I'll tell you about my experience. A school program gave me almost nothing. Later I had read English self-taught and some reading books. Step-by-step it became my hobby. I was reading everything from "Caution! Risk of electric shock!" at rear panel of my TV set to "Hamlet". Now I use to watch movies with subtitles. If you need plane and easy texts for beginning I advice to start with fairy tales and short stories for children.