1,314 FREE Reading Comprehension Worksheets, Games and Tests
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FREE Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Reading is a very important part of learning a language. It's considered a receptive skill, otherwise known as a passive skill, which means that students don’t necessarily have to produce language - just receive it. But more often than not, students have difficulty reading because of vocabulary and/or the context involved. BusyTeacher.org offers 1,314 reading comprehension worksheets that are sure to help your students stay engaged in their reading, by providing interesting stories and effective exercises.

We as teachers don’t always have the time to make up our own stories, or go through books to pick out excerpts to present in our lessons. The reading worksheets on BusyTeacher.org offer a variety of different stories and texts in different categories and genres to help your students improve their reading ability and learn the language, all the while enjoying the stories they're reading. Depending on what you're aiming to teach, you can use these worksheets in a whole variety of different ways in the classroom. If a worksheet has a story that contains dialogue, you could assign roles to students and have them act out what the characters say. You can also use the stories on the worksheets to create comprehension questions. Some worksheets can even make for classroom discussion topics. After reading a passage, you can present a question to students, and ask them to give their opinions of where the story is going. These are just some of the many things you can do to make use of these worksheets in the classroom.

Whether you're teaching scanning, skimming, critical thinking, or reading for gist, BusyTeacher.org has the worksheet(s) you need for your lessons. There are worksheets on just about any topic you can think of - sports, business, history, and holidays to name a few. Another handy feature on BusyTeacher.org is that each worksheet has the level shown in the description, which makes it easy for you to find an appropriate worksheet for your students. The thumbnail can be opened to full page view, so you can check if the worksheet is right for your lesson. Some worksheets you'll find here are appropriate for several - or even for all levels, which means they're reusable for a future lessons with students at different levels.

No registration or subscription is necessary to download our worksheets. They’re all free to download, copy, and use in your lessons. Plus, all of them were created and uploaded by fellow ESL teachers from all around the globe, and have helped other ESL teachers in their lessons. In addition, if you have a worksheet you've created and would like to submit it to this site, you can do so by clicking the “Submit a worksheet” link at the bottom of this page. Join thousands of other ESL teachers using BusyTeacher.org, and bookmark us as your number-one stop for worksheets to use in your lessons daily! With 1,314 reading worksheets, planning your lessons has never been easier. Get started by checking out the most popular worksheets below. Try downloading one and using it in your lesson today!

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Police and Witness Dialogue - Talking about the Past

Police and Witness Dialogue - Talking about the Past

Reporting a crime. Past simple, past continuous, and questions activity. Reading, speaking, gap fill writing & role play activity cards. The first card is a reading dialogue for partners. The ...
31 Views 97,777 ElemPre-IntIntAdv
The Skeleton Dance

The Skeleton Dance

Step by step instructions with pictures and lyrics to learn 'the skeleton dance'. A fun Halloween song that can also be used to practise body parts. Suitable for all grades. The youtube video lin ...
59 Views 57,742 ElemPre-IntInt
Puff the Magic Dragon

Puff the Magic Dragon

Reading Comprehension
This is a discussion worksheet that I used with my Puff the Magic Dragon reading series. I paired stronger students with weaker ones as some of the questions were quite challenging. Once completed ...
2 Views 8,999 Elem
What is Halloween? Reading Gap-Fill

What is Halloween? Reading Gap-Fill

, , Reading Comprehension,
This 150-word paragraph introduces the custom/tradition of Halloween. There are 12 missing words; learners can choose from the vocabulary on the left. Intermediate-level. With Answer Key. Your ...
45 Views 76,622 IntAdv
Yo-Yee Shape Worksheet / Pictionary

Yo-Yee Shape Worksheet / Pictionary

, , Reading Comprehension,
Shape Flashcards / Pictionary for young students. You can hand out this worksheet as a Pictionary / Vocabulary List. Also students can circle the correct answer of the shapes. Skills: Shape vocabu ...
10 Views 14,390 BegElem
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Reading for Agriculture: What to Do About Lead?

Reading for Agriculture: What to Do About Lead?

, Reading Comprehension
This is a Reading Worksheet for Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate ESL learners, especially who are majoring in agriculture. This reading worksheet has three sections. The first section is discussio ...
3 Views 14,448 Pre-IntInt
All About Reading

All About Reading

, , Reading Comprehension
This is a cloze test with the missing words in a little box on the left of the text. A good way of starting any reading comprehension passage is to hand out A4 blank sheets to everyone, put just ...
4 Views 13,062 Pre-IntIntAdvExam
Robin Hood: Written Test

Robin Hood: Written Test

Reading Comprehension
Robin Hood: reading comprehension test. It's a test about the book " Robin Hood and the Merry Men. The test has three different parts: 1.- Identify the description of the characters. 2.- Wr ...
5 Views 15,747 Pre-Int
Present Simple Girl

