Reading resources with audio for ESL teachers & tutors
Turn short, leveled English news stories with audio into ready reading and listening lessons or homework for your students.
In-class reading & listening lessons
- Warm-up: a quick poll or prediction from the headline (and image) to activate background knowledge.
- Read the story at an easier level (A1 or A2) for global understanding, listen to it and then do a pair retell of the news story.
- Select 3–5 key or difficult words and create simple, student-friendly definitions or a short vocabulary task.
Homework ideas with stories (reading & listening)
- Ask students to re-read or re-listen to the story at B1 level (or B2 for stronger groups), complete the quick quiz and check their reading comprehension.
- Choose one paragraph and record a 1-minute spoken summary as speaking homework.
- Have students create 3 comprehension questions or a mini reading worksheet for their classmates.
Assessment ideas (reading, listening, speaking)
- Use quick quiz scores to track reading / listening comprehension over time.
- Collect short speaking samples (retells, summaries) over the term.
- Use simple rubrics: comprehension, vocabulary use, fluency and pronunciation.
Reading levels A1–B2 and CEFR
See how our graded reading levels A1, A2, B1 and B2 map to CEFR and how to pick English or other language texts with the right difficulty for learners and teachers.
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FAQ: Using short news stories in ESL/EFL classes
How can ESL/EFL teachers use LingVo.club in class?
You can use each short English news story as a ready-made reading and listening lesson. Start with a warm-up based on the headline or image, do a first global reading or listening at an easier level (A1 or A2), and then move to more detailed work with B1 or B2. Finish with the built-in quiz, vocabulary work and discussion questions.
Can I use LingVo.club stories for online lessons and homework?
Yes. You can share links to specific stories with your students, ask them to read or listen at home and complete the quick quiz. In online lessons, you can screen-share the text, play the audio, annotate difficult vocabulary and use the discussion questions as prompts for breakout-room conversations.
Are the stories graded by level (CEFR A1–B2)?
Yes. Each story is available in four versions: A1, A2, B1 and B2. This graded approach helps you choose the right difficulty for your ESL/EFL class and makes it easier to scaffold reading and listening tasks for different groups.
How can I use the audio for listening activities?
You can play the audio once for global understanding and ask students to predict or choose the main idea. On the second listening, focus on details: dates, numbers, reasons, opinions. For higher levels, you can pause the audio and ask students to summarise what they heard or to note useful phrases they could reuse.
Can I use the stories to prepare students for exams (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge, school tests)?
Yes. The short English news stories are ideal for practising exam-style skills: skimming, scanning, understanding opinions and supporting details. Use B1 and B2 texts for exam classes and turn the built-in quizzes into quick formative assessment. You can also ask students to write short summaries or opinion paragraphs based on the stories.
Is LingVo.club free for teachers and tutors?
Yes, you can use the stories, audio and quizzes for free in your ESL/EFL lessons, both in class and online. If you recommend the site to your students as extra reading and listening practice, they can access it without paying or creating an account.
Can I share or print the stories for my students?
You can share direct links to stories with your students so they can read and listen on their own devices. If you prefer paper, you can print a story page from your browser for classroom use. Please do not republish full texts on other websites or in commercial materials.
How can I adapt one story for mixed-level groups?
Choose the same topic but assign different levels to different students: weaker learners work with A1–A2, stronger learners with B1–B2. In class, mix students in pairs or groups and ask them to compare what they understood and explain key points to each other. This way one story becomes a flexible resource for differentiated reading and listening practice.