Black Cat Guide to Graded Readers.pdf

THE BLACK CAT GUIDE TO GRADED READERS

Updated edition

CONTENTS

RANGE, LEVELS AND GRADING

The Black Cat series of readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The levels of Black Cat readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 downloadable

How Black Cat readers are graded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 downloadable

THE BLACK CAT APPROACH

Expansive reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 downloadable

HOW TO CHOOSE READERS AND HOW TO USE THEM

Choosing a reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 downloadable

Fitting readers into your teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 downloadable

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 downloadable

Pre-reading activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 downloadable

While-reading activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 downloadable

Summary-based activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 downloadable

After-reading activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 downloadable

Exam preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 downloadable

Films and film-based activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 downloadable

Audio CDs and audio CD-ROMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 downloadable

Using the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 downloadable

YOUNG LEARNERS

Earlyreads: grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 downloadable

Earlyreads: guidelines for use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 downloadable

Dramatisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 downloadable

APPENDICES

Reading diary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 downloadable

The Common European Framework of Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 downloadable

Index of Black Cat titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Downloadable either in full or in sections

www.blackcat-cideb.com www.cideb.it

THE BLACK CAT SERIES OF READERS

Green

Apple

DRAMA

R EADING

S HAKESPEARE

R EADING & T RAINING

Discovery

R EADING & T RAINING

Professional

R EADING C LASSICS

INTERACT

WITH

LITERATURE

THE LEVELS OF BLACK CAT READERS

Black Cat readers are linked to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (often abbreviated to ‘the

Framework’ or ‘the CEFR’, as in the second column of the table below) and to the levels required by internationally accredited

examination boards, particularly the Cambridge ESOL suite and Trinity graded examinations in spoken English.

In the table below, the descriptions in the Cambridge ESOL column mean the following: ‘exam level’ means that the level of

the text and activities is at the level required by the exam; ‘exam preparation’ means that the text and activities are at a level

slightly lower than the level of the exam (more study is still required) but the activities are in the style of the Cambridge ESOL

exam indicated, and so provide valuable exam preparation.

The linking of the levels to the exam scores of IELTS, the Internet-based TOEFL exam (TOEFL iBT) and the TOEIC exam are

for guidance only and do not attempt to represent an exact equivalence, which would not be possible.

Black Cat Readers CEFR External Examination Boards

Cambridge ESOL

Trinity City and Guilds

IELTS TOEFL TOEIC

iBT

Earlyreads

Levels 1-5

Starters and Movers

1, 2 Young Learners: Basic

For more detailed information on the grading of Earlyreads, see pages 32-33.

Easyreads

Level 1

A 2

Exam preparation: KET

Access

Level 2

A 2

Exam level: KET

Access

Green Apple Readers and Green Apple Drama

Starter

Exam preparation: Flyers and/or KET 1, 2

Preliminary

Step 1

Exam level: Flyers and/or KET

3, 4

Access

Step 2

A2/B1 Exam level: Flyers and/or KET

4, 5

Access

3.0

Exam preparation: PET

Reading & Training, Reading Shakespeare and Reading & Training Discovery

Step One

Exam level: KET

3, 4

Access

3.0

Step Two

Exam preparation: PET

4, 5

Achiever

3.5

57-66

450

Step Three

Exam level: PET

5, 6

Achiever

4.0

67-86

550

Step Four

Exam preparation: FCE

Communicator

5.0

87-97

650

Step Five

Exam level: FCE

Communicator

5.5

98-109 750

Step Six

Exam preparation: CAE

9, 10

Expert

6.5

110-120 850

Reading & Training Professional

Step Two

Exam preparation: BEC Preliminary

Step Three

Exam level: BEC Preliminary

Step Four

Exam preparation: BEC Vantage

Step Five

Exam level: BEC Vantage

Authentic Texts (i.e. texts with unsimplified language)

Interact with

B2/

Exam levels: FCE; CAE;

Communicator /

6.5 and 110 and 850 and

Literature;

C1/

Proficiency

9, 10, Expert /

above above above

Reading Classics

11, 12 Mastery

HOW BLACK CAT READERS ARE GRADED

The main criteria used for grading readers involve grammatical structures and vocabulary.

Structures

The grammar in Graded Readers is controlled and limited to structures that will be familiar to learners at each level.

