ESL ALS Reading comprehension beginner

Make reading fun and accessible with these engaging activities—perfect for ESL (English as a Second Language) learners! With over 40 beginner-friendly texts, this bundle supports reading comprehension through interactive slideshows, graphic organizers, and creative activities. Explore themes like student food choices, holiday celebrations, personal questions and family information —all with minimal prep required!

Resource 1: Food and Student Food choices

Make learning English engaging with these ESL reading activities, perfect for ELL (English Language Learners) classrooms! This resource features 12 beginner-friendly English texts that are ideal for whole-class instruction, small groups, or low-prep literacy centers.

What's Included:

Part 1:

• 11 engaging student profile paragraphs presented in an interactive Google Slides™ format with self-correcting comprehension questions.
• Printable student response sheets for added flexibility.
• Easy to use for daily reading practice, literacy rotations, or warm-ups.
• Bonus printable worksheet with extension activities for deeper understanding.

Topics Covered:
Food and Friends — Students answer basic personal questions such as:

• Do you have a favorite type of restaurant?
• What kind of food do you like?
• What do you often eat?
• Do you cook at home?
• What food do you prepare yourself?
• What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner?
• What do you eat at home or at school?
• Do you cook or bake?

Part 2:

Escape room task cards:

This task card activity includes 16 review questions.

Hang the task cards on the wall, place them on desks, or pass them around. Each answer will be decoded and recorded on a student answer sheet. The task cards are broken down into 4 levels with 4 puzzle types (decoders). Use these task cards for a partner escape room activity, SCOOT, scavenger hunt, or stations. There are countless ways to set it up, allowing students to be out of their seats, moving around, and learning!

Part 3: Additional reading and unque comprehension activities including.

Students read and complete tasks like a color by number.

Resource 2 : Family Personal Profiles

Boost Reading Comprehension with Engaging English Activities!

Make learning English fun with these differentiated reading activities, perfect for core ESL classes (English as a second language). This resource features 13 basic English texts at various beginner proficiency levels, ideal for class instruction or low prep center work.

What's Included:

Part 1

• 11 family profile paragraphs in an interactive Google Slide (self correcting questions)
• Optional student paper response sheet
• Works for either full-class instruction or independent daily reading passages
• Bonus printable worksheet with additional activities (find evidence in the text)

Part 2

• Two additional texts with differentiated levels (2 formats for each)
• Unique comprehension activities: Color by number and mystery maze with true/false questions.
• Bonus traditional question sheet with multiple choice and true/false.

Topics:

• My Familly (11 personal profiles)
• A Day with my Friends (2 differentiated versions)
• Vacations in Canada (2 differentiated versions)

Check the preview to ensure the right difficulty level for your ESL students!

Resource 3: Holidays and Celebrations around the World

Looking for an engaging way to boost reading comprehension and explore global holiday traditions ? This Holiday Traditions Bundle with passport is the perfect interactive activity which includes divers celebrations beyond Christmas!

Students will learn about celebrations and traditions from nine countries around the world. Use the 10 country profiles in centers or for class reading. Students collect information in their own passport and complete activities for each step. This setup makes it easy to add additional countries which connect to your current classroom.

The final event: a scavenger hunt where students answer questions to unlock a mystery code word. It’s a great way to blend critical thinking with cultural awareness.

What’s Included:

• Ten country passages giving an overview of their holiday traditions including:
• Yule/Saint Lucia (Sweden)
• Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year)
• Winter Solstice
• Diwali
• Kwanzaa
• Christmas Eve (Réveillons- France)
• Las Posadas
• New Years
• Hanoukka
• Christmas
• 20 Question Cards: Students solve multiple-choice questions based on holiday traditions, collecting points as they go. Please note that not all holidays are included in this Scavenger Hunt.
• Student Answer Sheets: Easy-to-use templates for tracking answers and points.
• Mystery Word Challenge: Each correct answer reveals a letter—unscramble them to uncover the final mystery word!
• Plus students complete their own passport as they complete each reading section.

Students will read about holiday customs from regions such as Sweden, United States, Ireland, France, Mexico, India, Brazil, and more!

Please Note:

• Preview Information: Check the reading level in the preview to ensure it’s right for your students.

Resource 4: Personal Information- Scavenger Hunt

This English Second Language ESL ELL EAL resource helps to practice reading basic personal information. This low prep resource adds problem solving and movement into a second language classroom: a great end of year activity! Cards share information on each family (i.e. family members, favorite pastime, pet's name ...). Each card gives a question, but the answer is found on an unknown card. The scavenger hunt begins!

**Please read the sample card in the pictures to check for language level.**

Explanation:

The "Puzzle Street Gift Box Mix-Up" involves students in a scavenger hunt where they explore 10 centers, decipher clues, and unravel the mystery of a delivery mishap. Each card contains personal information about a family on Puzzle Street and poses a question. The catch? The answer lies on another card. Students embark on a scavenger hunt, moving from one station to another to gather clues about each family and solve the puzzle. Place cards on the walls or scatter on tables around the room. Students must visit and read each card in order to answer the questions.

Includes: Two versions- same scenario but one has a holiday gift theme

Teacher overview

Student mission and directions (read together for lower language levels)

Answer Keys for teacher

Four student handouts to fill in and to collect information

Mission Outline: Oh no! A delivery truck dropped off gift boxes to 10 families on Puzzle Street, but there's a problem. The names on the boxes are all mixed up! It's up to your students to fix this mix-up