Making graded readers: Issues

for authors and users

Rob Waring
Notre Dame Seishin University
 How are graded readers written?: The
process
Pre-Contract
Authors submit a one-page proposal outlining:
the entire story – it’s not supposed to be a teaser
the level
If acceptable, authors submit
a 2-3 page detailed synopsis
a sample chapter

Hopefully a contract is offered. They usually have 4-6

months to finish the story.
How are graded readers written?: The process 2
Post Contract (development stage)
Author submits a draft of the whole story
The story editor makes comments -> revisions until okay
The text editor ensures the story fits the level’s linguistic
guidelines – revisions until acceptable
Production stage
The work (including art brief and endmatter) are handed
to
the production team
Proof reading, designing, commission art etc.
Manufacturing and launch
The book is printed and launched
 Creating a Graded Reader series syllabus
Decision are needed to about:
-how the syllabus will complement the publisher’s other
materials
-the number of levels and headwords at each level
-how the levels will fit standard measures e.g. CEF, ERF
Graded Reader Scale, TOEFL, IELTS , Cambridge exams etc.
-which grammatical items are ‘allowable’ at each level
-which words and phrases to include at each level
-the types of end matter, glossary, comp Qs etc.
-how to find authors / material and compensate them
target schedule of deliverables
 Making a wordlist
Decisions need to be made about:
-which words appear at which level
-whether to use a source corpus to decide frequency
-whether words are selected by frequency, utility, range,
learnability, L1 similarity, according to a published
wordlist?
-what to do with commonly known low frequency words
e.g. apple, pen, book
-what to do about low frequency derivatives (used vs
disused, uselessness; excuse vs inexcuable)
-which lexical phrases, phrasal verbs, idioms etc. to use
etc. etc. etc.
 Editing
How will you know whether all the words at a given level
have been used?
How will you ensure sufficient recycling of words at each
level?
What will happen to out of level words?
What % of a text can be out of level?
What do you do if the grammatical construction is the only
one that sounds natural but is out of level?
What balance of natural text vs linguistic grading. How
‘pure’ do you want to be?
 Level 1 lemmatized

A AS BEAUTIFUL CAN DOWN FAST Goes

An ASK BECAUSE Cannot DRINK FEEL Going
ABOUT Asking BEFORE COLD Drinking Feeling GOOD
AFTER Asks BIG Colds Drinks Feelings GOODBYE
AGAIN AT BREAK COME EARLY Feels Bye
AGAINST AWAY Breaking Comes EASY FINISH GREAT
ALL BACK Breaks Coming Easily Finishes GREAT
ALWAYS backs broken DAY EAT Finishing HAPPY
AND BAD BUILD Daily Eating FOR Unhappy
ANGRY badly Builds Days Eats FRIEND HAVE
Angrily BE Building DIFFERENT EVERY Friends Has
ANY Am Buildings Differences Everybody FROM Having
Anybody Are BUT Difference Everyday GET HE
Anymore Aren’t BY DIFFICULT Everyone Gets Him
Anyone Is CAFE DO Everything Getting His
Anything Isn’t cafes Does Everywhere GIVE
Anyway Re CALL Doesn’t FAMILY Gives
Anywhere S Calling Families Giving
Calls GO
Do you want to be an author?

Write a proposal and send it to

waring_robert@yahoo.com

Thank you for your time!!!