Three ways English students can learn to read at home

Kate Fitzpatrick
A woman reading outside with a book
Reading time: 4 minutes

Read more at home if you want to learn English faster: three ways to get into the habit

I can hear parents, ELT learners and teachers all over the world thinking to themselves: We know it helps if English students learn to read for pleasure at home, but how are we supposed to find the time? Who is buying these materials? What if a parent doesn’t speak English themselves?

That’s the beauty of reading at home, also called extensive reading: it’s completely autonomous and parents can be as involved as much or little as they like. There’s more good news as it’s never been cheaper to assemble a selection of extensive readers for your children or students, meaning that cost is no longer so much of a barrier to reading at home.

Is extensive reading really that critical to learning English?

Stephen D. Krashen’s [1]offers a marvellous summary and critique of extensive reading studies around the world, concluding that:

"When [second language learners] read for pleasure, they can continue to improve in their second language without classes, without teachers, without study and even without people to converse with.’"(Krashen 1993 p. 84)

Philip Prowse’s excellent article, “What is the secret of extensive reading?”[2]agrees with Krashen’s conclusion.

Prowse goes into more detail about efficacy studies at primary, secondary and adult levels. This body of evidence finds that reading for pleasure improves results in grammar, writing, speaking and fluency, as well as comprehension and vocabulary – both alongside and instead of traditional textbooks.

So, we know it works. As with so many education-related things, the question is how to implement them. Christine Nuttall talks about the virtuous circle of reading – once a learner begins to enjoy reading, they are more likely to read more and benefit more from it, so they learn to read more, and so on.

The reverse is also true. The questions then follow: how do we motivate our Instakids to read at home in English, if they won’t read in their first language? How do we carve out time between travel, work, school and homework? Here are three ways you can form the habit of reading at home:

1. Learners need access to extensive reading material at home to use it

Krashen establishes this common-sense fact based on five studies from 1983 to 2003.[2]It can be a reading app, an online library subscription or a pile of readers in the corner – whatever it is, it has to be the right level for the student and it has to be a topic they’re interested in, or they’ll never learn to read for pleasure.

Negative reading habits can happen simply because there isn’t much available to the learner: Worthy and McCool studied 11 sixth-graders in 1998 who "hated to read", and found a direct correlation between those students and the lack of reading material at home.[3] Thankfully, we now have more options than we used to:

For extensive reading online, the Extensive Reading Foundation offers good-quality, free materials, in audio and print, at its .These text resources and audiobooks tend to be quite basic and the stories are largely classics. You can choose by level and genre, and there is also a publisher directory.

  • You can purchase full ɫèAV English Readers and other publishers’ Kindle editions on the Kindle store, iBookstore and Google Play, and read them on an e-reader, phone or tablet using the Kindle app. These are finely-graded, contemporary, relevant e-books with titles like , , , , , , and .
  • An e-book library subscription can be a cost-effective way to get access to a lot of e-books online through your browser. is a Japanese-run online library which offers hundreds of full-text graded readers, from reputable publishers, and charges about $19 per year.
  • For print readers, cost can be an issue. If you can't buy readers at your local bookshop from a publisher like ɫèAV, you can buy first- or second-hand readers cheaply from Amazon or the Book Depository, or you can ask your school to let you know when they’re upgrading their readers library, as you may be able to take some of the older books home.

2.Make the most of the commute or the school run

The key here is routine – give it a try and see if it works for you. Reading doesn’t just happen on a page. Today’s English learners have multiple ways to read for pleasure on their various devices as well as in print, all of which are well-adapted for reading and listening on the train/on the bus/in the car/on foot.

I listen to podcasts on my commute by train and, to this day, I know my times tables thanks to a tape my mother used to play in the car on the way to primary school.

  • Download a podcast or audiobook. Ideally, an English learner would both read and listen, but one or the other is better than nothing. Audible.com has plenty of English extensive readers in audiobook format, and a year’s membership is $10 per month, or you can buy individual audiobooks. There are classic extensive reading podcasts available on iTunes for $4.99 each.
  • Never underestimate your public library.is an online service that finds your local library for you, wherever you are in the world. You can also search by title and see which libraries carry that particular book. Just think: you could create an instant, extensive reading library at your home for free that changes every month.

3. Consider the power of rewards

You can reward your child or reward yourself for building a reading habit. Remember, we are talking about starting a virtuous circle: persuading a learner to begin a new habit of reading in English for pleasure. Reward mechanisms can be very effective.

This idea should be explored on a case-by-case basis – it depends on what you or your child responds to best. In my opinion, starting a reading habit is well worth a glass of wine, a chocolate treat, or an extra half-hour playing video games.

References

[1]Krashen, Stephen D. (2004),p57

[2] Prowse, Philip: “”

[3] Worthy, J. and McKool, S. (1996): “” in Ibid, p61

Read our other posts 'Reading strategies for primary and secondary' and 'How can teachers encourage parents to get kids reading at home?'.

Learn more about our English Readers

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • woman working on a laptop

    Why use Smart Lesson Generator?

