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For this activity you need blank bingo sheets for each student, a whiteboard, and a book or article. The teacher will pick a book or an article and pick out 16 vocabulary words from the article. Then the teacher will find a synonym for each of these words and write them on the board. Students will fill their bingo cards out by writing the synonyms in whatever box they choose.

Teacher will explain what a synonym is and give an example of 1 or 2 from the text giving them free boxes to mark off.

Next, the teacher will read the book or article and the students will mark off synonyms that match words from the text until a student gets a bingo.

This activity would be best for upper level students.

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Students will read a short story, then give students time to process what they read, and have them create and perform a scenario that they just read about in a book chapter or article!

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Prediction activity-Ss will read a part of a story from a childrens book with pictures. Many stories will be used in the form of stations. Ss will also be grouped into abilities to make the work as challenging as it need to be.

The S will read part of the story and will be told to look at the characters and what is currently happening in the story.

The S will be asked using their knowledge of the story to finish the story with what they guess happens at the end.

The aim is for the S to interpret the story and to complete it with their comprehension of what they read.

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I will call this ESL reading activity “Let’s Do A Puzzle.” The teacher chooses and makes copies of a few sets of magazine/journal articles that are appropriate for and/or beneficial to the ESL class’ English level. The teacher then dismantles each set of articles into puzzle pieces and puts each article’s pieces in a zip bag. After the teacher explains the activity and has the class form into teams (depending on the size of the class), each team works on a set of puzzles and puts together the article. Once the articles are pieced together, each team reads aloud its content to share with the class. In preparing for this activity, the teacher also decides on to what extent to disassemble the article based on the learning objectives of the reading lesson. For students with higher levels, there may not be only one correct assembling of the article. Each team could come up with reasons to support its final solution. In addition to reading exercises, I think this activity is also useful for learning grammar rules, critical thinking, summarization, and communication and speaking.

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I thought of this game while reading fellow TESOL student Faith's discussion above. In this activity I would play a game of "Fictionary" with my class by pulling difficult vocabulary words from a reading passage as a pre-reading activity. For each vocabulary word I would read the true definition and two definitions that I created (kind of like one truth and two lies). Students would need to guess the correct definition to score points.

Example -

Word: Hodgepodge

Definition 1: A creature that lives in hedges in England

Definition 2: A type of cookware.

Definition 3: A mix of various items.

After playing, the teacher would give the true definition and students would tally points for each correct answer.

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First, have your class read a short story or postcard. The reading will have various mistakes throughout. Give your Ss enough time alone to try and find as many mistakes as possible. Have the Ss read through the passage at least twice, first time skimming and scanning, the next time more in depth. Next, have your Ss put their chairs into a circle and start playing music. Make sure that there's one less chair than student. Stop the song at a random point and the person still standing has to share one/some of their answers. Play until you have a winner.

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In this activity, students will read a passage/paragraph that is describing something. For example, it could be describing a character from a book. Students will read and draw the character based on the description. After the activity, everyone in the class can share and see how similar they got their drawings!

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In this activity, the students are prepared to read the text by doing some warmups like predicting the content of the text and brainstorming, then they read the text fully and even twice if needed, then they perform the text by acting it out and doing some TPR movements which will add some fun and also enhances their comprehension.

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After the story is read with the class, separate the students into groups. Each group with get two cards, one that says true and another one that says false.

The teacher will read a statement or a fact about the book they just read and it is the students job to select whether it is true or false. The first group to hold the correct one in the air is the team that receives a point. At the end, the team with the most points wins!

I found this resource on the website: BridgeUniverse.

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BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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12 Fun ESL Reading Comprehension Activities for All Levels!

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Check out these ESL reading comprehension activities that are sure to engage and inspire. Incorporate these in person or online!

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In this activity, students will be in a competition to find key words or ideas within the text while reading. On the board there will be certain words or phrases to look for while reading, or after reading through the first time. After around 15 minutes to read through, there will be a ending competition to see if they got it correct. Each student will earn a certain amount of points and there will be a winner!

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I found this activity on bridge.edu, check out the link I've attached, they have so many great activities! In this specific reading activity, students will first read some sort of text (narrative story, magazine article, etc.). Then the teacher will create a timeline on the board. Beforehand, the teacher will create cards that have important events that took place in the reading. Then as a class (or to make it a competition, split the class into groups), put the events in order. If you decide to make it a competition, ensure students know they must put all the events correctly to win!

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BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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12 Fun ESL Reading Comprehension Activities for All Levels!

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Check out these ESL reading comprehension activities that are sure to engage and inspire. Incorporate these in person or online!

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Students will get a bunch of pieces of paper. The papers will be pairs, one with the picture of the item and the other with the vocab term. All the papers will be turned face down. The students will need to turn over two papers at a time and find all of the matches. This is usually done in a group or pairs with each student taking a turn, but it can be done individually as well.

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Trace the item and name it

4. Reading Quiz - Exit Ticket (Pre-Reading Activity)

Trace the objects and name them without any notes or help from classmates. The objects to be traced could be the vocabulary words of some of the words they need to learn that week.

Once they complete them they can get it checked and leave class with the paper so they can try to remember the name of the object by looking at the object. If the Ss get the name of the object wrong, help them and have them try again.

This activity is mainly geared towards beginner or elementary-level Ss.

Needed Materials:

A paper for each Ss with the objects dashed so they can trace them

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4. Reading Quiz - Exit Ticket (Pre-Reading Activity)

Trace the objects and name them without any notes or help from classmates. The objects to be traced could be the vocabulary words of some of the words they need to learn that week.

