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”

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.

Five Healthy Lifestyle Activities That Will Help You Learn Better

"As long as you live, keep learning how to live."

-Seneca

Healthy lifestyle habits are good for many reasons, and one of these reasons is that they can improve our ability to learn. Not all of these activities are equally useful when it comes to learning, but some of them, especially the basics (sleep, exercise, and diet), are extremely important. This article discusses some of the most important lifestyle activities that can help you live a healthy life and improve learning, especially language learning.

Sleep

Sleep is the body's chance to recharge and rebuild itself, and it is one of the foundations of a healthy life. We often forget just how important it is to get enough sleep, but research shows that lack of sleep is responsible for many health problems and is connected with a shorter life span. Sleep also plays an essential role in learning.  Studies have shown that students who don't get enough sleep do more poorly on exams. This is because sleep not only helps us to focus on and understand what we learn while awake, but it also helps us to memorize what we learn while asleep. During sleep, the brain helps to edit, analyze, and organize what we have learned, which improves our ability to remember important information.

Most people should try to get between seven to eight hours of sleep a night. This can be hard to do sometimes in our busy, modern life, but we need to make it a priority, as it's so important for our health. Naps can be helpful too. Some research has shown that even short naps help us learn better. However, naps are not a substitute for a good night's rest (and naps that are too long can interfere with our sleep at night). In order for sleep to improve your health and learning, regular nightly sleep is necessary in order for your brain to go through all the stages and cycles of sleep. If you have problems getting to sleep, here are some suggestions for improving your sleep.

Diet

The saying, "You are what you eat", is a good way to remember the importance of a healthy diet. Our brain is like an expensive car: it needs quality fuel to function. Eating a proper diet is essential to a healthy life and learning as well. A healthy diet helps to improve cognitive processes like memory and attention. Studies have shown that unhealthy diets are a factor for poor student performance in schools.

It's not difficult to eat a healthy diet. The food writer, Michael Pollan gives this excellent advice: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." The key part of this advice is to understand that Pollan defines "food" as natural food that has not been processed (ingredients like sugar or salt have not been added to the food), and therefore, there is not a long list of ingredients. Experts also consider what's known as the Mediterranean diet to be one of the healthiest diets.

It's also important to make sure that you're eating regularly to make sure the brain has enough fuel to function well. Often, if we are having trouble concentrating, it's because we haven't eaten in a few hours. It's usually best to eat every three hours, or when you start to feel hungry. Having a healthy snack before studying or taking an exam can help boost performance.

Finally, remember that we need food and water for a healthy diet. It's important to stay hydrated, and drink enough water to help your brain function at its best. Water is really the best drink to have, and it’s especially important not to drink sugary drinks like soda, or even too much fruit juice (particularly if there is added sugar).

Physical Exercise

Most people can understand the importance of the first two foundations of a healthy lifestyle, sleep and diet, but they might not realize how important the third foundation, exercise, is as well. However, research has shown that physical exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and promotes learning as well. If it were a pill, exercise would be a wonder drug, and indeed, exercise is like medicine for our body and mind. From reducing risk of disease, to fighting aging, to boosting our mood and productive, exercise truly is like a wonder drug for all aspects of our health.

A growing body of research has also shown that exercise has extremely positive benefits for the brain and learning. Studies have shown that students that exercise regularly are able to focus and memorize better in class. Research also shows that exercising before a lesson can help one learn better during the lesson.

In general, one should try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, at least 3 times a week, to get the most positive effects of exercise. Of course, some exercise is better than nothing! It can be hard to find the time to get enough exercise, which is why you might consider High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), as it allows you to do short but intense periods of exercise. According to research, the effects of these short and intense workouts are the same as longer workouts. Also, simple things during your daily routine, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking more, can be effective ways to incorporate more physical exercise into our busy lives.  It can be hard to stay motivated to exercise for some people, which is why one should also try to find exercise that is enjoyable. Making exercise a habit is another way to make exercise easier to keep up. Finally, making it social, for example, doing exercise with friends, can also help to motivate you to exercise regularly. Here are some more tips on how to start exercising regularly.

