Title - Shades of Black Author: Pinkney, Sandra L Publisher: Scholastic Print Synopsis Authors Purpose Genre This book celebrates the beauty and diversity of African American children. Entertain Concept RDQ (Reading Difficulty Quotient) Accelerated Reader Lexile Find at 271 2.1 520 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 208 Total # of Words 204 # of Different Words 94 Ave Word/.Sent 102 Hi Freq occurs 102 50% # of Hi freq words 21 22.3% % of Long Sentences 50 Low Freq occurs 18 8.8% # of Low freq words 15 16% Subjective Criteria Illustrations: Some support Several repetitions of phrases or refrains Inferences: Some implications Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues Language: Many descriptive words Sentences: Multiple phrases Text structure: Oral/Natural Inferences: Some implications Concepts: Concrete/Simple Social Features First Person Topics People Appearances African Americans Comparisons Low Frequency Words corkscrew delicate ebony gingery lapis licorice luster onyx pretzel radiant ringlets shimmering unique vanilla velvety