Once they complete them they can get it checked and leave class with the paper so they can try to remember the name of the object by looking at the object. If the Ss get the name of the object wrong, help them and have them try again.

This activity is mainly geared towards beginner or elementary-level Ss.

Needed Materials:

A paper for each Ss with the objects dashed so they can trace them

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Before seeing Muriels post, I also found an idea on (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/esl-reading-comprehension-activities/#Draw_the_Character)

Material: You won't need any additional things- just the story you were reading with your students.

How to do it:

Before another time of reading the text, tell the students that they will need to draw one of the main characters after the reading.

This will have the students focus on all the words that are used to describe this particular character and help them learn additional adjectives that can be used to describe a person.

After the reading give your students time to draw the character they picked.

Have them share their art with their neighbour, the whole class or in a art gallery style to finish up the activity.

Additional speaking prompt: The students can use sentences similar to the ones they heard in the story to describe their painting.

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I found this on bridge.edu (https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/esl-reading-comprehension-activities/)

What you’ll need: four cards, two with “true” written on them and the other two with “false”

How to do it: In this game, the students compete to win as many points as possible. After the class reads the text, divide the class into two groups. Give each group a pair of “true” and “false” cards. Then, tell them that you will read out a statement based on the text they’ve read and they have to raise the correct card. The first person who raises the correct card wins a point.

Online variation: You can create your own true or false games on free, game-based learning platforms like Kahoot!

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BridgeUniverse - TEFL Blog, News, Tips & Resources

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12 Fun ESL Reading Comprehension Activities for All Levels!

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Check out these ESL reading comprehension activities that are sure to engage and inspire. Incorporate these in person or online!

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Split students into small groups and give each group a short story they must act out.

This activity allows students to mainly utilize reading for comprehension, scanning, and skimming. Students will need to read the text and then continue to review it over and over again as they come up with how they will act their skit out. Have students come up with a title for their skit that is different than the name of the short story as well as a visual aid.

To add another level to this activity. Have students from other groups predict what they think each groups skit will be about based on the title of each skit and any visual aids provided.

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I must go back to one of my favorite activities that can be used for all different levels. This is an interactive Read Aloud. Often modeled by the teacher with the class following along. I describe it like this…You are a master reader. Your job is to share all that is going on in your head as a good reader with the st’s that you are modeling this strategy to. What questions are you asking as you read? State these out loud as you read. When you come to a word that you can’t pronounce, look for clues in the context or possibly in a picture, but you have to verbalize these strategies. You might come to the word “red” and say, “I’m not confident what this word is but I see the word hat after it and see a picture of a red had on the dogs head in the picture, I wonder if that word is red?” “It does make sense, so let’s go with it and see if it fits with the next sentence as well.” As you model, you are going to ask questions that you think of when you are reading. It might sound like this, “I see that he was walking slowly to the door. I wonder why he is moving so slowly? Has he had a bad experience similar to this in the past? Or is he unsure of what is on the other side?” You might make a prediction at this point or mention something that happened on the previous page that brings more context to the situation. In essence, you are modeling what good readers do to not only decode a book but bring understanding through context and other strategies like scaffolding. This type of read aloud also includes a tremendous amount of interaction between the teacher and those listening to the story.

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This could be a post-reading activity, preferably for younger students.
Have students choose a character from the story. It could be any character that stood out to them during the reading.
Using a piece of paper and colored art materials, have students draw their character of choice. This could help them reflect on the story and help them visualize and feel the story. Once they are done drawing, have them write a description of who that character is, what their personality is, and what their significance was in the story.
To wrap up the activity, have students come to the front of the class one by one and share their character and description.

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This is a fun way to get students to practice reading.
The way it works is that students have to pass an object around the class and when the timer goes off or the music stops, they have to read something. In this case, it may be showing students a flashcard with a word that they have to read. Or have the students read the next line in an article that everyone is reading from.

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With your students study English idiom and proverbs; have students find matching idioms/proverbs in their own mother tongue. Have students translate idioms/proverbs in their mother tongue into English too. Have students draw out the English idiom or proverb literally and also what it actually means.

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Although English idioms don't make sense at first, these unique expressions (together with proverbs) add substance and humor to our conversations. The Oxford Dictionary defines the word " " as a: "group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g. over the moon, see the light)."

This means that English idioms should not be taken literally, because their meaning is metaphorical. You don't really wish someone would "break a leg," do you? And it's not actually "raining cats and dogs," is it?

On the other hand, - which are equally important to learn in English - are "short, well-known pithy sayings, stating a general truth or piece of advice." Proverbs like, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," have neither a metaphorical meaning nor a literal one. Still, their meaning is greater than the meaning of the individual words put together.

List of English Idioms, Proverbs & Expressions

English idioms aren't easy to understand at first, especially if you're speaking English as a second language. But learning their meanings is crucial if you want to sound more like a native . So let's get started with our complete list of English expressions and proverbs!

Check out the infographic below to preview some of the most common idioms that made it on our list.

English Idioms About People

English Idioms About Relationships

Like two peas in a pod - Two people who are always together

To give someone the cold shoulder - To intentionally ignore someone

To cut somebody some slack - To stop being so critical of them

To give someone the benefit of the doubt - To justify or excuse someone's actions, and not assume malice

To let someone off the hook - To not hold someone responsible for something he/she has done wrong

To rain on someone's parade - To ruin one's plans or temper one's excitement

English Idioms About Communication

English Idioms About Scenarios

English Idioms About Time

Miscellaneous Idioms in English

Need to hear the above idioms in example sentences before using them in conversation? Check out the video below to learn how to pronounce many of these common idioms.

