home. Content. Reading 2 Exercises - lower intermediate . The Story of the Aral Sea; Detroit: then and now; A special meal; Siberia's medical train; The first ...
1. Pick the Right Word: Which Is It? 2. Picture Quiz: Brown Bear, What Do You See? 3. Connect the Dots: This Word Goes With That Picture 4. Sequence: Putting Humpty Dumpty Back Together 5. Story Retelling: Showtime! 6. Cause and Effect: Who Solves the Mystery? 7. Following Directions: It's a Treasure Hunt! 8. Multiple-choice: Get It Right! 9.
Here are some ESL reading comprehension exercises and activities that will engage your intermediate learners. Timeline. What you'll need: a whiteboard, paper strips or small cards to write on How to do it: You can do this activity after reading a story, a news report, or any type of narrative text.On the board, create a timeline - you can write the dates or days in the story to guide the ...
There are lots of different types of tasks in reading exams. This section will help you learn more about them. Discussion What type of tasks can you remember seeing in your school exams? Language level A2 English level (pre-intermediate) B1 English level (intermediate) B2 English level (upper intermediate) C1 English level (advanced) Give it 1/5
Reading Comprehension Exercises - Pre-Intermediate The Party A short description of a party with some famous guests. Some phrases have been taken out. Find the correct place for them to complete the story. Exercise Number: 2R1 Confused Letter Use the missing paragraphs to fill in the spaces in this letter from Mike about his vacation in Europe.
Elementary level Intermediate exercises Advanced exercises Home. Comprehension: elementary. ... Content. Reading - worksheets Comprehension - pdf exercises. Exercises - Intermediate level. Seat Belts - Reading - Hummingbirds - Honey Badgers - The Dodo - Tigers - Submarines - The Statue of Liberty - Castles - Gutenberg ...
A2 reading. Are you a learner at A2 English level (pre-intermediate)? This section offers reading practice to help you understand simple texts and find specific information in everyday material. Texts include emails, invitations, personal messages, tips, notices and signs. Each lesson has a preparation task, a reading text and two tasks to ...
Reading comprehension task. Read the text and complete the following tasks. Chose the multiple-choice item that makes the sentence correct. Decide if the statement... 222 uses. Mulle. Reading Comprehension 2. Another reading text with some tasks at the end to check students' understand of the text and specific vocabulary.
Here are some tips. 20. Are you an upper intermediate (CEFR level B2) learner of English? Practise and improve your reading skills with these texts and exercises.
Reading comprehension exercises for all levels esl. Free interactive reading exercises. Fables, short stories, English talks, ebooks. English second language, English foreign language, ESL , EFL, ielts ... Elementary / intermediate tests; Advanced reading activities; Worksheets - pdf exercises; PRE-READING / PRESCHOOL . Pre-reading - A1 / A2;
Britain's biggest warship today sailed for Norway to lead an international task group in one of the most important military exercises in a generation. In just seven days, the Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier ship's company made rapid preparations to be ready to lead the Royal Navy's involvement in the largest NATO exercise since the Cold ...
The magic paintbrush. 12a - recreating the story. 12b - summarizing. The monkey and the crocodile. 13a - recreating the story part A. 13b - recreating the story part B. 13c - summarizing. The tongue-cut sparrow. 17a - recreating the story.