# The Ladder Method — comprehensible input through graded news

LevelDoo compresses forty years of second-language acquisition research into a five-minute daily loop: easy English news regenerated at five CEFR levels (A1–C1), so every learner reads comprehensible input — the i+1 zone where acquisition actually happens.

## 1. Place
A 90-second comfort check estimates your CEFR level (A1–C1). You pick the paragraph you can read comfortably; the app starts you there and keeps adjusting from your taps, speed and quiz results.

## 2. Read
Every morning, three fresh news stories regenerated at exactly your level — graded news built from real headlines, not textbook dialogues. Facts stay real; only the language adapts. Comprehension is the motivation engine: you read today's world.

## 3. Climb
Every article exists at five levels. After reading yours, peek one rung up — same facts, richer English. Seeing the gap in identical content makes the stretch feel safe and concrete. This is Krashen's comprehensible input (i+1) made visible.

## 4. Anchor
Tap any word for an instant gloss (English + Chinese). Saved words become flashcards carrying the real sentence they came from, scheduled by SM-2 spaced repetition to resurface right before you'd forget them.

## 5. Prove
Three micro-questions per story, a weekly level re-estimate, and visible numbers — reading speed, words known, streak, level climbed. Progress you can see is progress that keeps you coming.

## Why it works
- Comprehensible input (Krashen i+1): language is acquired from messages slightly above your level — graded news is the cheapest daily supply of it.
- Narrow reading (Day & Bamford): running stories recycle vocabulary for free.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2): reviewing at the forgetting edge is maximally efficient.
- Retrieval practice: recall beats rereading for durable memory.
- Self-determination: chosen topics + visible competence + daily ritual = motivation.

## Compared to alternatives
- News in Levels: three levels and audio; LevelDoo adds five CEFR-aligned levels, tap-word glosses, karaoke TTS, and a spaced-repetition vocabulary loop.
- Graded readers (Penguin/Oxford): fixed books, yesterday's topics; LevelDoo is today's news at your level, refreshed daily.
- Duolingo-style drills: decontextualized sentences; LevelDoo teaches through real-world reading practice.

See also: [features.md](/docs/features.md) · [pricing.md](/docs/pricing.md) · [LevelDoo](https://leveldoo.com)