    By Thomas Gardner
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    Teachers juggle many responsibilities and often find themselves with limited time for lesson planning. Your solution? Smart Lesson Generator is the fast, connected and effective way to plan lesson activities, so you can get back to doing what you love – teaching. Smart Lesson Generator is an AI-powered tool designed to support educators by streamlining lesson planning and creating engaging, pedagogically-sound content. Here’s why you should consider integrating this tool into your teaching toolkit.

    Save time and focus on teaching

    One of the most significant challenges teachers face is the overwhelming amount of time spent on planning and administrative tasks. Smart Lesson Generator addresses this issue head-on by enabling teachers to create high-quality lesson activities in just 60 seconds. This time-saving feature allows educators to dedicate more time to engaging with their students and delivering impactful lessons.

    Ensure content relevance and engagement

    Creating relevant and engaging content is crucial for effective teaching. The Smart Lesson Generator empowers teachers to tailor lesson activities to the specific needs and interests of their students. Whether you’re adapting content based on current events or cultural relevance, the tool ensures that your lessons are always up-to-date and engaging.

    Provide differentiated instruction

    Catering to a diverse classroom with varying abilities can be challenging. Smart Lesson Generator supports differentiated instruction by offering stretch activities for advanced students and remediation activities for those needing additional support. This feature ensures that all students, regardless of their proficiency level, receive the appropriate level of challenge and support, fostering a more inclusive and effective learning environment.

    Pedagogically sound

    As educators, I think we can all agree there is a need for effective AI-tools that are designed by teaching experts. Smart Lesson Generator is aligned with ɫèAV courses and the Global Scale of English (GSE) framework, ensuring that all generated activities are pedagogically sound and level appropriate. This alignment guarantees that the content you deliver is not only engaging but also meets rigorous educational standards, providing a reliable foundation for student learning.

    Explore a variety of activity types

    Smart Lesson Generator currently offers six activity types - with more in development - to cater to different teacher needs and styles. These include:

    • Lesson hook: Engaging warmers to introduce lesson topics and activate prior knowledge
    • Communication starter: Activities designed to promote student interaction and communication skills
    • Reading activity: Additional reading practice aligned with lesson content or personalized topics
    • Exit ticket: Formative assessment tools to evaluate student understanding and encourage reflection
    • Grammar presentation: Support for mastering key language points relevant to the lesson
    • Vocabulary presentation: Activities to enhance vocabulary acquisition and usage

    Personalize the learning experience

    Every classroom is unique, and Smart Lesson Generator allows you to create personalized learning experiences tailored to your students' needs. By generating content based on ɫèAV courses or personalized topics, you can ensure that each lesson is relevant and engaging for your students. This personalization fosters a more dynamic and effective learning environment where students are more likely to stay engaged and motivated.

    Embrace the future of teaching with Smart Lesson Generator and experience the transformative power of AI in education. Save time, enhance engagement and deliver high-quality, personalized lessons that make a lasting impact on your students.

  • A teacher sat at a table with students helping them work

    GSE Teacher Toolkit: Teaching mixed ability classes

    By Sara Davila
    Reading time: 4 minutes

    One of the biggest challenges for language teachers is teaching a mixed ability class. Students with different levels and abilities will always be present in our classrooms. So, how can we use the to improve mixed ability teaching? Let’s find out.

    How to teach mixed-ability classes

    Differentiated instruction is the best way to address the challenges of mixed ability classrooms. This is a method that helps teachers adjust aspects of the curriculum to match the different levels ofstudents.*This practice ensures that all learners are meeting course outcomes, even though their learning experience may be varied anddifferent.

    In order to differentiate instruction and support students with different needs, teachers can change:

    • the content being taught
    • the process used to teach
    • the product students create
    • the environment where learning takes place

    Adjusting the content tends to be the most obvious way to support learners. So, teachers who want to engage with differentiated instruction in mixed ability classrooms often find themselves producing a lot of content. This is greatas a way tosupport learners. However, creating new content or leveling existing content is time-consuming, and it can become a real challenge for teachers.

    Content vs process

    Instead of adjusting your content, you can use the GSE Teacher Toolkit to adjust your process. When you’re not creating lots of new content, you’ve got more time to consider how to teach new language to your students and how they can show what they’ve learned.The GSE Teacher Toolkit helps teachers to focus on the process and language production of learners, rather than the content you are teaching.

    This means less work for you, and more engagement from your students, no matter what their level is. And the GSE Teacher Toolkit can help you understand the skills we can expect students to demonstrate. So how does this work in practice? Let’stake a look.

  • A woman with a backpack stood in a airport looking at one of the many boards

    Travelling to an English-speaking country? 6 simple things you need to know

    By Steffanie Zazulak
    Reading time: 2 minutes

    Regardless of where you’re travelling, it‘s definitely worth learning some basic English, and you won’t be alone: (20% of the world). Of course, if you’re visiting an English-speaking country like the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, it’s especially useful to brush up on your English.

    Here are six simple things you need to know when travelling to English-speaking countries: