When you read anything, you build your schema. What is schema? Well, it is everything you know about the world. Having some knowledge about many topics is a great way to improve your understanding of what you read. For example, if you watch or play baseball, learning about softball or cricket will be easier. If you know about cooking, then learning about baking pastries will be easier. If you have ever tended a garden or worked on a farm, learning about botany will be easier. A great way to improve in your reading and writing in courses ranging from the sciences and humanities is to read—a lot! For example, if you are planning on taking a course in U.S. History, you may choose to spend some time reading short articles about U.S. History topics before your class. This will make it easier to understand the textbook once you start your class.
Go to this page for recommendations and book reviews by Writing & Reading Center staff.
Go to this page to learn how to access news stories in newspapers and magazines, as well as news stories written just for English language learners.
Age Twenty-Eight by Wendy Brenner
Same River Twice by David Quammen
The Way We Live Now by Colson Whitehead
Regret by Kate Chopin
Collections of stories
Open Educational Resources Commons offers free textbooks, courses, and libraries.
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. These courses are offered for free on the internet in many different languages. You can use the MOOC List to search for an online course that interests you.
The Open Textbook Library gives you access to lots of free textbooks.
Read It!™ provides research articles written specifically for English Language Learners. You can find information on history, science, literature, and more. Just use the search box at the top to type in your keywords and find information on your topic.
Besides physical libraries, CCC also has an online library. You can search hundreds of databases and chat with a librarian if you have any questions.