In today’s educational landscape, teachers are often asked to do more with less. With budget cuts becoming more prevalent and grade level standardized curricula that don’t always meet the needs of every student, we often find ourselves searching for ways to bridge the gap—especially when it comes to supporting English Learners (ELs). As a teacher, I’ve spent more than my fair share of money on resources such as reading comprehension activities. However, this year I made a personal commitment: no more dipping into my own funds to support my classroom. Instead, I’ve invested time in finding high-quality, free resources that help my EL students thrive.
In this post, I’ll share some of the criteria I look for in reading passages for my EL students, particularly beginners, as well as some excellent websites I’ve discovered that offer free or affordable news articles, short stories, or reading passages. Whether you’re looking for simple sentence structures or ESL reading activities to accompany readings, I hope you find these tools as useful as I have.
What I Look for in Reading Comprehension Passages for EL Students
Teaching EL students can be both rewarding and challenging. The key is finding material that aligns with their current language abilities while gently pushing them to grow. Here’s what I consider when selecting reading passages for my beginner ELs:
1. Simple Sentence Structure
For students just starting their English language journey, less is definitely more. In the early stages, I look for articles and stories with straightforward subject-verb-object sentences. These basic sentence structures help students build fluency without getting bogged down in more complex grammar. For example, a sentence like “The dog ran fast” is far more digestible for a beginner than “The dog, which was scared by the loud noise, ran quickly away from the yard.” Once students are comfortable with simple sentences, I begin to introduce them to more advanced grammar, such as sentences with multiple clauses or passive voice.
2. Vocabulary Support
One of the biggest hurdles for EL students is encountering unfamiliar words. That’s why I prioritize passages that highlight challenging vocabulary. This not only gives me a starting point for pre-teaching new vocabulary words, but it also provides students with focus as they read.When texts come with embedded vocabulary lists or definitions, it’s even better. Pre-teaching key vocabulary helps ensure that students can read more fluently and understand the content more deeply. Sometimes, I also include visuals or translations in a student’s native language to reinforce the meaning of new words.
3. Embedded Glossary
An embedded glossary is one of the best ways to increase fluency and comprehension skills. Whether through visual aids, simple definitions, or translations, having the definitions embedded directly into the reading material allows students to stay focused on the text. This eliminates the need for them to stop, look up words, and potentially lose their place, which can disrupt fluency and comprehension.For example, a visual glossary might include images next to words like “ball,” “sky,” or “tree,” helping students associate words with real-world concepts.
4. Accompanying Activities
While a reading passage is helpful on its own, added ESL reading comprehension activities that align with the passage are even better. I look for activities that save me time on the frontend, like a comprehension worksheet or graphic organizer that accompanies the passage.For example, activities that focus on main ideas, summarizing, and character traits help reinforce key reading skills while also saving me the time of creating them from scratch. It’s a huge relief when I can find resources that offer these activities pre-made, so I can focus more on working with my students.
Websites Offering Free or Affordable Reading Comprehension Passages
During my search for quality, budget-friendly resources, I’ve come across several websites that provide excellent reading passages, vocabulary support, and activities for ELs. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Diffit (https://web.diffit.me/) is an amazing tool that allows you to create reading passages based on a URL or list of vocabulary words. It will take a piece of content and generate a simplified version, making it easier for EL students to understand. Even better, Diffit creates comprehension worksheets and graphic organizers that focus on specific skills like summarizing, identifying main ideas, and note-taking. This tool is perfect for tailoring readings to the specific needs of your students and curriculum. Best of all, you can use it with a range of ages, from upper elementary to high school students.
2. ReadWorks (https://www.readworks.org/) offers a treasure trove of articles that you can assign to different student groups based on their reading level. It integrates with Google Classroom, making it easy to manage different groups and assignments. One of my favorite features is that ReadWorks provides definitions for key words, so students don’t get stuck on unfamiliar vocabulary. The platform also offers self-grading multiple-choice questions and visual feedback on student performance, allowing me to quickly identify areas for improvement.
3. News In Levels (https://www.newsinlevels.com/) offers news articles at three different reading levels, making it an excellent resource for EL students. Each article is paired with an audio recording, which is a great way for students to practice listening comprehension before diving into reading. Although the recordings are done by a computer, they still offer a valuable way for students to familiarize themselves with the content before reading independently.
4. DogoNews- For more advanced students, (https://www.dogonews.com/) is a fantastic resource. This site offers kid-friendly news stories from around the world, complete with videos and hover-over definitions for difficult vocabulary. The platform also provides additional comprehension activities, though many of these are locked behind a $10/month pro account. However, even the free version is packed with useful features, and I often use it with my older students to help them engage with current events while improving their reading skills.
5. ChatGPT and Canva
I’ve written before about the powerful combination o (https://chatgpt.com/) and Canva to create custom reading passages and comprehension questions. By using prompts, you can generate specific articles, short stories, or other text types that are tailored to your students’ reading levels. For example, I might prompt ChatGPT to write a short Greek myth at a first-grade reading level, highlighting words that would be difficult for an English learner. For my younger students, I have also asked it to write short stories that target specific phonics skills or letter sounds. I then use Canva to create visually appealing comprehension worksheets to accompany the text. For my blog post on how to use ChatGPT and Canva to create passages and stories at students’ levels, click here.
6. Rewordify (https://rewordify.com/) doesn’t provide ready-made reading passages, but it’s an excellent tool for simplifying existing texts. You can paste a passage or enter a web address, and the site will automatically generate a simplified version. This feature allows you to adapt any text for different student levels, not just for EL students, but for struggling readers in general. Rewordify also allows you to recreate websites with simplified text, which can be displayed for students.
Supporting EL students doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. With a little resourcefulness, there are plenty of free and affordable tools out there that can make a world of difference. By focusing on simple sentence structures, embedding vocabulary support, and utilizing pre-made activities, you can create a supportive and engaging learning environment for your students. And with websites like Diffit, ReadWorks, and DogoNews at your fingertips, finding high-quality reading passages and activities is easier than ever.
As teachers, we know that our students’ success is the ultimate goal. By being strategic about the resources we use, we can provide them with the support they need—without breaking the bank.