Present Simple Girl

, Reading Comprehension
The following text is related to the present simple. The text can be used as an introduction to the present simple. I think it is a funny text that will help the students to know when we can use ...
23 Views 14,107 ElemPre-IntInt
Macbeth Ppt Presentation

Macbeth Ppt Presentation

Reading Comprehension
This is a ppt presentation for Macbeth Act 1. It can be used as a discussion for Macbeth. Teachers of literature can use this material for the introduction to book. I prepared it myself. It is ver ...
6 Views 9,579 Int
Children for Whom School Means Nothing

Children for Whom School Means Nothing

, , , Reading Comprehension
Good reading activity with comprehnsion questions. Teachers can use as a wram for further discussion of truancy as a school problem. I used this as a reading activity with my students and they enj ...
12 Views 15,988 Pre-Int
El Ponchis 3 - Tried and Convicted

El Ponchis 3 - Tried and Convicted

, Reading Comprehension
This is the third in a series of 3 articles about a young teenager called El Ponchis who worked as an assassin for a drug cartel in Mexico. In this article, he is captured and convicted. His sente ...
2 Views 6,843 Int
El Ponchis 2 - Captured!

El Ponchis 2 - Captured!

, Reading Comprehension
The second in a series of 3 articles about a young teenager called El Ponchis who was working for a drug cartel in Mexico and who allegedly beheaded at least 3 people. The questions following the ...
2 Views 6,044 Int
El Ponchis - Hunted - Summary

El Ponchis - Hunted - Summary

, Reading Comprehension
This is the first in a series of 3 articles about a teenager called El Ponchis who was working for a drug cartel in Mexico and was responsible for beheading at least 3 people. Clues are given to h ...
2 Views 6,926 Int
Sheikh Mohammed Poems - Rooted in Love and Longing

Sheikh Mohammed Poems - Rooted in Love and Longing

, Reading Comprehension
This is an article which appeared in the Gulf News (Dubai) about His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum who has written a book of 27 of the most beautiful poems - mainly about love and ...
2 Views 8,794 Exam
Nujood Ali - After the Divorce - Reading Comprehension 2

Nujood Ali - After the Divorce - Reading Comprehension 2

, Reading Comprehension
This is the second article about little Nujood Ali, a Yemeni girl who got a divorce when she was just 10 years old. The story continues with what happened after her divorce and how she was praised ...
4 Views 7,959 Adv
Nujood Ali 2008 - Reading Comprehension 1

Nujood Ali 2008 - Reading Comprehension 1

, Reading Comprehension
This is an article about a little Yemeni girl called Nujood Ali whose parents forced her to marry a much older man and who hit the headlines when she took herself to the court and got a divorce. S ...
2 Views 6,342 Adv
Muallems

Muallems

Reading Comprehension
The worksheet is a lighthearted article taken from The Gulf News (Dubai) about the status of teachers in Egypt. It's aimed at upper school students to read and answer questions on. It would be sui ...
3 Views 4,624 Adv
American High Schools [Text + Worksheet, all English]

American High Schools [Text + Worksheet, all English]

, Reading Comprehension
The same Amercian High Schools text, but a bit longer version and basically the same questions, but this time all in English. Should be used with the American High School presentation (Power Poin ...
14 Views 27,721 IntAdv
American High Schools Worksheet

American High Schools Worksheet

, Reading Comprehension
A text and worksheet to be used in connection with the power point presentation of American High schools. The text is very easy to understand and worked great in my CAP class. The worksheet is a ...
15 Views 21,874 ElemPre-IntInt
What Has The Gingerbread Man Got?

What Has The Gingerbread Man Got?

Reading Comprehension
This is a short handout for very beginning students. I made it for the 2nd Grade ESL class. It is a pre-reading worksheet for The Gingerbread Man. It is also a practice sheet for using "has got" a ...
5 Views 11,541 BegElem
Video Worksheet: The Gruffalo's Child

Video Worksheet: The Gruffalo's Child

I made this using the excellent BBC animation which looks at verb usage, prepositions and spelling. The participants watch the film while completing the exercises. The teacher can pause it between ...
8 Views 16,596 Elem
English Today Intermediate Test

English Today Intermediate Test

, Reading Comprehension
This is a test on the English language. Recommended for intermediate students who are asked to decide whether the given statements are true or false and quote from the text to support their choic ...
10 Views 16,483 Pre-IntInt
Acceptable Public Conduct in Germany & Australia

Acceptable Public Conduct in Germany & Australia

, Reading Comprehension
Hello everyone...I found this reading quite useful and decided to upload it on this amazing website. I've been working on this worksheet in my classes as a big motivation for my students. Beside t ...
3 Views 7,249 Adv
Short Story: A Farmer

Short Story: A Farmer

, , Reading Comprehension
A short reading, and some activities to practice present simple. Also, a good way to introduce jobs, and review names of farm animals. It can be used as an introduction of different jobs, and also ...
17 Views 27,690 Elem

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