ESL and EFL refer to teaching English as a second or foreign language. The main requirement to be an English teacher is being a native English speaker, but having a degree or TEFL certification significantly increases your chances of finding a job. Techniques for teaching English reading and literacy vary, but it is essential to use materials that have an appropriate grammar level for your students.

Authentic Materials
When teaching ESL reading skills, it is important to use both materials specifically formatted for ESL learning and authentic materials. Specifically formatted ESL materials include grammar and textbooks, ESL exercises or activities and ESL texts. Examples of authentic materials include newspaper and magazine articles, novels, children's books, emails, business letters or brochures. Using authentic materials helps ESL learners progress in reading practical, real-life English, but vocabulary and grammar may be complicated. Blending between the two helps keep your students interested without frustrating them with difficult material.

Group Reading and Discussion
Reading aloud is an essential activity for learning English literacy skills. Choose a text that has at least as many paragraphs (or long sentences) as you have students. Have one student begin reading and switch students for each paragraph. If your student makes an error or has difficulty with pronunciation, correct the error immediately and have him repeat the word or sentence until he gets it right. Prepare discussion questions to ask your students after the reading and encourage them to use learned vocabulary words in the discussion. Reading aloud helps prevent students from solidifying incorrect pronunciation.

Listening Activities
Listening activities are an important part of reading and literacy skills, particularly for learning correct stress, emphasis and pronunciation. Songs, podcasts, audio books and speeches are just a few examples of the types of material you can use for listening activities. Choose a subject that is appropriate for the age, level and cultural background of your students. Listening activities are especially useful for ESL learners whose native language uses a tone system, or a system in which the tone of a spoken word lends meaning to the word.

Evaluating Reading Comprehension
While reading aloud helps you verify correct pronunciation, it is still important to have students read to themselves to reinforce comprehension. Prepare or choose a short text (longer for higher-level students) and give your students 10 minutes to read to themselves. Begin by asking if they need help with any vocabulary words, then ask them to tell you about the text. This exercise will help you evaluate student progress on an individual level.