Common English Proverbs

We hope you enjoyed this complete list of the most common proverbs and idioms in English. Can you think of any English idioms we missed? Leave a comment and let us know! And if you'd like to improve your English skills even more, try the free online English classes at TakeLessons Live.
Guest Author: Diana Lăpușneanu is a movie geek, story lover, and language learner at . She is passionate about creative writing, classical mythology, and English literature. You can follow Mondly on Instagram here .

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The Complete List of English Idioms, Proverbs, & Expressions

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Although English idioms don't make sense at first, these unique expressions (together with proverbs) add substance and humor to our conversations. The Oxford Dictionary defines the word " " as a: "group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g.

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I would write the beginning of a sentence on the board. The class would then need to fill in the gaps at the end to complete the sentences.

You could also do this in stations. Have a few incomplete sentences written. Provide several words that the students can use to help finish and complete the sentence. I'd like to add several extra words that would not belong either. You can also add punctuation and sentence endings. (Explanation points, question marks, periods.)

You can do this for any level of English as it can be modified. For more advanced students, you could have paragraphs and make it more grammar based.

. Does this sentence need any punctuation?
. Add commas if needed.
. What's another word that can be used here? (And you could highlight the word and ask them to find a synonym)

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I think it would be fun to combine a vocabulary practice with a food/nutrition lesson.  Students would be assigned the night before to cut or peel off a food label from one of their favorite foods.

The teacher would collect the food labels and put them a few of them at stations with different questions for each station.  Station one could be to write down any foods from the labels that the students already know.  Perhaps even draw a simple picture of that food as well.  Station two could be to write down any unfamiliar words with a few guesses as to the definitions.  Station three could be where students use dictionaries to look up the unfamiliar words and check/correct their guesses.

As the students return to their desks as a class, we could guess what kind of food the labels came from and the student who brought in that particular label could tell us if we were correct or not!

We could also have some fun and determine which food/classmate chose the most nutritious food vs. the least nutritious.

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Attached is a sample of a Real-World Reading PDF lesson from Ellii.com (formerly called ESL Library). You can find more lessons like this one at the following link, including printable PDF worksheets and digital lessons that can be taught using a screen.
https://ellii.com/lessons/real-world-reading

This section offers examples of real-world texts that newcomers come across in their everyday lives in English-speaking countries. Real-world reading includes receipts, bills, forms, ads, schedules, and true news stories.

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Attached is a sample from the "Reading in English" collection from Ellii.com (formerly called ESL Library). Check out the following link for the collection of paid lessons (not free) that focus on different skills or functions, including "Skimming & Scanning", "Identifying the Main Idea", and "Following a Recipe", among others. https://ellii.com/lessons/reading-in-english

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Write a sentence with several mistakes. Have students read sentence and fix mistakes.Tell the Ss how many mistakes they are looking for. This can be done as a competition against another S or in teams.

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This activity starts off with the teacher passing out paragraphs to pairs or groups of students. The paragraphs can be written ahead of time by the teacher, or can be found online (but the paragraph needs to contain an irrelevant sentence). The students read through the paragraph that they were given and try to identify which sentence does not belong. The team to identify it the fastest wins.
The teacher then reads the paragraph to the class to clarify or explain for any students who might be lost.
This activity can be done with multiple paragraphs that the students have to go through, which can be used for more advanced students.

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For this activity, write or print a dialogue between two people onto a piece of paper, then cut it into strips with one sentence per strip. Next, ask the students to reassemble the mixed up sentences into a coherent dialogue. To add some fun, split the students up into teams - whoever puts the dialogue back together first wins!

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I did this activity a couple of times before, and my students had so much fun. This is how you run it:

1. Divide the class into groups (if the classroom is big, maybe 3-4 teams). Get the students to seat all together so they can discuss and come up with the answers together.
2. Write down on the board sentences where some specific words have spelling mistakes. Another option would be to print out texts where some words are misspelled and give to the teams.
3. Give each team one chance to guess, if they guess wrong, the next team should have the chance to guess.
4. At the end the team who guesses the great majority or answers right wins. Here in Cambodia the students love to receive gifts so I would have some cookies/candies ready to give to the winner team.

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This activity is a good reading activity because students will have an opportunity to read a story. Then show that they understand the reading through acting it out for the class and creating a quiz based on the story for the other students to take part in.

-First, you'll want to split your students into small groups.
-Each group will get a different story they will need to act out in front of the class.
-You can already have prepared or have your students prepare a list of short questions or true/false questions, relating to their story, to engage the students watching. This will also help evaluate how well each group comprehended the story.
-Once the groups have had enough time to prepare, the groups can perform!

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Reading at stations!

Even as a native English speaker, reading was difficult for me and I would feel discouraged if I wasn't understanding the article or book so I thought it may be helpful for others learning to read to have a bit of variety. It will be normal as far as stations go, about three or four different articles set up at different stations around the room and small groups go around to each one and get to have a short time to try out that article with a few of the seven skills. Then if they find one they really enjoy and want to dig deeper into then they can stay at a station at any point. This will give them a bit more ownership and hopefully a bit more motivation if it's the one they actually are more interested in. This activity can easily be modified for higher or lower levels depending on the articles you chose and the length.

