Reading Strategies and Book Suggestions for English Learners

 Reading is a powerful tool for English learners. While there are different types of materials learners can use, reading books are one of the best types of materials. This article gives some advice on how to improve your English by reading books, and also gives a list of some good books for learners of different levels.

• Read what you love: Motivation is essential for learning. Choose books with topics and stories that are interesting to you.
• Get the book in your native language: If possible, get the book in your native language as well. This allows you to more easily check words and parts, which you don’t understand.
• Listen and read: Many books have audio versions. Reading the text while listening to the audiobook is an excellent way to get reading and listening practice together. Listening as you read also helps with pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.
• Shadowing: You can also get some speaking practice though reading. Practice "shadowing" – repeating what you hear immediately after the speaker. This builds fluency and natural speech patterns.
• Discuss what you read: Talk about the book with a teacher or language partner. This helps your understanding and provides valuable speaking practice.
• Something is better than nothing: Don't feel the need to read large amounts at one time. On days with more time, read more. On busy days, even just a page or a paragraph is better than nothing. The main goal is consistency.
• Free online resources: Remember, many classic books are available for free online. Most classic books are in the public domain (anyone has the right to copy and read them), and there are some good online libraries for works in the public domain. Three of the best are Wikisource, Project Gutenberg and Open Library.
• Prepare before reading the book: For some more challenging books, it can be helpful to prepare before reading the book. You can do this by reading a summary of the story and the main characters.
• Watch the movie: After you read the book, you can watch the movie adaption of the book. This can be good listening practice and can provide a topic for speaking practice.  For example, what are the differences between the movie and the book? If the book is more challenging, it might be useful to watch the movie even before you read the book, to help you get a better idea of the story and characters.

Book Recommendations

To help you get started, here's a list of suitable books for English learners at different levels, from the easiest levels (A0-A1) to more difficult and challenging levels (B2 to C2).

This list also highlights excellent graded reader series specifically designed for English language learners, which are highly recommended for structured progress.

I. Beginner (A0 - A1):

Dedicated Graded Reader Series: These are excellent resources for beginners. They are specifically written with vocabulary and grammar for each level.

Penguin Readers: Easystarts (A0) & Level 1 (A1)

Oxford Bookworms Library: Starter (A1) & Stage 1 (A1)

Cambridge English Readers: Starter (A1) & Level 1 (A1)

Macmillan Readers: Starter (A1) & Beginner (A1)

Very Simple Children's Books/Picture Books:

The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss) - Simple, repetitive language, rhyming.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle)

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin Jr.)

Aesop's Fables - Short, clear moral stories (often adapted for A1).

"I Can Read" Books (various authors/series) - Leveled readers for native-speaking children, perfect for ESL beginners.

Simple Non-Fiction Picture Books (focus on basic concepts).

Simple Fables from Around the World.

Others:

The Happy Prince and other stories (Oscar Wilde - often adapted for A2).

II. Elementary to Low Intermediate (A2 - B1):

Dedicated Graded Reader Series:

Penguin Readers: Level 2 (A2) & Level 3 (B1)

Oxford Bookworms Library: Stage 2 (A2) & Stage 3 (B1)

Cambridge English Readers: Level 2 (A2) & Level 3 (B1)

Macmillan Readers: Elementary (A2) & Pre-intermediate/Intermediate (B1)

Classic Children's Novels (often adapted for this level):

The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)

Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)

The Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum)

Just So Stories (Rudyard Kipling)

The Jungle Book (Rudyard Kipling)

The Adventures of Pinocchio (Carlo Collodi)

Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)

The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl)

Young Adult Series (generally lighter language):

Goosebumps (R.L. Stine)

The Giver (Lois Lowry)

The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)

My Side of the Mountain (Jean Craighead George)

A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'Engle)

Others:

Adapted short story collections for Learners (Hans Christian Anderson, Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, O Henry, Jack London)

Simple Biographies of Famous People

The Arrival (Shaun Tan)

III. Intermediate to Upper Intermediate (B1 - B2):

Dedicated Graded Reader Series: Move up to the more advanced levels of these series, tackling more complex vocabulary and longer sentences:

Penguin Readers: Level 4 (B2)

Oxford Bookworms Library: Stage 4 (B2) & Stage 5 (B2+)

Cambridge English Readers: Level 4 (B2)

Macmillan Readers: Upper Intermediate (B2)

Popular Novels with Accessible Language (original versions):

The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)

Animal Farm (George Orwell)

The Pearl (John Steinbeck)

Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull (Richard Bach)

Selected stories by Anton Chekhov (Joy, The Lottery Ticket, The Boys, Fat and Thin, The Doctor’s Visit, The Bet)

Selected stories by Leo Tolstoy (21 Tales, God Sees the Truth but Waits, What Men Live By, How Much Land does a Man Need?)

