Level 2
Workbooks from the BC Open Collection
The BC (British Columbia) Open Collection has several resources that we have included in our collection. All of their resources are free, open and modifiable. In addition, they appear in a variety of formats. Although the collection is primarily for postsecondary education, several literacy and foundational learning resources are included. BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English, a series of reading instruction workbooks, is one of those resources. We have also included a link to access other formats such as Pressbooks, XHTML and sometimes Word.
BC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Reader-3-1660088191.pdf"This reader contains nine original stories written specifically for adults. Every chapter within the three units includes a level-appropriate, high-interest reading of between 350 and 500 words. New vocabulary and word patterns are highlighted throughout each story and then summarized at the end." Themes focus on BC history and culture.
Access all formats here. Access the audio and video playlist here.
License - CC BY 4.0
Level - Grades 3 to 4.5
BC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Course-Pack-3-1660088111.pdfBC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Reader-4-1660088370.pdf"This reader contains nine original stories written specifically for adults. Every chapter includes a level-appropriate, high-interest reading of between 400 and 500 words. New vocabulary are set in bold throughout each story, and then summarized and defined in a Glossary found in the appendix."
Access all formats here. Access the audio and video playlist here.
License - CC BY 4.0
Level - Grades 4.5 to 6
BC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Course-Pack-4-1660088291.pdfThe author writes, "my goal with this course pack is to provide examples of everyday people who took a stand in everyday ways: refusing to go along with an unfair situation, writing letters, sharing their story, voting, using humour, and starting conversations in the name of social change. These are things we can all do to restore hope, advocate for ourselves, and build the kind of world we want to live in."
Access all formats here.
License - CC BY 4.0
Level - Grades 4.5 to 6
BC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Reader-5-1660088496.pdf"This reader contains nine original stories written specifically for adults on popular psychology topics. Every chapter includes a level-appropriate, high-interest reading of between 500 and 800 words. New vocabulary are set in bold throughout each story, and then summarized and defined in a Glossary found in the appendix."
Access all formats here. Access the audio and video playlist here.
License - CC BY 4.0
Level - Grades 6 to 7.5
BC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Course-Pack-5-1660088429.pdfBC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Reader-5-1660088496.pdfThe reader contains 11 original readings about digital storytelling between 500 and 1,000 words. "To help students develop their computer literacy skills, the texts in this reader contain videos that allow learners to watch a skill being performed. These videos are followed by step-by-step written instructions to further support learners as they try out each new skill."
Access all formats here. Access the audio and video playlist here.
License - CC BY 4.0
Level - Grades 7.5 to 9
BC-Reads-Adult-Literacy-Fundamental-English-Course-Pack-6-1660088835.pdfReading skills and strategies OER for adult learners: A Closer Read
This reading strategies collection could readily be used as a course. It includes a student workbook, teacher book, audio files and vocabulary practice using Quizlet. The same author, Timothy Krause a language educator in Oregon, also has resources that appear on the Level 3 page. Reading strategies, skills and knowledge are combined with various topics focused on hobbies:
Gardening - Finding the topic
Pets - Identifying the main idea
Board games - Looking for supporting details
Music - Understanding pronouns
TV and movies - Skimming and scanning
Sports - Comparing and contrasting
Social media - Interpreting bar graphs and tables
Cooking and baking - Summarizing
The developer writes: Each illustrated unit includes a vocabulary preview; a warm-up discussion prompt; an informal dialog with audio recording; a skill presentation with practice and review exercises; two short articles with comprehension checks; an information transformation (annotation) task; and a wrap-up discussion prompt.
Note on levels - Reading texts are Lexile level 400L-600L which is approximately equivalent to Grades 2-3.
A CLOSER READ - STUDENT BOOK - OER 2023 THIRD EDITION.pdfStudent edition
The Google Doc version will allow you to quickly make some changes to the document, including the locale (Portland, Oregon). To transfer the file to your drive, open the file, click on File, then click on Make a Copy.
A CLOSER READ - TEACHER BOOK - OER 2023 THIRD EDITION.pdfTeacher edition
The Google Doc version will allow you to quickly make some changes to the document, including the locale (Portland, Oregon). To transfer the file to your drive, open the file, click on File, then click on Make a Copy.
Other resources
NWT_Literacy_Council_English_110-120_stories_and_learning_activities.pdfPhotostories about life in the north
Eight photo stories describe life and culture in Canada's north. Each story is accompanied by practice exercises and activities.
No copyright or CC licence. Permission granted to use without restrictions.
Level - Grades 3 to 4.5 using Fry readability analysis
ReadWorks
ReadWorks is an extensive collection of leveled fiction and non-fiction texts. It was developed for children; however non-fiction topics are relevant and engaging for adult learners. All articles are accompanied by audio that students can control (i.e. speed, pause). With an account, you can curate collections. Students will have to enter the site either through their Google account or a code to access the articles online. Articles can also be displayed on a whiteboard or shared on a screen during a video-conference. Articles and follow-up activities can also be printed and shared.
There are a few ways to use the collection:
Search for topics that enhance a theme or event you are planning.
Choose articles from one of their curated collections that align with a holiday or current event or student interests.
Use an "article-a-day" as an independent study activity.
One of the drawbacks to the site are the precise reading level categories. Adult readers won't likely fit neatly into one grade level. (The same is true for children and youth.) Consider articles with a range of grade levels (e.g. Grades K-2 or Grades 3-5). The use of audio will help scaffold reading abilities.
Copyrighted. Create an account to save, assign and print.
Level - Most content is focused on elementary school users, particularly Grades 2 to 8. Review children's content for use with adults, especially the fiction.
Reading Skills for Today's Adults
Reading Skills for Today's Adults, also known as the Marshall Reading program, is a collection of 345 levelled reading passages designed to support fluency, comprehension and vocabulary development. Each passage also has accompanying audio. Also on the site is a timer that can be used to track oral reading speed. Each text is assigned a Lexile score and cross-referenced with US testing systems used in Adult Basic Education. All materials can be shared and reproduced and are available as PDFs. A Word file is also available.
CrowdEd Learning, an organization in the US has reproduced and re-presented the open educational resources, creating two digital versions:
Level information - There are 16 levels in the collection. These do not align with grade levels. The 16 levels do not accommodate very beginning/non-readers. At the high end, the passages don't support academic and subject-specific knowledge and reading. They are useful for GLE of 2 to 8.
Famous Canadians: Viola Desmond
Laubach Literacy Ontario has produced an engaging and interesting book that explores the story of Viola Desmond who battled injustice in the face of explicitly racist actions of the police and a theatre manager in Nova Scotia. The book is available online and as a PDF. Follow-up comprehension questions are available in a fillable PDF.
Copyrighted. Available in different formats.