International Reading Association (IRA) Newsletter Weekly Project: Effective Literacy Website #1 Exploration

Among all the websites that I explored, I found this website very interesting: https://breakingnewsenglish.com/ . All the materials on Breaking News English are based off news headlines and current events from around the world. It features seven different reading levels for each news story. There are different activities and handouts to accompany each story. Users can also complete online quizzes and download stories as mp3 files as an added bonus. What interests me about the website is that it matches my students’ literacy skills, considering that they are all ESL learners. Additionally, students can listen to the story at five different listening levels: slowest, slower, medium, faster, and fastest. Interestingly, I reviewed one news headline about Donald Trump’s Impeachment at two different reading levels. Each level has at least six or seven activities from vocabulary, matching, fill in the blanks, and even writing prompts based on the reading. This website is suitable for my seventh graders.