Selected stories of O Henry (often adapted)

White Fang (Jack London)

 The Call of the Wild (Jack London)

The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

The Witches, BFG, and other Roald Dahl books (original versions) B1 to B2

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)

Graphic Novels (e.g., Persepolis, Maus).

IV. Upper Intermediate (B2 - C1):

              Dedicated Graded Reader Series: For those pushing towards advanced fluency:

Penguin Readers: Level 5 (B2+) & Level 6 (C1)

Oxford Bookworms Library: Stage 6 (C1)

Cambridge English Readers: Level 5 (B2+) & Level 6 (C1)

Macmillan Readers: Advanced (C1)

       Classic Novels with more complex language/themes:

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

1984 (George Orwell)

Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)

The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien)

Works of Ernest Hemingway (In Our Time, The Sun also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Farewell to Arms, Men Without Women, The Snows of the Kilimanjaro and Other Stories)

Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)

Candide (Voltaire)

The Prophet (Kahlil Gibran)

The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)

Lord of the Flies (William Golding)

The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)

Black Boy (Richard Wright)

Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass (Fredrick Douglass)

Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)

The Color Purple (Alice Walker)

The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)

American Born Chinese (Gene Luen Yang)

House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)

Short Stories of Jack London (To Build a Fire, Love of Life)

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

The Bible (New International Version)

Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)

Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)

Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)

A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens - consider adapted version if original is too hard).

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius)

The Time Machine (H.G. Wells)

The War of the Worlds (H.G. Wells)

Dracula (Bram Stoker - often adapted).

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley - often adapted).

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Our Town (Thornton Wilder)

          Other Short stories

                         "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin

                         "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson

                         "The Umbrella Man" and "Lamb to the Slaughter" Roald Dahl

          More Challenging Short Stories:

Isaac Asimov (Science Fiction)

                        Going to Meet the Man (James Baldwin)

                        Dubliners (James Joyce)

                        Short stories of Leo Tolstoy

“The Sound of Thunder” (Ray Bradbury)

Works of H.P. Lovecraft "The Cats of Ulthar", "The Music of Erich Zann", "The Terrible Old Man", "From Beyond"

Works of Edgar Allan Poe "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Cask of Amontillado, "The Black Cat"

Works of Philip K. Dick "Beyond Lies the Wub" "The Defenders" "Second Variety" “Adjustment Team”

Using AI Chatbots for English Practice

 AI chatbots are a powerful tool for many things, and this is true for learning English as well. Here's a good summary of how the text version can be used for English practice.

Now, there's an audio version, which can be used for speaking practice as well. I've tried it, and would definitely recommend it. You can ask it to correct your grammar or pronunciation mistakes as well. It's a great tool when you don't have the opportunity to speak to a real person. 

If you can't use a good AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini for some reason, there are other audio AI programs you can use for speaking practice, including AI assistants like Amazon's Alexa or Google's AI assistant. Right now, they can't have as complex a conversation with you like the others, but you can still use them for speaking practice. Here are some ways to practice with them. 

Here's a great prompt one of my students created (with the help of ChatGPT!). You can use this prompt to help prepare an AI like ChatGPT to help you with speaking practice:

You are an experienced English teacher helping me improve my spoken English. Engage me in a conversation by asking open-ended questions based on real-life situations. Correct my grammar, pronunciation, and word choice in a natural and encouraging way. Instead of just pointing out mistakes, rephrase my sentences correctly and explain why the changes are needed. Gradually increase the difficulty of the conversation based on my progress. Keep the conversation interactive and engaging. I have a x English level (A2, B1, B2, etc.) and my native language is x (Spanish, Chinese, Russian, etc.)

     

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This Site Offers Free English Lessons For Ukrainians And Good Learning Resources For Any Students

 This organization matches volunteer English teachers and conversation partners with Ukrainians affected by the war:  https://www.teachersforukraine.org/

The site also has a good list of self-study materials for any students. Although it doesn't have computer assisted learning apps like Duolingo or Babbel, which can be very useful for beginners and pre-intermediate students. 

