Text Leveling System

Two Terrible Frights

RDQ:	259	Max Word/Sent	45	Total Words	660		Diff Words	177
Lex	520	Ave Word/.Sent	13	Hi Freq occurs	425	64.4%	Hi freq	71	40.1%
AR	2.1	Long Sentences	20.4	Low Freq occurs	11	1.7%	Low freq	7	4%

Once upon a time there was a big old farmhouse way out in the country. 
Downstairs in the basement in a cozy corner a little mouse was thinking about a bedtime snack. And upstairs in a cozy room a little girl was also thinking about a bedtime snack. The little mouse went to her mother and said "Mommy can I have a snack before I go to bed? Maybe a little piece of cheese?" The little mouse's mother said "Yes but you'll have to go up to the kitchen and get it for yourself. I've been working all day and I'm tired." And at just about the very same moment the little girl went to her mother and said"Mommy can I have a snack before I go to bed? Maybe a little glass of milk?" The little girl's mother said" Yes but you'll have to go down to the kitchen and get it for yourself. I've been working all day and I'm tired." The little mouse said "I can't go up there all by myself! There might be a monster or something just waiting to get me!" The little mouse's mother said "Don't be silly." The little girl said "I can't go down there all by myself! There might be a creature or something that'll jump out and get me!" The little girl's mother said "How ridiculous." So the little mouse started for the kitchen all by herself ... quietly up the radiator pipe ... tiptoe under the floor...through a dark hole ... under the stove ... and out across the kitchen floor. And at just about the very same moment the little girl also started for the kitchen all by herself ... quietly down the long hall ... tiptoe down the stairs ... through the dark parlor ... through the dining room ... and into the kitchen. And just when the little mouse was right in the middle of the floor the little girl flipped on the light. Click. They both stood very very still and looked at each other. Then at just about the very same moment the little mouse went "Squeak!"  and the little girl went "Eeeek!" and they both took off running! The little mouse ran back under the stove back down the hole back under the floor back down the radiator pipe all the while hollering "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" And just as fast the little girl ran back through the dining room back through the parlor back up the stairs back down the hallway all the while hollering "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" The little mouse sobbed "There was a person up there and it 'eeked' at me" The little girl sobbed "There was a mouse down there and it 'squeaked' at me." "Now now now" said the little mouse's mother. "I can tell that you've had a terrible fright but I'll bet that person you saw was a little girl person and you probably scared her worse than she scared you." "Now now now" said the little girl's mother. "I can tell that you've had a terrible fright but I'll just bet that mouse you saw was a little girl mouse and you probably scared her worse than she scared you." "Do you really thing so?" said the little mouse drying her tears and crawling into bed. "I hope I didn't scare her too bad." "I'm sure she'll get over it" said the little mouse's mother. Then she kissed her on the cheek and said goodnight. "Do you really think so?" said the little girl drying her tears and crawling into bed. "I hope I didn't scare her too bad." "I'm sure she'll get over it" said the little girl's mother. Then she kissed her on the cheek and said goodnight. The little mouse fell asleep in her soft bed thinking about the little girl. And at just the very same moment the little girl fell asleep in her soft bed thinking about the little mouse. And they both dreamed... about each other.

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Several repetitions of phrases or refrains

Vocabulary: Easy

Sentences: Some Long/Complex

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Features

Topic

Dreams

Mice

Fears

Sleep

Night

Low Frequency Words

crawling	eeked	hollering	parlor	radiator
ridiculous	that'll