Free Magazines to learn English

Read something you’re interested in.

  • Read, Read and Read

    There is no better way to improve your vocabulary than to read magazines. Read a variety of genres from different periods, and when you read an unfamiliar word, look it up in a dictionary or dictionary software.You can find English language magazines about almost anything on this page . It shouldn’t be too hard to find one on a topic that interests you.

Free Magazines For Your Classroom Library

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I have always kept at least a small bookshelf in my classroom. I hope to inspire students to read and discover new things, even though in my various teaching experiences I have never taught an English class. Besides the obvious benefits of encouraging independent reading, all of the content area standardized tests are, by my estimation, one billion times easier if students have excellent reading skills.

From my time teaching at an alternative school, I learned that it is possible to inspire even the most reluctant student to read, provided that you offered a wide enough range of topics and formats. So what was in my first years of teaching just a modest collection of books expanded to include more books, sponsored newspapers, and the most criminally underused resource of all: magazines. I started with the titles I already subscribed to, and then laid out a plan to amass as many as possible:

 

  1. Bring in magazines you subscribe to (or buy) as soon as you’re done with them. I started by bringing in my favorite magazine, Wired, a very intelligent and accessible title that covers technology and its interaction with everything else. It’s been a huge hit with my 9th graders. Like most people, once I’m done reading the magazine, I have no more use for it. This also goes for any single issue you pick up along the way. Even if they don’t find the magazine of interest for reading, they can be used for projects (in your class or others).
  2. Request free trial issues. I used to treat these solicitations as junk mail, but I realized that this is an easy opportunity to get more free reading material for my students. These often come bundled with your current subscriptions. For example, I got two free issues of Dwell, a beautifully illustrated architecture and design magazine, by just sending in a postcard that came with Wired.
  3. Ask your local public library. Most public libraries sell older magazines for ridiculous prices like ten issues for $1. When I reached out for donations for my classroom library earlier this year, I was invited to visit one local library and take what I wanted for free. These magazines were old and had already been discounted greatly, but since it was for a school all I had to do was ask. It helps to know people who work at or volunteer for the library, but again don’t be shy about asking for donations.
  4. Search the classifieds. Especially for those of you in or near big cities, newspapers and Craigslist will often have listings for boxes full of free magazines. Most people are willing to give things away that they’d otherwise discard as long as you’re willing to go pick it up. You might even find a windfall of books if you’re lucky.
  5. Ask for donations from friends, family, and your community. My classroom received subscriptions to Discover and Mental Floss thanks to the generosity of several people. I was genuinely surprised at how much my students love Discover, which inspires me to keep this project going.
  6. Grab a stack of free local magazines. Where I live, at least five free papers are covering the arts, music, things to do, and a whole list of local interest stories that students always love.

Salah Hechache is a teacher, blogger, and writer who shares ideas, information, and resources to help teachers in and out of the classroom on his blog, I Want to Teach Forever at https://justpractice.online

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