The Important Of Mindset And Links To Mindset Resources

How we see the world and ourselves plays an extremely important role in how we live and learn. If we have a pessimistic and negative view of ourselves, it can greatly hurt our wellbeing and ability to learn. The term, mindset, means how we view ourselves and the world. Research on mindset shows that people tend to have two types of mindsets, a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, and which one you have can have a big impact on your life. Those with fixed mindsets see their abilities as fixed, they can’t be changed, and therefore, they don’t try to do better. Whatever intelligence and abilities they have, whether at math or languages, they think that these abilities are fixed, and they can’t get better at them. On the other hand, those with growth mindsets tend to see their abilities as something they can improve. If a person with a fixed mindset does poorly on test, they will usually not try harder and believe that there is nothing to do to improve their score. A person with a growth mindset will be more likely to try to think that they can improve their score, if they make more of an effort. People with growth mindsets are more likely to see challenges and mistakes in life as things that help them to improve.

The good news is people who have fixed mindsets can be taught to develop a growth mindset. These discoveries are very important for learning. Think about whether you have more of a fixed or growth mindset. Do you see challenges as an opportunity for growth or do you often avoid these challenges? Do you think your abilities to learn are fixed or do you think you can improve, if you work hard and put in the effort? These are important questions to ask oneself. I’ve had students who had difficulties learning English mainly because their fixed mindsets made learning much harder for them. They didn’t believe that with the right kind of effort they could improve.

Often, for students who struggle with a fixed mindset, simply explaining the idea of mindset to students and encouraging them to develop a growth mindset enough to help them. However, often life circumstances make altering our fixed mindset more difficult. My students who found it very difficult to change their mindset usually had other issues in their life, such as stress, anxiety or depression, which kept their mindset (and their lives) limited. Dealing with these issues can be are important first steps to improve health and learning potential.


"In a fixed mindset students believe their basic abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just fixed traits. They have a certain amount and that's that, and then their goal becomes to look smart all the time and never look dumb. In a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don't necessarily think everyone's the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it." -Carol Dweck


Links about mindset:

This is post of a TED talk by Carol Dweck, one of the main reseachers on mindset.

This TED Talk discusses mindset in more detail, especially the ideas of learning zone and performance zone.

Khan academy has excellent resources about mindset for teachers, students, and parents.

Mindset works: An organization co-founded by Carol Dweck that, according to it's website, is "the global leader in growth mindset development leveraging the pioneering research of Carol Dweck and Lisa Blackwell. The company's mission is to enable a world in which all people realize continual learning and growth. "

Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives: An explanation of mindset from the site Brainpickings.org.

Explanation and articles about mindset at Psychology Today website.

6 Common Mistakes And Confusing Words About Film

Watching movies can be an enjoyable and useful way to learn and practice languages. Here are six common mistakes and confusing words in English related to film. Some of these are specific mistakes that Russian speakers make, but any English learner might find them useful as well.

What's the difference between movie and film? 

In general, these two words mean the same thing. One can say, "I want to watch a good movie", or "I want to watch a good film"; the meaning is the same. However, movie tends to be used more in American English and film tends to be used more in British English.

Film also has a more artistic association.  In this sense, a film can refers to a work with greater artistic value instead of a movie, which may be made primarily for entertainment and profit and not artistic aims. For example:

I am an artist! I don't just make movies, I make films!

Lastly, Film (and the word cinema too, as we will see below) can refer to the art form itself.

Film is a fairly new art form as opposed to music, dance, painting and sculpture, which are thousands of years old.

What's the difference between a horror movie and a horrible movie?

Horror: an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.

Horrible: causing or likely to cause horror; shocking.

These two words are similar in meaning, which causes the confusion, but they have very different meanings with we use them with the words movie or film. A horror movie is a genre of film, a type of movie like comedy, drama, or romance, which is about scary things that makes one feel fear.

Dave doesn't like horror movies that are filled with blood, terror, and violence, because he thinks the real world has enough horror already-- just look at the news!

A horrible movie is a very bad movie that is of low quality and that people think isn’t good.

I can't believe I paid money to see that horrible movie. I just wasted two hours of my life!

What's the difference between a fantastic movie and a fantasy movie?