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This is good reading activity to practice with reading and sentence's structure.
The way it works is that you can write a few sentences on the board but with mixed up word order. Ss have to write them on a piece of paper in the correct order.
It's simple but works well as a quick warmer activity to review material from previous classes.
It works well for the beginner to intermediate level students of all ages.

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This activity can be done any level of our ESL students. Based on the level of our students, we can organise this activity.

For the beginners we can  print a small sentence in a piece of paper (Ex: I am happy today), then cut into strips with separate words and ask the students to arrange it in the correct order read it out loud to the class.

For this reading  activity, students can work in teams and the winning team should be the first to put the sentences together.

For the intermediate and advanced level students, we can make the task a little more difficult by cutting out words instead of sentences.

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To make this activity in class you can write some questions and answers on a spreadsheet. Then, print them off and cut them out into separate strips of paper. Give each student a mix of question and answer papers (5-6).

Then, they have to go around the class to find their matches. Once they do, they can do rock-scissor-paper and the winner takes both papers and gets one point. The winner is the person with the most points at the end of the activity.

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Write instructions on the board at the beginning of class. Speak is prohibited and make a point of writing everything down. Students will have to follow instructions in order to complete the day’s class.

Alternatively, try a fun reading comprehension test with an activity. Give students a recipe to make in groups of two or three or have them build something through written instructions only. The results can be hilarious, and everyone will have a lot of fun laughing at their mistakes. It’s also a very visual way to see if they understood what they read.

You could also have your students write out a couple of paragraphs explaining how to do something and then trade with another student. Each student will have to follow their partner’s written directions to complete the task or activity.

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One activity I have in my Speech Therapy workbooks is inference reading activities. They read a paragraph that requires the reader to pay attention to the story as much of the story can be inferred from the surrounding details. Then you ask inference questions and try to figure out parts of the story and the authors stance. The paragraphs are simple but you could find articles that are more complex and discuss those too.

The teacher only needs to find inference literature of any kind, make the question list and guide the discussion process after the reading. For me, this material is already ready and I would simply make copies.

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Reading activity: Dialogue Substitution 

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Reading activity: Dialogue Substitution 

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There are tons of dialogues in ESL textbooks as it is a very common way that new grammar and vocabulary are introduced.

A way to combat this is to remove some of the key words. Then, it turns it from simply an easy reading activity to one that focuses heavily on meaning as well.

What you have to prepare:

- Print the dialogue from the ESL textbook.

- Remove some of the key words you want to focus on. (It can be nouns, verbs, adjectives or a mix of all of them.

- Prepare a word-bank (for higher levels you can also leave the word-bank and let them come up with their own words.)

How to do it?

- You handout the dialogue to the students.

- The students read the dialogue and try to fill in the blanks. (Individual or in pairs)

- After reading, the teacher can ask question about the dialogue and go through the dialogue together.

*This reading activity help students to not just read the dialogue without having a reason why they have to understand it. What often happened is that students just blow through them and do not really pay attention to what they are reading because they have no reason why they have to understand what they are reading.

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Are you looking for some of the best ESL reading games and activities, along with lesson plans, worksheets and exercises? Then you're certainly in the right place as we have the best ESL reading comprehension activities for you to consider including in your reading lesson plans.

Top 21 ESL Reading Comprehension Games and Activities

Are you ready to get into the reading activities? Let's get to it. Keep on reading!

#1: Hot Potato ESL Reading Game

If you're teaching students how to read then you may want to try out this hot potato game. It's a fun way to get them practicing this important skill.

The way it works is that students have to pass an object around the class and when the timer goes off or the music stops, they have to do something. In this case, it may be showing students a flashcard with a word and they have to say it. Or, reading the next sentence in an article.

Find out more here: Hot Potato.

#2: Dialogue Substitution ESL Reading Activity

There are a ton of dialogues in ESL textbooks as it's a very common way that new grammar and vocabulary are introduced. However, have you noticed that students often just blow through them and don't really pay attention to what they're reading?

A way to combat this is to remove some of the key words. Then, it turns it from simply an easy reading activity to one that focuses heavily on meaning as well. Learn more about it: Dialogue Substitution Reading Activity.

#3: Learning to Read ESL Game

There are lots of great ideas for ESL reading activities on YouTube. Here's one that you might consider using if you're teaching your students how to read:

#4: Do you like to _____?

Try out this simple reading, writing, listening and speaking activity with your students. Yes, it covers all 4 skills and is some ESL teaching gold.

The way it works is that students have to write 5 facts about themselves. It could be something they like, or another kind of fact. Then, distribute the papers around the class to the other students and they have to mingle with their classmates finding the matches.

Sounds like something you want to try out? More details here: Do you Like to ____? 4-Skills ESL Activity.

#5: ESL Board Games

In real life, I love to play board games so I also like to incorporate them into my classes as well. It's really easy to make your own and they also have a good amount of reading comprehension in them as students have to read the question or statement and then respond to it correctly.

Want to check them out? You can see all the details here: Board Games for ESL.

#6: Post-Reading Activities

After getting students to read things, it's always a good idea to do some post-reading activities to get the most bang for our buck! There are tons of things you can do and it's good to mix things up to keep it fresh and interesting for our students.

Find out more about this: ESL Post-Reading Activities.

