More Reading Resources
Some Summer Reading Resources
- Penguin Readers catalogue page. These readers are similar to the Cambridge Reader series. However, the Penguin Readers are adapted versions of well-known works of literature. Just use the pull-down menu at the bottom of the page and choose a level. You'll see a list of books with descriptions. You can order books online or through your local bookstore.
- "Summer Reading Suggestions for Adult ESL Students"_ (.pdf) from De Anza College in Cupertino, California
- Oxford University Press Graded Readers These readers come in various levels--similar to the Penguin and Cambridge series.
- "Book List" from Reading Power, 3rd Edition, by Mikulecky, B. and Jeffries, L. Pearson Education, 2005.
Non-Fiction Reading Recommendations
- The Times in Plain English Here's a very nice online newspaper that is easy to read. It has a lot of international news stories.
- The Times in Plain English WORKSHEET. Download and print this worksheet to do your homework for Reading C2. You can even type your answers into the form if you wish.
- Latino Ed Beat. Here's a good publication focusing on Latino children and families.
- World Education--Stories Adult students from around the world write about their lives and their dreams. This is a great collection of stories originally published in "The Change Agent" magazine.
The Academic Word List
This is the list of the most frequently occurring words in academic discourse, regardless of discipline. This version also supplies all the other forms of the words listed. Download it, print it, and keep it in your class binder.
This is the list of the most frequently occurring words in academic discourse, regardless of discipline. This version also supplies all the other forms of the words listed. Download it, print it, and keep it in your class binder.
Dictionaries
Interesting Stories in the News
Reading & Listening Practice
More Reading & Listening Practice: Mexican Guest Workers in the U.S.
- Reverso. I like this dictionary very much. I think its definitions are among the most complete and easiest to understand. You might want to try the other tools (translation, grammar, spell check) as well.
- Macmillan Dictionary. This is also a fairly comprehensive online dictionary. It includes a useful thesaurus feature.
- Merriam-Webster's Learner's Dictionary Here's another great dictionary especially for people who are learning English. Definitions are easy to understand--and check out the "Word of the Day" feature.
- Online Etymological Dictionary. This dictionary doesn't provide definitions of words. It give their histories, including the first time that a word was used in written English. Very interesting!
Interesting Stories in the News
- More Oregon High Schools Adopting Mexican Curriculum This article is from the Salem Statesman-Journal newspaper in Salem, Oregon. Very interesting!
- Teacher sells advertising space on tests This story is about a history teacher in Idaho who has found an unusual way to fight budget cuts in a faltering economy.
- "Biblio-Burros in Colombia" Here's a very good story from the New York Times. Look at the slide show and read the "related article." The link to the story is in the lower right corner of the screen.
- News Story: "Recession, technology kill middle-class jobs." This article is a bit difficult but it is a great summary of one of the most important economic trends of the past decade.
- Lytro Light Field Camera. This is a new type of digital camera. Check it out!
Reading & Listening Practice
- Story Corps http://www.storycorps.org/listen This National Public Radio (NPR) project travels around the United States with a recording truck. Story Corps documents the stories of average Americans for the Library of Congress archives. Below are a few that I like. Great listening practice! Try the main page link and find your own favorites!
- Story Corps Podcasts This webpage provides links to selected Story Corps recordings that you can download onto your i-pod or computer.
- Story Corps: “A Typo Spells Romance for RP Salazars.” Listen to a young couple talk about how an email error brought them together.
- Story Corps: "A daughter's struggles with learning to read" Listen to a girl and her mother talk about the child's problem with reading.
- Story Corps: "A minister recalls the pain of segregation" Listen to this African American minister (similar to a priest) talk about the destruction of his school.
- Story Corps: "A victim treats his mugger right" Here's a story about a mugging (robbery) that takes an unusual turn.
- Story Corps: "Biracial family looks back at a big hurdle (obstacle)" An African-American woman and her white husband talk about meeting each other and getting married--and how their families reacted.
- Story Corps: "From the fields to the classroom: a mother's tale" Listen to a mother tell her son about life in the migrant worker camps in the southern U.S. in the 1960s.
- Story Corps: "Three-day Courtship Leads to a Lasting Marriage" This couple has been married for a long time. Listen to the story of how they met.
More Reading & Listening Practice: Mexican Guest Workers in the U.S.
- Listen & Read: Mexican Guest Workers Fight for Pensions This story from National Public Radio explores the braceros' legal battle for their "lost" pensions.
- Listen: Examining the Legacy of the Braceros Program Here's another downloadable story on this topic from National Public Radio.
- Listen & Read: Documenting the Stories of Bracero Guest Workers Here's a great story from National Public Radio. Listen to the story and read the transcript. Great practice!
- Bracero Program Brought Many Mexican Workers to the US This article is from the Salem Statesman-Journal. It has interviews with former "braceros" who worked in the US in the 1950s and 60s. Very interesting.
- Early Mexican Guest Workers to Get Their Due Here's another story on the early braceros' legal battle.