Websites and Resources
for Reading Practice
On this page you will find sites where you can spend time reading or practicing skills that will help increase your reading skills.
This reading practice packet was designed for adult learners to practice their reading skills. [note: TABE is a program-level assessment such as the CASAS ones we use. The TASC is a high school equivalency exam like the GED.]
This Story-Based Online Learning Site leverages hundreds of stories, focused summaries, authentic primary sources, dynamic images and riveting video to support your learning for GED and beyond. This site is full of non-fiction reading selections with plenty of links and pictures to aid understanding. Search a certain topic, or explore the category of your choice.
Read our country's original documents: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, etc.
Read about how these documents came about and the impact they had. This reading is great practice for the current Social Studies questions, especially if you weren't raised in the United States! |
Boost your vocabulary by practicing with this dynamic site. You can sign up (for free) after an initial trial if you would like to continue and keep track of your progress.
This is a collection of leveled reading from an adult education program in Minnesota. They've done a fabulous job of leveling the reading with a group of reading selections for every level!
How do I find my level?
Remember the red booklet appraisal I gave you when you first became a student? How about the brown booklet used for the pre- and post- reading test? These gave you the reading scores you need to figure out where to start.
GED Preparation Students - Choose the Group 2 Reading selections
If you scored 220 - 235, choose level 6 passages.
If you scored 235 - 245, choose level 7 passages.
If you scored 245 - 250, choose level 8 passages.
Adult Basic Education (ABE) Students - Depending on your level, you'll click Group 1 or Group 2 Reading selections.
If you scored below 200, choose levels .7 - 3 passages.
If you scored 200 - 210, choose level 4 passages.
If you scored 210 - 220, choose level 5 passages.
If you scored 220 - 235, choose level 6 passages.
How do I find my level?
Remember the red booklet appraisal I gave you when you first became a student? How about the brown booklet used for the pre- and post- reading test? These gave you the reading scores you need to figure out where to start.
GED Preparation Students - Choose the Group 2 Reading selections
If you scored 220 - 235, choose level 6 passages.
If you scored 235 - 245, choose level 7 passages.
If you scored 245 - 250, choose level 8 passages.
Adult Basic Education (ABE) Students - Depending on your level, you'll click Group 1 or Group 2 Reading selections.
If you scored below 200, choose levels .7 - 3 passages.
If you scored 200 - 210, choose level 4 passages.
If you scored 210 - 220, choose level 5 passages.
If you scored 220 - 235, choose level 6 passages.
... and here is their newest site with reading practice for healthcare workers:
English for Everyone offers a huge collection of printable reading comprehension activities. Once you're there, keep on scrolling down for the topic that captures your interest from the column on the left.
Newsela is a free site where you can sign up for daily emails with nonfiction, real-world articles. You can change the reading level of any article with just the click of a button. At Newsela, you can test your comprehension. I highly recommend it!
Read Theory is designed for adults. This is a great site for reading short stories or informational text. You can practice drawing conclusions and making inferences. Get started by clicking the button link below, then choose "start reading" to take a placement test to determine the right level for you. After this point, you must register with your name and a password, but it is free. They ask you to register so that they can keep track of your progress; it makes studying from this site more productive.
The New Reader as Detective
This is my favorite fiction reading book. Check out these fun mysteries where you get a chance to solve the mystery before you read the whole thing. You must read it on your computer because this document is protected from printing. Please read the "To the Student" portion at the beginning before choosing a story from the Table of Contents. This book is best for higher level readers.
the_new_reader_as_detective.pdf | |
File Size: | 7982 kb |
File Type: |
Stuck on a word? This dictionary gives very friendly definitions. Visit the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:
Click on Science, Social Studies, or Health to do some reading and watch a video on the subject of your choice. Not all the content is free, but you should be able to find some educational videos to watch.
Boost your science knowledge as well as your reading skills. Read these comic-book-style history readings from PBS's "A Science Odyssey." Click on your choice of the five titles to read a comic book.