Fantastic has two meanings, which can lead the confusion here. The first meaning is similar to the world fantasy: imaginative or fanciful; remote from reality. However, the second meaning is "extraordinarily good or attractive." When we use this word with film or movie, it is the second meaning that we use.

The critics and the public thought it was a fantastic movie, and they highly recommend it. It will probably win at least one Academy Award.

Fantasy means "the ability of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable." And we talk about the genre of fantasy when we talk about fantasy films or movies. These are movies that are about things that are not possible in the real world, such as films about fairy tales, dragons or magic.

Some people think fantasy films like "Lord or the Rings" or The Harry Potter series just help us to escape the harshness of reality, but these stories also help us to understand what is really important in life. They are modern fairy tales and myths.

What's the difference between hero and main character? 

Sometimes hero and main character are the same, but this is not always the case. The main character in a film is the leading character of a story. The story is centered around the main character, and it is this character that makes the key decisions in the story. A hero is a certain type of main character that does great and important things, which are usually for good or noble purposes. Heroes can be fictional characters like Hercules, King Arthur, Superman or Batman, who do great actions to save and help the world. A hero could also be a real person that has done great things like Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, or someone else who shows great courage in some way, for example, by running into a burning building to save someone. Thus, almost all movies have main characters, but not all of them have heroes.

Even if the main character of a film isn't someone whom we like and respect, a good film will help us to see the main character’s motivations and understand this person better. 

The film is about a simple lawyer who becomes a hero after showing great courage by fighting for justice against corrupt government officials.

What's the difference between scene and stage?

In Russian these words can both be translated as сцена. However, in English these words have different meanings. Scene is the time and place where the actions of a film (or play) happen.

The first scene of the movie happens in the 1940s, when the main character of the movie arrives in New York City for the first time. The last scene of the movie takes place 50 years later in the countryside, when the main character is an old women. 

A stage is the raised floor or platform usually in a theater on which actors, musicians or speakers perform.

We should have bought better tickets for the show, because our seats were so bad we could hardly see the actors on the stage.

"All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts..."

--William Shakespeare

What's the difference between the words movie theater and cinema?

The general meaning of these expressions are the same: they are both the theater where one goes to watch a movie or film. The difference, like movie and film, is that the first one is usually used in American English and other is usually used British English.

However, the word cinema also refers to the art form of film.

"Cinema is the most prestigious cultural activity in the modern world. It is for us what theatre was in the age of Shakespeare or painting was in the days of Leonardo da Vinci...”

--Alain de Botton and The School of Life

So, cinema can mean both the art form of film and the place where we go to watch a movie or film.

Hopefully, understanding these common mistakes will help you enjoy learning English with film better. What are some other common mistakes about film you make? Feel free to add them in the comments section.

Nine Christmas And Winter Holiday Movies For English Practice

Happy holidays! Here are nine suggestions for movies to watch during the winter holidays to help with English practice. Most of these films are American classic and popular movies about Christmas and the winter holidays. In addition to helping you learn English in a fun way, they show a lot about the culture and traditions of Christmas and winter holidays in the USA.

Remember these tips to help you learn English with film:

1. You don't need to know every word to understand what's happening. Try to get the main idea through a combination of the language you understand and what you can see happening in the film.

2. Try to use subtitles only if you understand less than 75% of the film. If you can't understand something important, you can go back and watch that seen with subtitles again.

3. If you understand less than 75% of the film, try to get the script and read it beforehand. You can also watch the scenes first in your native language (with subtitles), and then in English.

4. Write down a few new words and phrases from the film to add to your vocabulary list. If it's helpful, try to associate the words or phrases with the actions that you saw in the film.

5: Make it social: watch the film with a friend who is also studying English, and discuss the film together afterwards. Or, start a film club where you watch films in English and then discuss them.




 A Christmas Carol

This classic story by Charles Dickens is one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time. Many film versions and adaptions exist of this story. Here are a few:

A Christmas Carol, 1951

A Muppet's Christmas Carol , 1992

A Christmas Carol, 1999

 A Christmas Carol, 2009

Scrooged, 1988

The Man Who Invented Christmas, 2017

This film is about Charles Dickens's life and how he created the story A Christmas Carol.

A Christmas Story, 1983

This comic story tells about a boy growing up in the USA in the 1950s during the Christmas season. It's a funny look at life and American holiday traditions at that time.