#7: Task-Based Reading Activities

I LOVE task based teaching and learning and try to incorporate at least some of it into each of my classes. There are numerous advantages to them including being a nice change of pace from the regular routine, students have a large degree of freedom and also that they're very student-centred.

As far as reading goes, there are numerous things you could do for task-based activities:

Novel studies with a group project

Reading a newspaper article and making a short presentation to the class

Ordering events based on a short story

Etc.

Want to know more? Check this out: Task Based ESL Activities.

#8: The Reading Race

Who says that ESL reading can't be fun? It certainly can be with one of the best ESL reading games:

#9: Conversation Starters

Although this is mostly a speaking and listening activity, there is a good dose of reading comprehension as students are given a list of questions from which to read from. It's a nice way to combat the silence when you tell students to talk about a certain topic!

More details here: ESL Conversation Starters.

#10: Rocks Scissor Paper ESL Reading Games

Try out this fun review game with a serious dose of reading in it! The way it works is that you make up a bunch of questions and answers and then cut them all up into pieces of paper.

Each student gets a mix of questions and answers and then circulates around the class trying to find their matches. When they do find a match, the students do rocks scissor paper, the winner takes both and gets a point.

Want to know more? Find out all the details here: Rocks Scissor Paper ESL Game.

#11: Got to Hand it to You

This is a simple review activity that's heavy on the reading and turns something that's usually kind of boring (review and error correction) into something new by making it into a relay race.

Want to give it a try? You can learn more here: Error Correction Relay Race.

#12: Reading Comprehension Games

Here are even more ideas for you to consider:

#13: Agony Aunt Advice Column

One fun reading comprehension activity that you may want to try out is this one for giving and getting advice. Students have to read about a problem and then work together in groups to give that person some advice.

You can see all the details here: Agony Aunt Problem Advice ESL Activity.

#14: Story Timeline ESL Reading Exercise

One of the best activities for after reading a short story (or even a novel) is to do the story timeline. Students have to work together in groups to put the events of the story in the correct order.

Find out more about this useful reading comprehension activity here: Story Timeline Reading Activity.

#15: Current Events Presentation Project

Although this activity focuses mostly on speaking, the basis of it is a current events new article that students have to read and base their presentations on. The results with this activity in my classes have been excellent so definitely consider trying it out in your classes.

Check it out: Current Events Presentation Project.

#16: Running Dictation

One of the ESL activities to try out with your students is running dictation. It hits all the skills in a big way, including reading and it's also fun and challenging. It does take a bit to explain how to set it up and play it, so be sure to check out this detailed explanation:

ESL Running Dictation Game.

#17: ESL Surveys

Surveys are another one of those multi-skill ESL activities that also have a good dose of reading in them. The way it works is that students have to circulate around the class finding someone who can answer yes to a question on their paper (that's the reading part of it). They also lend themselves to just about any topic.

Check out this versatile ESL activity here: ESL Survey Ideas.

#18: Reading Comprehension Activities

#19: ESL Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Keep in mind that teaching English doesn't need to be all about entertainment all the time. Sometimes serious work is required in order to learn a language so consider doing some more serious things in your classes too.

In this case, consider doing some focused reading activities that have some reading comprehension worksheets to go along with them. You could consider using some class time for this or assigning something like this for homework. See below for some of the best resources to consider using.

#20: Scrambled Sentences

A simple English reading game to consider using in your class is this one. It's a perfect way to review just about anything. The way it works is that you can write a bunch of sentences on a worksheet or on the board and students have to work to put the words in the correct order.

Alternatively, you can do this for a conversation or short story at the sentence level.

#21: Choose your Own Adventure ESL Writing Activity

Group writing activities are hard to come by, but Choose your Own Adventure is one of the best ones. It's done in groups of four so at the end of the activity, students can exchange stories and this becomes a serious reading activity too. Plus, it's one that students generally love because their classmates have come up with the stories, plus they have a choice about which direction to take.

Want to give it a try? See all the details here: ESL Group Writing Activity.

ESL Reading Exercises and Lesson Plans

There are lots of excellent reading lesson plans that are available to just print off and use in your classes. It's a huge timer-saver and any busy teacher should definitely take advantage of this resource! Here are some of the top picks:
ESL Activity One Stop English
ESL Reading Comprehension Worksheets

The good news for teachers is that there's really no need to reinvent the wheel! There are a ton of great resources online, including reading comprehension worksheets and exercises for ESL. Here are some of the top picks:
ISL Collective
Did you like these ESL Reading Games?

Yes? Thought so. Then you're going to love this book over on Amazon: ESL Reading Activities for Teenagers and Adults. The key to better English classes for adults is a wide variety of interesting, engaging and student-centred activities and games and this book will help you do that in style. Seriously, you'll be able to make it through an entire semester of reading lessons without having to repeat an activity!

Keep a copy of the book on the shelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide when making your lesson plans. Or, download the free Kindle reading app onto your phone, laptop or tablet and take it with you to your favourite coffee shop for some serious lesson planning on the go.

Either way, it's the book you need if you're serious about levelling up your English teaching game! Find out more about these ESL reading activities on Amazon:

Have your Say about these ESL Reading Activities and Games

What's your top pick for an ESL reading game or exercise? Is it one of the options from this or do you have your eye on another one? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It'll help other busy English teachers, like yourself find this useful resource.

Last update on 2020-07-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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ESL Reading Games, Activities, Lesson Plans & Worksheets

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Are you looking for some of the best ESL reading games and activities, along with lesson plans, worksheets and exercises? Then you're certainly in the right place as we have the best ESL reading comprehension activities for you to consider including in your reading lesson plans.