Grammatical structures at each level – in particular verb tenses – correspond to the syllabuses of most major course books

and the CEFR. This enables teachers, when choosing a reader, to compare the levels of readers with their course books.

It also makes comparison with the syllabuses of examining boards more obvious.

Sentence structure is also carefully graded moving from short simple sentences at lower levels to longer, more complex

sentences as students move further up the levels.

You will find the detailed list of structures for the Green Apple and Reading and Training series below. For detailed

information about Earlyread grading, see pages 32-33. The structures used in the Easyread series are those listed under

Green Apple Step 1, but distributed as follows: Easyread Level 1 uses only the present simple and continuous and does

not use the past simple and continuous, which are introduced at Level 2.

Green Apple

Starter

Verb tenses

Present Simple

Present Continuous

Future reference: Present Continuous; going to ; Present Simple

Verb forms and patterns

Affirmative, negative, interrogative

Short answers

Imperative: 2nd person; let’s

Infinitives after some very common verbs (e.g. want )

Gerunds (verb + -ing ) after some very common verbs (e.g. like, hate )

Modal verbs

Can : ability; requests; permission

Would... like : offers, requests

Shall : suggestions; offers

Must : personal obligation

Need : necessity

Types of clause

Co-ordination: but , and , or , and then

Subordination (in the Present Simple or Present Continuous) after

verbs such as: to be sure, to know, to think, to believe, to hope,

to say, to tell

Subordination after: because , when

Other

Zero, definite and indefinite articles

Possessive ’s and s’

Countable and uncountable nouns

Some, any; much, many, a lot; (a) little, (a) few; all, every ; etc.

Order of adjectives

Passive forms: Present Simple and Past Simple with very common

verbs (e.g. made, called, born )

Gerunds (verb + -ing ) after some prepositions (e.g. before, after )

Modal verbs

Could : ability; requests

Will : future reference; offers; promises; predictions

May (present and future reference): possibility

Mustn’t : prohibition

Have (got) to : external obligation

Types of clause

Subordination after if (zero and 1st conditionals)

Defining relative clauses with: who, where

Other

Comparative and superlative of adjectives (regular and irregular)

Formation of adverbs (regular and irregular)

Step 2

All the structures used in the previous steps, plus the following:

Verb tenses

Present Perfect Simple: indefinite past with ever, never (for

experience); indefinite past with yet, already, still ; recent past

with just ; past action leading to present situation; unfinished

past with for or since (duration form)

Verb forms and patterns

So / neither / nor + auxiliaries in short answers

Question tags (in verb tenses used so far)

Gerunds (verb + -ing ) as subjects

Verb + object + full infinitive (e.g. I want you to help )

Modal verbs

Should (present and future reference): advice

Might (present and future reference): possibility; permission

Don’t have to / haven’t got to : lack of obligation

Don’t need to / needn’t : lack of necessity

Types of clause

Defining relative clauses with: which, that , zero pronoun

Time clauses introduced by when, while, until, before, after, as

soon as

Clauses of purpose: (in order) to (infinitive of purpose)

Other

Comparative and superlative of adverbs (regular and irregular)

Step 1

All the structures used in the previous step, plus the following:

Verb tenses

Past Simple

Past Continuous

Future reference: will

Verb forms and patterns

Regular and common irregular verbs

How Black Cat readers are graded

Reading & Training

(including Reading Shakespeare, Reading & Training Discovery and Reading & Training Professional)

Step One

Verb tenses

Present Simple / Present Continuous / Past Simple / Past Continuous /

Future reference: Present Continuous; going to ; will ; Present Simple /

Present Perfect Simple: indefinite past with ever, never (for

experience)

Verb forms and patterns

Regular and common irregular verbs / Affirmative, negative,

interrogative / Imperative: 2 nd person; let’s / Passive forms: Present

Simple; Past Simple / Short answers / Infinitives after verbs and

adjectives / Gerunds (verb + -ing ) after prepositions and common

verbs / Gerunds (verb + -ing ) as subjects and objects

Modal verbs

Can : ability; requests; permission / Could : ability; requests / Will :

future reference; offers; promises; predictions / Would … like : offers,

requests / Shall : suggestions; offers / Should (present and future

reference): advice / May (present and future reference): possibility /

Must : personal obligation / Mustn’t : prohibition / Have (got) to :

external obligation / Need : necessity

Types of clause

Co-ordination: but; and; or; and then / Subordination (in the Present

Simple or Present Continuous) after verbs such as: to be sure, to

know, to think, to believe, to hope, to say, to tell / Subordination after:

because, when, if (zero and 1 st conditionals) / Defining relative clauses

with: who, which, that , zero pronoun, where

Other

Zero, definite and indefinite articles / Possessive ’s and s’ / Countable

and uncountable nouns / Some, any; much, many, a lot; (a) little, (a)

few; all, every ; etc. / Order of adjectives / Comparative and superlative

of adjectives (regular and irregular) / Formation and

comparative/superlative of adverbs (regular and irregular)

