1. Making graded readers: Issues for authors and users Rob Waring Notre Dame Seishin University

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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?

7. Level 1 lemmatized A An ABOUT AFTER AGAIN AGAINST ALL ALWAYS AND ANGRY Angrily ANY Anybody Anymore Anyone Anything Anyway Anywhere AS ASK Asking Asks AT AWAY BACK backs BAD badly BE Am Are Aren’t Is Isn’t Re S BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE BEFORE BIG BREAK Breaking Breaks broken BUILD Builds Building Buildings BUT BY CAFE cafes CALL Calling Calls CAN Cannot COLD Colds COME Comes Coming DAY Daily Days DIFFERENT Differences Difference DIFFICULT DO Does Doesn’t DOWN DRINK Drinking Drinks EARLY EASY Easily EAT Eating Eats EVERY Everybody Everyday Everyone Everything Everywhere FAMILY Families FAST FEEL Feeling Feelings Feels FINISH Finishes Finishing FOR FRIEND Friends FROM GET Gets Getting GIVE Gives Giving GO Goes Going GOOD GOODBYE Bye GREAT HAPPY Unhappy HAVE Has Having HE Him His

11. Do you want to be an author? Write a proposal and send it to waring_robert@yahoo.com Thank you for your time!!!