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Located this idea on the internet - enjoy!

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Following Directions: It’s a Treasure Hunt!

When we think about reading comprehension materials, stories and short stories are usually the top resources that come to our minds. However, ESL teachers can do some hands-on activities to encourage students to read and thrive in a fun environment.

The treasure hunt reading comprehension game does just the trick. To play:

1. Hide different treasures (cards, small balls and beanies) in the classroom or schoolyard.

2. Write a short story and clues that tell where to find each treasure.

3. Divide students in groups and give them a map and a clue sheet to locate the treasure.

The map can be hand drawn or printed. Give unique names to the basic geographic features of the classroom/schoolyard so students can navigate the rain forest or dark caves without getting lost!

The clue sheet should begin with a short text that describes an actual or fictional event in the past. The story should include the name of the characters and vague descriptions of the treasures involved. The rest of the clue sheet should be filled with hints, codes and even secret messages for students to decode.

For example, if you hid a diamond playing card on the third shelf of a bookcase in the corner, you can give the following clue:

It stands in a corner with lots of pages for you to read. The diamond is on the third floor and right under a fairy tale.

The first group that finds their treasure wins the game. But they are always welcome to join other teams to help them find their treasures too!

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Reading Activity: Scrambled Sentences or Jumbled Story

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Reading Activity: Scrambled Sentences or Jumbled Story

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Scrambled Sentences or Jumbled Story

Write or print a sentence or a dialogue on a paper and then cut it into strips with one sentence per strip. Ask the students to assemble the sentences into coherent text or dialogue. For this reading comprehension activity, students can work in teams and the winning team should be the first to put the sentences/ story together. To make the task more difficult, cut out words instead of sentences.

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This treasure hunt is great to practice reading skills and adaptable to wherever you are at. You will only need a few simple things exercise this activity.

What you need:
- a treasure (for example a fake diamond/fake gold)
- pen and paper
- a map (optional)
- treats for the winning team/pair

Before the activity, hide the treasure. If you have the possibility to do this outside, even better. The base I am part of, has its own small forest, so that would be a great place to hide my treasure. You can also do this in a park, a school building or wherever you like. You also need to make you clues before doing this activity. You can make this really simple by using clues like, "look for a big tree" or a bit more difficult like "after the tree, take 5 steps to the left". So it is really adaptable to any proficiency level. When they find that spot, hide the next clue there. Make sure they read multiple clues before they find the treasure. If you want to make is activity more challenging for higher level students, you can also use riddles. So first they have to solve the riddle to find out where is the next clue. If you have enough time to prepare, another fun thing to add is a map. You can make clues that give you information about the map, and when you find all clues you have completed the map to the treasure. This last point is optional, since it would be a bit more time consuming to prepare. You can just have fun with it and play around. You can divide the class in teams, or even in pairs. Make sure that have a small treat for the winning team/pair!

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Reading Activity -  Eating Bugs: More and more people are eating insects

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Reading Activity -  Eating Bugs: More and more people are eating insects

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READING ACTIVITY: Breaking News Article:  Eating Bugs – More and more people are eating insects  (Level 6 - Advanced)

1.PREDICTION: In pairs / groups, talk about  the title, subtitle  and picture (above).. Write down three (3) main ideas you think the article will say about eating bugs.

2.Read the article:  (Students will read the Level 6 level of the article).

3. Pairs to briefly share with class how many of their pre-reading predictions were main ideas in the article.

4.Post-Reading:  After reading the article divide into pairs and discuss Insect diets as follows:  Students A strongly believe there should be more insects in our diets; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

EXTENSION Post-Reading activity:
INSECTS: Rank the insects below with your partner. Put the insects you would most hate to see on the dinner table at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

Tarantulas

Ants

Worms

Bees

Ladybirds

Locusts

Butterflies

Beetles

NOTE:  I recommend the breakingnewsenglish.com website because it has many reading lessons for levels 0-6.  I used some of the activities for this lesson from Level 6, but levels 4 & 5 are also available with slightly different activities.   This website provides short interesting news articles to practice reading and also provide other macro skills activities to use during the lessons.  I especially liked the fun text jumble activity.

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In the past decade, bugs have become a familiar sight on dinner tables. One reason for this is they are a great source of protein. Another reason is that people are concerned about the environment. Traditional livestock farming is detrimental to the environment as it is generally unsustainable. Raising insects is much more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of insect protein needs about 10 per cent of the feed, water and land used to produce the same amount of beef. Experts say farming insects is better for the environment than raising livestock. A final reason we may have to eat insects is because of the rise in the world's population. By 2050 this is expected to be 9.8 billion, up from the current 7.7 billion.

The insect farming industry is growing quickly. There are hundreds of companies worldwide creating meals made from bugs. Many supermarkets around the world now stock food made from insects. There are vending machines in Tokyo, Japan where you can purchase a can of insect snacks. The menu includes dried tarantula and scorpions. However, not everyone is excited by the idea of insects as food. An Israeli insect farmer, Dror Tamir, says there is a "yuck factor" to the thought of eating insects. He said people will get used to the idea and will find insects tasty. He said: "I am convinced it will soon be widely accepted, just like eating raw fish in sushi was embraced."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Sources

https://theconversation.com/more-people-are-eating-bugs-but-is-it-ethical-to-farm-insects-for-food-167248 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58636969 https://sunlive.co.nz/news/277465-study-finds-kiwis-keen-on-eating-insects.html
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

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English News Lessons: Free 27-Page lesson plan / 2-page mini-lesson - Eating Bugs - Handouts, online activities, speed reading, dictation, mp3... current events.

