English Reading
Practice your reading with this very interesting true story! This is a story about a man who got a check in his mailbox one day for $95,000. It wasn't a real check. It was just for advertising. But it looked like a real check. So, just for a joke, he deposited the check into his bank account. He was very surprised, a few days later, to find out that the bank had accepted his check and he now had $100,000 in his account! Read the rest of the story (9 parts) to find out what happened. You can also listen to the writer talking about his story by clicking on REAL AUDIO at the top of the page (Part I).
Your Turn:
After you read the story, write about your reaction. Do you think the writer did the right thing? What would you do if this happened to you?
Here's a fantastic verson of Alice in Wonderland that you can read online! Read about what happens when Alice falls down the Rabbit-Hole. Alice in Wonderland was written by Lewis Carroll in 1864. It has become a classic story and has been read by millions of people. You'll enjoy the beautiful illustrations on this site as well as the story. After you read about Alice, take a look at these other bedtime stories. You can check vocabulary at the end of each story.
Your Turn:
Reading is a great way to improve your vocabulary. While you're reading about Alice, keep a small vocabulary notebook nearby that you can use to enter new words. Remember that you don't always have to just write a definition of each word. Try drawing a picture to remind you of the meaning of the word or expression.
Here are some wonderful stories with great illustrations written in EASY ENGLISH. Just choose a story and then click on the hands to go forward or backward.
Your Turn:
Find a story that you really like. After you finish reading the story, tell the story to a classmate. Don't worry about the exact words, but use the main ideas to tell the story in your own words!
This is a great place to practice your reading and improve your vocabulary. First choose a news story from the Story Archives. Then choose a story level. Now you can read the story, listen to an audio, or watch a video. When you're finished, try one (or more) of the activities. You'll also find some related web sites.
Easy News Stories
Reading a newspaper is a great way to improve your English. At this site, you'll find lots of interesting news stories written in EASY English. First, click on a story that you want to read. Then you can read the story or an outline of the story. Click on HEAR to listen to the story.
Your Turn:
After you finish reading and listening, check your understanding by doing the lessons (quizzes). There are 6 different kinds of quizzes. Just click on MENU to start.
Learn about bats and satellite pictures. Read the story of Echo the Bat. It's written in EASY English. After you finish the story, begin the Adventure of Echo the Bat.
Activity:
After you finish reading about Echo and helping to find him, write a short Fact Sheet. What new facts did you learn about bats? What new facts did you learn about satellite pictures?
Reading is a great way to improve your English level. But reading is more fun if you read about something that's interesting to you. At this site, you can quickly find magazine articles about almost any subject. You'll find articles from more than 300 magazines! There are 3 ways to search:
1) Enter one or more keywords, and search ALL of the magazines, or only those in one subject category.
2) Search by subject.
3) Search by the name of the magazine.
Do you know the story of Cinderella or Snow White? Those are two of the fairy tales that were collected by the Grimm Brothers in the early 1800's. You'll find 12 famous fairy tales at this site. These are the original stories, which are quite different than the stories that you might know. The original stories are "darker" than the more modern versions. The English is written in an old-fashioned style, and may be a little difficult. But try to read for the main idea. Four of the stories have audio versions, also, so you can read and listen. (Click on TELL ME A STORY.)
Your Turn:
Discussion questions: How are these stories different than the stories you know? Which ones do you like better?
Bumper stickers are short messages that people put on their car bumpers. They are usually funny, but are sometimes serious, too. My favorite is "Time flies like an arrow; Fruit flies like a banana!" Now you can use Internet Bumper Stickers to tell people about your feelings! You'll find almost 200 different ones to choose from here. They're fun to read, but you can also save them to your hard drive, and then send them in an email, or put them on your web site.
Your Turn:
Read these bumper stickers and see if you understand the meaning or why it is funny. Ask your friend what he/she thinks about the meaning. Still not sure? Check with your teacher. When you've found your favorite bumper stickers, try to write a few of your own!!
At LawBuzz, you can read lots of true stories that are related to the law. For example, you'll find stories about some famous American trials. You can also read about the real stories behind some famous movies. To use this site, just choose a category and then choose a story. All the stories have lots of interesting links that will let you learn about things that are related to the story.
Your Turn:
Find one story that you think is the most interesting. Then use the links in the story to do more research about the story. Write a short report and present it to your class.
Math and Reading Help for Kids
Math and Reading Help for Kids is a growing directory of original articles and resources centered on the topic of children's education. The purpose of this site is to provide a centralized information portal to help parents and children make informed decisions about school related issues.
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