Modal verbs

Would : hypothesis / Would rather : preference / Should (present and

future reference): moral obligation / Ought to (present and future

reference): moral obligation / Used to : past habits and states

Types of clause

2nd Conditional: if + past, would(n’t) / Zero, 1 st and 2 nd conditionals

with unless / Non-defining relative clauses with who and where /

Clauses of result: so; so... that; such... that / Clauses of concession:

although, though

Other

Comparison: (not) as / so... as; (not)... enough to; too... to

Step Four

All the structures used in the previous levels, plus the following:

Verb tenses

Present Perfect Simple: the first; second etc. time that... / Present

Perfect Continuous: unfinished past with for or since (duration form)

Verb forms and patterns

Passive forms: Present Perfect Simple / Reported speech introduced by

precise reporting verbs (e.g. suggest, promise, apologise )

Modal verbs

Be; get used to + -ing : habit formation / Had better : duty and warning

Types of clause

3 rd Conditional: if + Past Perfect, would(n’t) have / Conditionals with

may; might / Non-defining relative clauses with: which, whose /

Clauses of concession: even though; in spite of; despite

Step Five

All the structures used in the previous levels, plus the following:

Verb tenses

Present Perfect and Past Perfect Simple: negative duration

( haven’t/hadn’t... for ages ) / Present Perfect Continuous: recent

activities leading to present situation / Past Perfect Continuous

Verb forms and patterns

Passive forms: Past Perfect Simple; with modal verbs

Reported speech introduced by more examples of precise reporting

verbs (e.g. threaten, insist, complain )

Wish and if only + past tense / It’s time + past tense

Modal verbs

Should(n’t) have, ought (not) to have : duty in the past

Must have, can’t have, may have, might have, could have : deduction

and probability in the past

Types of clause

3 rd conditionals with unless / Mixed conditional sentences / Complex

sentences with more than one subordinate clause

Step Two

All the structures used in the previous level, plus the following:

Verb tenses

Present Perfect Simple: indefinite past with yet, already, still ; recent

past with just ; past action leading to present situation / Past Perfect

Simple: in reported speech

Verb forms and patterns

Regular verbs and most irregular verbs / Passive forms with going to

and will / So; neither; nor + auxiliaries in short answers / Question tags

(in verb tenses used so far) / Verb + object + full infinitive (e.g. I want

you to help ) / Reported statements with say and tell

Modal verbs

Can’t : logical necessity / Could : possibility / May : permission / Might

(present and future reference): possibility; permission / Must : logical

necessity / Don’t have to; haven’t got to : lack of obligation / Don’t

need to; needn’t : lack of necessity

Types of clause

Time clauses introduced by when, while, until, before, after, as soon

as / Clauses of purpose: so that; (in order) to (infinitive of purpose)

Step Six

All the structures used in the previous levels, plus the following:

Verb tenses

Present Continuous: criticism

Future reference: Future Continuous; Future Perfect

Verb forms and patterns

Passive in continuous forms / Wish and if only + Past Perfect; + would

Modal verbs

Will to describe characteristic behaviour

Would : past habits / Didn’t need to v. needn’t have

Types of clause

Inversion of had in 2 nd and 3 rd conditional sentences without if /

Inversion of word order after initial negative adverbs ( No sooner...;

Hardly... ; etc.) / Non-finite -ing clauses / Complex sentences with no

restriction on the number of subordinate clauses

Step Three

All the structures used in the previous levels, plus the following:

Verb tenses

Present Perfect Simple: unfinished past with for or since (duration

form) / Past Perfect Simple: narrative

Verb forms and patterns

Regular verbs and all irregular verbs in current English

Causative: have / get + object + past participle

Reported questions and orders with ask and tell

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