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Prediction

Ss divide into pairs and look at an article from a magazine, such as "Planet Protectors" from National Geographic Kids about sea otters. Ss read the title and subtitles, look at the pictures and read the captions next to the pictures on each page. Based only on this information, Ss write down what they think the article will be about and two main ideas of the article. Ss discuss what they wrote and why with their partner before moving to the next activity.

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In this reading activity, students read  index cards with commercials written or printed on them. Students are encouraged to do whatever they can to "sell" the product, using clear pronunciation, props, or whatever else they can think of to "sell" it. They have 5 minutes or so to practice their "commercial" before recording it. They are encouraged to watch the recordings, to see if they can improve their own performance.  I've used Voices.com for some of these scripts. You can find them for different lengths of time, including 15 second, 30 second, or 1 minute clips. Here is the link: https://www.voices.com/blog/retail-commercial-sample-scripts/

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These retail commercial scripts include specifications like voice age, gender, job description, language, role, accent and more - similar to voice over job postings on Voices.

The scripts provided cover a range of 1-minute, 30-second, and 15-second runtimes to help provide word count examples and how much information you can fit into various recording lengths.

In this article

1. For Clients Looking for Retail Commercial Scripts

2. For Voice Actors Looking for Retail Commercial Scripts

3. Voice Over Script Example 1: Mash-Up Blenders Inc.

4. Voice Over Script Example 2: Nature's Special Menu All Natural Dog Food

5. Voice Over Script Example 3: Dream Steam Machine-Washable Mopping Pads

6. Voice Over Script Example 4: Little Kitchen Helpers Cookbook for Kids

7. Voice Over Script Example 5: Scott's Surf Shop

So, the next time you post a job on Voices, you'll know what job posting format will attract the best auditions. This formatting helps voice actors understand your overall vision, and bring it to life in their read.

For Clients Looking for Retail Commercial Scripts

These retail commercial scripts include specifications like voice age, gender, job description, language, role, accent, etc., similar to voice over job postings on Voices.

So, if you're looking for a voice actor, the next time you post a job on Voices, you'll know what job posting format will attract the best auditions. This formatting helps voice actors understand your overall vision, and bring it to life in their read.

For Voice Actors Looking for Retail Commercial Scripts

Feel free to use these retail commercial sample scripts for your demo and/or for practice! Keep in mind that when auditioning for jobs, it is recommended to only provide a small portion of the read in your audition. For example, a 7 to 15-second read of a 30-second script will suffice.
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Voice Over Script Example 1: Mash-Up Blenders Inc.
1-Minute Internet Ad Sample Script:
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But what are you to do when you find yourself in a rush, and you can't imagine what to create out of the random items sitting in your fridge?

Make the most of what you already have by reading your ingredients out loud, and listen as the Mash-Up presents you with custom smoothie recipes from its extensive database. Get detailed recipe instructions as you move about your kitchen.

The Mash-Up is the smart blender that talks to you. You can even evade that roaring blender sound, since the Mash-Up plays upbeat music while it prepares your smoothie, alerting you when it's ready.

Why settle for a boring old blender? Try the Mash-Up and discover how to easily blend an assortment of smoothies that are jam-packed with nutritious ingredients and that taste out of this world.

Find the Mash-Up on our website or wherever you buy home appliances. Share your concoction online with the hashtag #MashUpMyMorning.
30-Second Internet Ad Sample Script: Note: The Narrator in this ad should voice Robin's lines as well.
[From above, we see a young adult, Robin, fast asleep in her bed. Her astoundingly loud morning alarm sounds, and Robin immediately slams her hand against her bedside table, hitting snooze. She rolls over, buries her face in her pillow, and groans.]

Narrator: "Your mornings used to look like this."

[Still half-asleep, Robin drags herself into her kitchen, and starts scouring her fridge and cupboards for something to eat.]

Narrator: "They used to sound like this."

Robin [to herself, yawning]: "All I've got is... this banana, the remnants of a bag of spinach... some seeds... uh, peanut butter..."

[Robin tosses said ingredients into a blender that looks 50 years old. A painful, blaring noise fills the kitchen, until the blender's blades get caught on some ice cubes, turning into an appalling clicking sound as the blades struggle to crush them up.]

Narrator: "But now that you've got the Mash-Up, your mornings sound like this."

[Robin's kitchen is suddenly bathed in golden light. The old blender disappears, and the Mash-Up blender appears in its place.]

The Mash-Up's synthetic voice: "You're in luck! You've got just the right ingredients to make a green monster smoothie. Start by adding a cup of baby spinach..."

[We see Robin grinning and humming to herself as she fills her new blender with precisely measured ingredients.]

Robin: "I'm all set! Now mash-up, please!"

[Close-up of the Mash-Up working its magic. The blender's contents are instantly reduced to a beautifully-colored mixture. Dance music fills the air.]

Narrator: "The Mash-Up even plays upbeat music while your smoothie is prepared. Get that burst of flavor without needing to seek out new, complicated recipes."

[Robin is so eager to drink her smoothie that she lifts the Mash-Up to her lips and drinks straight from the blender. She's overjoyed.]

Narrator: "Leave those unpalatable mornings in the past. With the new Mash-Up blender, your mornings can taste like this."
15-Second Internet Ad Sample Script:
What do your mornings look like?

