Visit the main page for the Reading Program to explore the new category, or choose a combination below to launch a quick tour directly to your selection (activities are on the right, and categories of words are along the top).

The Reading program is expanding this Fall – look for more new categories (Food & Beverage, Action Words (part 2), Shapes & Colors, and Buildings) and more ways to explore the program.

The Art category contains words such as draw, paint, and beauty. These words help the learner to explore basic terms associated with art. Check out all of the Art word videos.

The Sports category contains terms that are used in popular sporting events and games. These terms are used frequently in Sports broadcasts and in the sports section of newspapers. Explore the Sports word cloud.

Any of the categories can be used with our newest activity called Blast Off! In this exciting mini game, learners have to find the missing word in a sentence by flying around the screen. Find the missing word and collect a medal, but watch out for the wrong words – hitting them will slow you down. If you need to hear the sentence again, fly over the speaker icons placed throughout the screen.

See if you can find all the Direction category words in Blast Off!

Be sure to check back frequently as we will be adding new activities and categories throughout the summer. As always, if you like what you see – please tell a friend.

There are many organizations that have been established to help children learn to read. However, not many reading programs have been designed specifically for adults. Mark and Matt explained that our Reading Program is different because it has been tailored to adults. All of the content for the reading program is designed by staff writers and is written to mimic typical conversational English used by adults. People will read text about going to the grocery store, getting help at a pharmacy, an article from the Sports page or filling out a job application. The Reading Program is designed to help adults explore words in real-life context. Adults can use the program from the comfort of their own home and can work at their own pace. To explore the Reading Program, visit http://www.gcflearnfree.org/reading/.

Watch the Video from WRAL News

To access the Video Explorer, click on the Learn to Read link. When the Reading Program launches, you will see 5 icons on the left and 5 icons on the right. The icons on the left represent the different interactive learning tools available.

Click the Video icon. Next, you will need to choose a word category by using the category icons on the right. Each of the 1,000 most popular words has been broken down into a category or common theme. Categories include topics like Action words, Medical, Transportation, and more. Decide which category you would like to explore through video and click on it.

Next, click on the “Play” button and a variety of word videos will appear. Scroll through the video list, like the one shown below, and press the play button to begin.

Each of the word videos are 10-20 seconds long and give the learner a visual definition of the word. Many of the videos define the words with comparisons. For example, the word “natural” is defined by showing items that are natural, such as fruits and vegetables, and compares them to items that are artificial, like a soft drink. These comparisons help to put the words into real-life context. The videos are tailored to an adult audience and use real-life scenarios. The videos are an excellent method for exposing people to a variety of words and how those words would be used conversationally. Additionally, the videos help users to match the image and sound of a word with its written form.

Check out a few of the word videos below and let us know which one is your favorite!

To see all the videos, visit www.gcflearnfree.org/reading/.