This is a great listening-while-reading site with which to begin your studying if English is not your first language and if you are in the Adult Basic Education class. Arrange for headphones or sound on your computer, because as soon as you click the link, they'll start talking to you. Once you're there, choose an issue of "The Learning Edge" newspaper, then click on an article. There are questions to go with each reading selection. The Learning Edge site is Canadian, so you may see some spellings that are unusual to us and you'll notice that many topics mention Canada.
This is another great site with which to study if English is not your first language and if you are in the Adult Basic Education class. Choose your area of interest from the photos at the top of the page, then choose a story. Some stories have a video that go with them. Once you click on the story title, you can choose to read the Basic Story or the Full Story. You can also press the "listen" button to have the story read to you. There are activities that go with each story.
Many libraries (including West Hartford Libraries, Newington, and Hartford Public Libraries) subscribe to Learning Express Libraries. Here you'll find a wealth of tutorials, exercises, and practice questions - including some specifically for GED preparation. You can access Learning Express Libraries from your local library or anywhere with an internet connection with a library card that originated in West Hartford, Newington, Hartford (or any another participating town).
Here's what to do:
1) Click the button link below.
2) Click "register" under "new users".
3) Enter your library bar code as your username and create a password. You must provide an email address.
4) Click on the course or practice of your choice.
This site remembers who you are and where you've left off for the next time you return to study. If you're trying a practice
test, you'll get a score report when you are finished with each subtest.
If you get stuck navigating the web site during library hours, you can call the reference desk for help in West Hartford at 860-561-6900 or in Hartford at 860-695-6300.
Here's what to do:
1) Click the button link below.
2) Click "register" under "new users".
3) Enter your library bar code as your username and create a password. You must provide an email address.
4) Click on the course or practice of your choice.
This site remembers who you are and where you've left off for the next time you return to study. If you're trying a practice
test, you'll get a score report when you are finished with each subtest.
If you get stuck navigating the web site during library hours, you can call the reference desk for help in West Hartford at 860-561-6900 or in Hartford at 860-695-6300.
The Authentic History Center provides views of primary sources (images, letters, published materials, interviews, recordings, etc.) from the 1600's through the present. This is a really cool way to read straight from the source for yourself!
The Idiom Connection allows you to look up an idiom by the letter of the alphabet or by main categories. Quizzes are offered to help you test your knowledge of idioms. This is a great way to check if you understand what someone is really saying when they use figurative language!
Slow English:
The sites below are a place to listen (and follow along with) non-fiction text to increase your reading skills.
Many Things is a good source for looking up a particular topic: American history, space exploration, biographies... There are quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer assisted language learning activities. Even though the primary focus is for ESL, native English speakers may also find some interesting things on this site.
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Voice of America Special English is daily produced broadcasting read one-third slower than other broadcasts.
This site has the daily updated broadcasts. Look for recent news events in audio and in print on this website. Video and graphics add to the interest. |
News in Slow English plays a weekly British news report at a reduced pace for easier listening.
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News in Easy English gives you written news stories with options for playing the audio fast or slow.
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Slow American English is similar to News in Easy English, but slightly quicker.
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If you want to read along with a video using Closed Captioning, here's how to do it on a computer. On a mobile device, look for this option in the three, vertical dots.
If you want to read a webpage in English and in a language you are more comfortable reading, you can use Google Translate, watch the video below to see how.
Modeled reading, with the text can be played here. Work on pronunciation with Clearly Said / Clearly Read.
Vocabulary
This is a huge list of the most frequently used words in academic reading. Notice the words in blue that are links to ways to practice the words on this list.
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Find adult vocabulary instruction and practice sheets at the site or access practice in a Goggle Drive folder.
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Read about how to read poetry, or read a poem a day selected with high school students in mind.
English Video Lessons on pronunciation, grammar, expressions, slang, and more.