Reading

The KKU FLT Online Resources Project aims to provide useful links for English Language Teachers and Learners. Please see the reading skills table belowWe welcome all suggestions. For any inquiries or suggestions, utilize the contact info located at the bottom of the page.  


SL

Title

Web Link

About

Contributors

1

BBC- Culture

https://www.bbc.com/culture/

Up-to-date write-ups on cultural issues

Mahmud

2

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/

A great link to track and rate books and network with other readers.

Mahmud

3

Read Theory

https://www.readtheory.org/

Online reading activities for all levels. It is designed to help Improve reading ability using this fun, interactive, educational tool in school or at home.

Mahmud

4

Spreeder

https://www.spreeder.com/

For practicing speed reading. It has the option to set up the number of words to read per minute and practice them.

Mahmud

5

The History Place

https://www.historyplace.com/index.html

Informative website focussing on American history from the Colonial period to present-day. Many on-line exhibits include timelines and photographs etc.

Mahmud

6

English Online

https://www.english-online.at/

English Online has longer factual articles which intermediate students can practice reading. At the end of each article, there is a list of words which learners might not know, with simple definitions. You can choose from many different topics, such as Travel, People, Government, and Politics, or Environment, or read articles about current events (News Articles). You are bound to find something to interest you here!

 

7

American Stories for English Learners

https://www.manythings.org/voa/stories/

American Stories for English Learners features the written text and an accompanying audio recording of 57 short stories by famous American writers such as O. Henry, Mark Twain, and Jack London. The stories are simplified for English language learners, but you will probably need at least a low intermediate proficiency to enjoy them. The audio recordings feature slow, careful speech.

 

8

Super Easy Reading

https://www.eslfast.com/supereasy/index.htm

It is a great website for beginners.

 

9

ESL Fast

https://www.eslfast.com/

This is a great website of tailored reading materials for different levels.

Mahmud

10

The Cut

https://nymag.com/thecut/

Operating under the New York Magazine umbrella, The Cut is a general interest news site, which places a strong focus on the news related to fashion, beauty and lifestyle choices. It is written in American English, has a fairly light-hearted tone and is primarily geared towards young women.Many of the articles on the website are easy-to-read 'Top 10' or 'Top 50' style features, although opinion pieces and general news articles are also published. In addition to covering fashion and lifestyle news, The Cut does sometimes deal with topics like celebrity, television, film and even politics.

 

 

11

The Toronto Star

https://www.thestar.com/

Attached to the daily newspaper of the same name, the Toronto Star is one of the most-read news websites in Canada. It is, therefore, a good choice for people focusing on Canadian English, or for those with a particular interest in Canadian affairs, although the international news is also featured.Politically, the website is considered to have a liberal bias, and some of the language utilized is more sensationalist than you would see from the BBC, for example, ensuring a certain level of entertainment. Nevertheless, the Toronto Star insists that its writers demonstrate excellent journalistic standards at all times.

 

 

12

ABC News

https://www.abc.net.au/news/

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a state-owned news corporation, and its ABC News website is well-respected around the world. Much like with the BBC in Britain, ABC News is designed to maintain political neutrality, meaning it is a good choice for those looking for an unbiased news source.In terms of topics covered, the website features stories on national and international affairs, as well as politics, business, sport, science and more. It is a good option for people hoping to brush up on Australian English, which differs from both British and American dialects, although due to its professional nature, use of slang is minimal.

 

Mahmud

13

The Debrief

https://www.thedebrief.co.uk/

A British-based news source, The Debrief covers a wide range of topics, including current affairs, politics, technology, television, lifestyle, fashion and celebrity gossip. As you would expect, it is written in British English, while the site adopts a less formal tone and is primarily aimed at younger readers.Many of the features on The Debrief are opinion pieces, although there are general news items and even tips on topics like how to dress, or how to eat more healthy foods. Most of the content on the site is reasonably easy for people to read and because it is aimed at a youthful audience, it is also useful for picking up slang words.

 

Mahmud

14

The Learning Network

https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning

A perfect pick for those who are not 100 percent comfortable with reading English yet; the Learning Network is a sub-section of the New York Times' website and features examples of articles written in American English, which are accessible to students still in the process of acquiring the language.In fact, many of the features on the website are geared directly towards language learners, with some having been specifically designed to allow you to test yourself. One of the excellent things about the site is that it encourages comments from language students, giving you a chance to interact as well as read.

