Title - Little Women Author: Alcott, Louisa May Publisher: Scholastic Print Synopsis Authors Purpose Genre This classic story chronicles the joys and troubles of the four March sisters as they grow into young women. These are hard lessons of poverty and of growing up in New England during the Civil War. Entertain Classics RDQ (Reading Difficulty Quotient) Accelerated Reader Lexile Find at 2474 5.7 970 Amazon RDQ based on a maximum of 3000 words Levels are suggested levels based on RDQ, not official levels Sentences Total Words Different Words Max Word/Sent 58 Total # of Words 3296 # of Different Words 1008 Ave Word/.Sent 17 Hi Freq occurs 2469 74.9% # of Hi freq words 411 40.8% % of Long Sentences 46.2 Low Freq occurs 214 6.5% # of Low freq words 191 18.9% Subjective Criteria Illustrations: No support Dialog: Multiple speakers Dialog: Broken dialogue Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker Vocabulary: Many difficult words Language: Many descriptive words Sentences: Many Long Complex Text structure: Story/Poem Inferences: Several Implications Complexity: Several unrelated ideas Concepts: Abstract/Complex Social Features Character traits Integral Setting - Historical Complex plot Retelling of story/fable/legend Topics Holidays Family Friendship Health *Family & Friends Neighbors Relationships Low Frequency Words absurd advised affected affection agonies altered anguish announced arsenic aster asunder atmosphere audience biscuit borne bosom boyish burdens castanets cellar chaplain chestnut chits chrysanthemums cologne comical conquer contented contentedly contradicted curling curls curse dearies defied descriptions despairing destruction dignity disagreeable disappointed disappointment disturbed drafted dramatic dreadful effect elder eldest elegant elegantly emotion endured especial excellently eyed faber's fashion fatherly firelight flyaway fonder frantically fretting frolics general genius graceful haired handkerchiefs happier happiest hardships haste hearth hemmed homesickness hopeful hugo immediately impertinent improve incantation injured inquiries insult jewelry kettleful knit knitting label labels laughter lecture libel lively longing machinery maiden manfully marmee maternal mayn't melodramatic military minded mindful modestly motherly muttered needn't noble observed operatic opinion ought ourselves outright parlor particular particularly peace peaceful peacemaker perched pervaded pilgrims pistol plague pleasant pleasure pockets poky progress proposed quirk quiver rebel recesses refined regretfully rehearsal rehearse remorse reproving resolved roderigo rosy rough rude rumpling sacrifices season seldom shakespeare shone simper sisterly sketch slender smoothly soberly softened soldier soul spared speech spite splendid statirical stiffly suited swept thoughtful timid tomboy tragedian tragedy trapdoor truly twilight uncomfortable undine unfashionable ungentle unladylike vain venturing vocabilary weird writer's youngest