It's A Wonderful Life, 1946

This is a classic movie that many Americans watch around Christmas time. An angel helps a desperate businessman during the winter holidays by helping him understand what's truly important in life.

Miracle On 34th Street, 1947

In this classic movie about Christmas, Santa Claus comes to town (New York City, to be exact). A lawyer and a little girl try to save a man who says he is Santa Claus and is trying to save the spirit of Christmas.

The Polar Express, 2004

This movie is based on the beautifully illustrated children's book of the same name .On Christmas Eve, a boy goes on a magical  adventure on the Polar Express train to visit Santa at the North Pole, and learns about the spirit of Christmas.

Home Alone, 1990

A comedy about a 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left alone on Christmas when his big family goes on vacation, and must protect his house from a pair of robbers

The Snowman, 1982

This animated movie is based on a popular children's book of the same name. There is no dialogue, but there is a song for part of the film. For English practice, you can watch the film and describe the story to yourself or someone else.

Joyeux Noelle (Merry Christmas) , 2005

This film tells the true story of the Christmas truce* in 1914 during World War One. It shows how, in the middle of a bloody war, during Christmas soldiers from both sides met each other, exchanged gifts, sang songs, and even had a soccer match.

*Truce:an agreement between enemies to stop flight for a certain time.

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!, 1986

Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the other characters from the cartoon series Peanuts celebrate the New Year in this short film.

Watch whole film here

ESL Resources About Film

Warmup

Watch this movie trailer on Youtube or IMDB, and try to guess what this film is about. What is the plot of the film? What is the film’s genre? Remember that it’s okay if you don’t understand all of the words in the dialogue. In addition to the dialogue, you can see what the characters are doing in the different scenes in the video.

Vocabulary

Genre

My favorite genre of film is comedy.

Plot

The plot of the movie was based on a novel.

Setting

The settings of James Bond films often are in exotic locations around the world.

Fiction

I prefer reading fiction, because I like to escape from reality sometimes to relax.

Nonfiction

It’s hard to believe that this book is really nonfiction, because it’s such a strange story. But it actually took place.

Scene

The first scene of the movie takes place in a restaurant in New York City. 

Stage

The actors stood on the stage.

Character

The characters in Shakespeare's plays are often complex.

Sequel

I can’t wait to see the sequel to the movie and learn what happens to the characters.

Prequel

I hope they make a prequel to the movie, so we can see what happened before the plot of the movie took place.

To live up to expectations

My friend told me that the film was great, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

Kick off

It’s important to kick off the day with a good breakfast.

To take place

The movie Star Wars takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Conversation Questions

•        What genres of movies do you like?

•        Are there any genres you don’t like? 

•        What are three of your favorite movies?

•        Tell me about the plot of each of these movies?

•        Where do you usually watch movies?

•        Do people often go to movie theaters in your country?

•        Do you remember the first movie you watched in a theater?

•        What makes a good movie?

•        Do you need a big budget to make a good movie?

•        How important is technology like special effects to make a good movie?

•        How important is the soundtrack of a movie?

•        If you made a movie, what kind of movie would you make?

•        Do you think that films can be educational?

•        What’s a movie that everyone should watch because it teaches us something        important or has an important message?

•        Who is your favorite movie hero or character?

•        Is there a movie that you like to rewatch sometimes?

•        What’s the film industry like in your country?

•        Are there any movies that everyone knows in your country/culture?

Additional resources:

Pre-intermediate and Intermediate

Breaking News English:

“Vertigo” Named Best Movie Ever

Paris Halts Filming of Actions Movies After Attacks

China Limits Pay for Movie Stars

http://www.lessonsonmovies.com/

VOA News:

Actor Director Orson Welles Cast Long Shadow In Daughter’s New Memoir

Drive In Movies In US Still Draw Crowds

There Is Still No Business Like Show Business

BBC 6 Minute English

US National Film Registry

Upper intermediate and up

NPR

In A Film Industry Focused On Youth Older Characters Are Tough To Find

As Time Goes By: What Makes A Movie Timeless

After 75 Years Here’s Looking At You Casablanca

The Art of the Modern Movie Trailer

What is Cinema For

When and Why We Cry In Films

TED

Talks About The Making of Movie Magic

The Power Of Film

Big Think

All Films Must Entertain

Film English Website

http://film-english.com/

Favourite Films Of All Time