Mahmud

15

The New Statesman

https://www.newstatesman.com/

A solid choice for the more accomplished English reader, the New Statesman is a British news website, which primarily deals with the topics of politics and current affairs. Notable contributors to the website in recent years have included Will Self, Mehdi Hasan, Alastair Campbell, Jemima Khan and Russell Brand.The columns, reports, and articles on the New Statesman website may be challenging for those with only basic English comprehension, but are highly acclaimed and serve as an example of top-quality political writing. In particular, the opinion pieces on the website are a good way to get to grips with persuasive writing in English.

 

Mahmud

16

The Pool

https://www.the-pool.com/

Advertised as a news platform "for women who are too busy to browse," The Pool has a clear leaning towards a female audience and focuses on a range of topics, including current affairs, fashion, and entertainment. The website is the brainchild of British radio presenter, Lauren Laverne, and former Cosmopolitan editor, Sam Baker.Most of the content on the website is short, and to the point, in-keeping with its core aim and that makes it perfect for language learners. Students will also find it easy to select items to click on, as each of them are labeled with an approximation of how long it will take to read.

 

Mahmud

17

Daily Mail Online

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

Based in the United Kingdom, Daily Mail Online is officially the world's most popular newspaper website and is another example of British English, written to both entertain and inform. Again, it adopts a slightly sensationalist approach, using attention-grabbing and emotional language.From a political perspective, the website has a conservative leaning, while more than half of its readership is female, making it one of the few mainstream newspaper sites to be able to claim as much. In addition to reporting on current major news stories, the site has a heavy focus on celebrity stories from all across the globe.

 

Mahmud

18

Newsela

https://support.newsela.com/hc/en-us/articles/201230075-Quick-Start-Guide-for-Teachers

Have you already tried Newsela? It’s a really good site to help students become stronger readers while reading current event articles. Newsela can give the same news article to all your classes no matter the level. Why? Newsela offers five different levels of the same news item. You just need to choose the leveled version you want to use.The site also offers a multiple choice exercise to test your comprehension of the article.Although you have to sign up, the site is freeAs a teacher, you can assign articles to students in your classes and monitor their progress. Find out how to do it.

 

Mahmud

19

Dreamreader.net

https://dreamreader.net/

Dreamreader.net is a free website with more than 500 reading lessons. Every lesson comes with free audio, a free printable worksheet, and a free multiple choice quiz.The site offers 5 categories, but the most interesting ones to help enhance your reading comprehension ability are “Fun English” and “Academic  English.” This last category is full of lessons and quiz questions for beginner, low intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate and advanced students.

 

Mahmud

20

GCF Learnfree

https://www.gcflearnfree.org/topics/reading/

This is a fantastic site to improve your reading skills. There is a wide variety of topics displayed at the top of the page. Choose the topic you want to read about and then at the bottom, select the kind of exercise you want to do. If you want to practice reading comprehension, select “Text” and then from the two options offered, choose “Reading Comprehension.”The site is very visual and user- friendly, and I highly recommend exploring all its possibilities.

 

Mahmud

21

Easy reading

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/easy-reading?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc-learnenglishteens

This is a section of the British Council especially aimed at teens though I have often used it with adults with great success, too. Here, you can read stories and articles written at three different levels A2 (elementary), B1 (Intermediate) and B2 (upper-intermediate).

After the reading test, you can do an online interactive multiple choice exercise to test your comprehension and a grammar exercise based on the text. The site also gives you the possibility of downloading the text and the activities.

 

Mahmud

22

Literacynet: Story Archives

https://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html

Aimed at adults with an advanced level of English, it offers texts on a variety of subjects.Select a topic and the piece of news you want to read. Click on “Story” and then from the menu on the left, choose the activity you want to do. There are five comprehension activities.

 

 

23

Teaching Kids News

https://teachingkidsnews.com/

Teaching Kids News is a very interesting site that offers original news articles on topics that are “timely, relevant and intriguing.” Though it doesn’t offer the standard type of comprehension exercises you normally find in English exams, each article includes Writing/Discussion Prompts, Grammar Features, and a Reading Prompt.

Mahmud


 

Date of Last Update: 7/10/2017

Contributors: Dr. Munassir Alhamami (mhamame@kku.edu.sa) and  Mohammed Mahmudul Haque (malhg@kku.edu.sa)

This page will be periodically maintained by the contributors listed above.

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