Mindset

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 tend to 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, 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.

This is why mindset and mental health are often linked. If you find that you have more of a fixed mindset, think about how you might shift to a growth mindset and what factors in your life might be holding you back. In addition to making sure these basic healthy life style activates are done, sometimes it’s necessary to learn some lessons from psychotherapy, or even better, go to a psychotherapist to try to see what’s keep us from growing. Just as lack of a healthy diet and exercise can weaken our physical body, lack of healthy mindset and coping skills can weaken our mental health. Therapy can help us strength these skills to live, love, and learn better.

Social Connections

Humans are social animals, and strong social connections are essential for our wellbeing. People with better social relationships usually live longer and have happier lives. Social connections are also important for learning for many reasons. Learning with others helps to stimulate our brain more, and the social interaction can support, guide and motivate us.

It almost goes without saying that the relationships between teacher and students is a key component of successful learning. Students and teachers that have good relationships are much more likely to enhance the learning process. Good relationships among students is also important, as fellow students can serve to support and motivate each other as well. An optimal learning environment is one where a growth mindset is encouraged, students feel safe and supported, and motivated and challenged. 

Of course, some people are able to learn well, or prefer learning, by themselves. However, even for these people, it can be helpful to do some learning with others. This is because learning with others helps support one’s learning goals and progress towards these goals. A good teacher or learning community can help learners set up achievable goals, support their progress, help them overcome obstacles and give them much needed feedback.

More than most subjects, social connections are usually essential for learning to speak languages. Hence, learning languages can be an excellent way to enhance social connections. This, of course, can be done in a formal learning environment, like classes with a professional teacher, or informally among native speakers. Practicing a language while traveling, at language clubs or in other social settings, is a great way to learn while benefiting from the healthy power of social connections.

Exercise Helps Students in the Classroom

Listen to Story

Transcript

Audio Time: 4 min  1 sec

Level: Intermediate

Vocabulary:  To help learners fully understand the audio and transcript, most vocabulary that might be unknown for this lesson’s level is provided. Vocab in bold is more useful for learners at the lesson’s target level. Try to choose 8 to 10 new words to learn from the story (in general, it’s best to try to learn no more than 8-10 new words a day).

Definitions are written with the help of various sources including  Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary

Endurance: the ability to do something difficult for a long time.

To go for it: to try to achieve or get something.

Racket: a piece of sports equipment that is used to hit a ball or other objects in games like tennis or badminton.

To shuffle: to slide your feet along the ground or back and forth without lifting them completely.

To backpedal: to move backward with quick steps.

Pursuit: the act of following or chasing someone or something.

To eliminate: to remove (something that is not wanted or needed) : to get rid of (something).

Disparities: a noticeable and often unfair difference between people or things.

Background: the experiences, knowledge, education, etc., in a person's past.

Fit: physically healthy and strong.

To fidget: to make a lot of small movements because you are nervous, bored, etc.: to move or act in a nervous or restless way.

Disruptive: to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way : to interrupt the normal progress or activity of (something).

Self-esteem: a feeling of having respect for yourself and your abilities.

Depression: a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way.

Anxiety: fear or nervousness about what might happen.

To impair: to make (something) weaker or worse.

Attentiveness: thinking about or watching something carefully : paying careful attention to something.

Extensively: large in size or amount : very full or complete.

Capacity: the largest amount or number that can be held or contained.

Nutrients: a substance that plants, animals, and people need to live and grow.

To whittle away: to reduce or get rid of (something) slowly.

Sub-set: a group of things, people, etc., that is part of a larger group.

Discussion questions:

1. How can exercise help students in the classroom?

2. Do you exercise? If so, what kind of exercise do you do?

3. Do you find that exercise helps your mental performance?

4. What kind of exercise have you done in school?

5. Do you think exercise can help you improve your English skills?