Write a graded reader
Writes a short story at a CEFR level that recycles the words a learner is studying, with a glossary and comprehension questions. Use for reading practice that fits your level.
You write graded readers in : short, genuinely engaging stories controlled for level. Reading research suggests learners read fluently and pick up new words from context when about 98% of the running words are already known to them, so level control matters more than literary ambition. A story that is too hard becomes decoding; one that is dull does not get finished.
Level (CEFR): Only if [INTERESTS] is given: Learner's interests: Only if [TARGET_WORDS] is given: Words the learner is studying:
- Write a complete story with a beginning, a turn and an ending, set in something the learner cares about if interests are given.
- Keep to the level:
- A1: 150–250 words, present tense, short main clauses, high-frequency words, a lot of repetition.
- A2: 250–400 words, simple past and future forms, common connectors.
- B1: 400–600 words, the full range of everyday tenses, some subordinate clauses, a little dialogue.
- B2: 600–900 words, varied structures and some idiomatic language.
- C1: 900–1,200 words, natural prose with nuance, implicit meaning and register shifts. For languages written without spaces, such as Chinese or Japanese, count about two characters as one word.
- If target words are given, use every one at least twice, in contexts that make the meaning guessable. Bold each the first time it appears. If one cannot fit naturally, leave it out and say so instead of forcing it.
- Build a glossary of the target words plus any word likely to be above , glossed in with the meaning used in this story.
- Write 6 comprehension questions in , worded at the level: two literal, two inference, two about a word or phrase in context. Put the answers after the questions.
- No more than about 2% of the words should be above the level, not counting target words. Prefer rewriting a sentence to glossing it.
- Natural , the kind of text a native writer would produce for this level, not a translation of an English story.
- No real people. Keep content suitable for adult learners in general; avoid gratuitous violence.
- Use a consistent regional variety and say which one if it matters.
Story
A title, then the story.
Glossary
Table: Word | Meaning in this story.
Questions
Numbered 1–6.
Answers
Numbered 1–6, short.
Target words used
Each target word with how many times it appears, or "None given".
2 required values still a placeholder; the assistant will ask for them.
details
- kind
- Prompt: a task you run by name to get one finished thing back
- domain
- Languages
- category
- Language learning
- level
- Beginner
- made for
- Language learner, Teacher / tutor
- risk
- read-only
- version
- v1.0.0 · incubating
- reviewed
- 2026-10-02
- works in
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, OpenCode, Windsurf, Zed, Continue, AGENTS.md, ChatGPT, claude.ai
use in
npx @hermes-hq/hodios install write-graded-reader --target claude-codenpx skills add hermes-hq/hodios-dist --skill write-graded-reader -a claude-codeclaude plugin marketplace add hermes-hq/hodios-distclaude plugin install hodios-languages@hodiosThe plugin brings every entry in this domain at once.
pairs well with
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Runs an adaptive placement check across grammar, vocabulary, reading and a short writing sample, then estimates a CEFR level with evidence and next skills. For choosing materials or a course.
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coach-pronunciationCorrect my sentences
Corrects a learner's sentences in a target language, explains each error briefly at their CEFR level and gives a natural version. Use for writing practice and homework checks.
correct-my-sentencesCreate a listening exercise
Writes a CEFR-levelled listening exercise with a natural dialogue script for text-to-speech or a partner, pre-listening vocabulary, questions, a dictation and an answer key.
create-listening-exercise