What do they sound like?

The Mash-Up is a voice-activated blender that lists off smoothie ingredients so you can kickstart your day with a nutritious burst of flavor. When you're ready, just ask it to "Mash Up."

Now, what do your mornings taste like?

Listen to a read of this sample script performed by Emily Gubler:

You can also hear this internet video script get deliciously mashed up by a number of voice actors in an episode of our very own Mission Audition, where husband and wife duo Amanda Sellers and Mike Schurko evaluate a handful of reads of this very script!

1-Minute Voice Over Sample Script:

He's the reason I go for long walks, and the reason I take Sunday afternoon naps. He's the highlight of my mornings before work, and the source of my excitement in the evenings. He loves me unconditionally.

For all that and more, I feed my dog Nature's Special Menu All Natural Dog Food. With no artificial colors or flavors, and food for all of my dog's life stages, I know that I'm taking care of him as well as he takes care of me.

From the roly polly puppy stage, all the way through to the cuddly senior stage, Nature's Special Menu is what I choose.

Nature's Special Menu All Natural Dog Food. Sold in department stores across North America.

Also now available: Nature's Special Menu Dog Treats. Give your dog healthy snacks made with the same ingredients and care as the food you trust!

30-Second Voice Over Sample Script:

He's the reason I go for long walks, and the reason I take Sunday afternoon naps. He's the highlight of my mornings before work, and the source of my excitement in the evenings. He loves me unconditionally.

For all that and more, I feed my dog Nature's Special Menu All Natural Dog Food. With no artificial colors or flavors, I know that I'm taking care of him as well as he takes care of me.

Nature's Special Menu All Natural Dog Food. Sold in department stores across North America

15-Second Voice Over Sample Script:

We feed our Rufus Nature's Special Menu All Natural Dog Food. With no artificial colors or flavors, I know that we're treating him as well as he treats us.

Nature's Special Menu All Natural Dog Food. Found in your major department store.

These audition files were recorded by real voice actors as part of an episode of Mission Audition. In the podcast, the team at Voices explores what makes a good (or not-so-good) voice over audition:

Voice Over Script Example 3: Dream Steam Machine-Washable Mopping Pads

15-Second Voice Over Sample Script:

Gone are the days of using disposable mopping pads. Dream Steam machine-washable mopping pads are an environmentally-friendly mopping pad that can be used on all types of flooring.

Its one-size-fits-all functionality makes it easy to adjust to fit any popular floor mop on the market today. Visit Dreamsteam dot CA to find a retailer near you.

30-Second Voice Over Sample Script:

I've been looking for reusable, environmentally friendly floor mopping pads that I use can on laminate, hardwood, and ceramic floors. That's asking a lot, I know. Or so I thought!

Enter Dream Steam floor mopping pads. These machine washable pads are a game changer. They fit any popular floor mop on the market today. No more expensive refills or disposables that take years to break down in our landfills!

Visit Dreamsteam dot CA to find a retailer near you.

Voice Over Script Example 4: Little Kitchen Helpers Cookbook for Kids
1-Minute Voice Over Sample Script:
Do you have a little kitchen helper that would love their own cookbooks? The Little Kitchen Helpers Cookbooks for Kids are fun for every occasion!

Let the kids make you breakfast from the 'Toast the Most' breakfast book, or make lunch together from a recipe in the 'Cheese Please' lunch book, and lastly, surprise someone special - like Grandma - with a dessert from the 'Hello Jello' dessert book!

It's fun for children ages 3 to 10! Visit littlekitchenhelper.com to order yours today. Now also available in ebook format, perfect for iPads and tablets in the kitchen!

Voice Over Script Example 5: Scott's Surf Shop

30-Second Voice Over Sample Script:

Ready for some fun in the sun? Not without our oversized beach towels! Scott's Surf Shop has everything to cover you at the beach, including swimming apparel, sunblock, scuba gear, flip flops, and oversized beach towels made with shake-away technology that makes sure you leave the beach at the beach.

Before you drive to the cottage, stop by Scott's Surf Shop to start your summer off right.

Want to review sample scripts in other industries? Check out Voices's abundant library of original, royalty-free sample scripts that are free for your use, whether for practice or to record your next voice over demo!

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Looking for retail commercial voice over sample scripts? Here are some 1-minute, 30-second, and 15-second sample scripts for your inspiration.

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More Sample Lesson Plans: 7 Interactive Reading Activities

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More Sample Lesson Plans: 7 Interactive Reading Activities

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There are all kinds of funny, interesting, and random ways to get your students to practice their reading skills in class. Here are some more examples to get those good ideas flowing.

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Interactive Reading Activities - Sample Activities for your Lesson Plan - PRINT A PAPER VERSION.pdf

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Sample Lesson Plan: "Bear Hunt" Reading Lesson

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Sample Lesson Plan: "Bear Hunt" Reading Lesson

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This lesson utilizes the 7 Steps for teaching a reading lesson. It also includes a Prediction activity and some kinesthetic-style whole body learning by having students act out the story through dramatization and TPR (Total Physical Response).

Although this lesson focuses on reading, it still includes a good amount of practice using the other macro skills and you can easily add more extension activities, such as role plays and other communicative activities.

You can watch the video demonstration of this lesson here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWfBoH7kGbM

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"Bear Hunt" Reading Lesson - Sample Lesson Plan - GOOGLE SLIDES VERSION