Text Leveling System

Brave Maddie Egg

RDQ:	745	Max Word/Sent	24	Total Words	3198		Diff Words	762
Lex	690	Ave Word/.Sent	6	Hi Freq occurs	2244	70.2%	Hi freq	351	46.1%
AR	3.2	Long Sentences	0.4	Low Freq occurs	66	2.1%	Low freq	46	6%

"Bert where's your bathing suit?" asked Maddie Egg. 
Her little brother was running down the hallway with no clothes on. It was a warm afternoon in June. The Egg family was going to the pool for the first time that summer. "Bert I'm hot" Maddie said crossly. She took her four-year-old brother by the hand and started toward his room. Her sister Carrie followed them. "Stop!" Bert cried. "Don't go in there!" 'Why not?" asked Maddie. "There's a monster on my bathing suit!" Bert wriggled in horror." A monster!" Carrie screamed. She was six. Maddie thought. Carrie should know better. "There's no monster" said Maddie. She walked down the hall to Bert's room. Bert and Carrie followed, clinging to her. Maddie peeked into the room. It was a mess. Ben's clothes were scattered all over he floor. "Bert I don't see any monster" said Maddie. "It's behind that pile of socks" said Bert. "Next to the dresser." Something moved in the pile of socks. "The monster!"screamed Bert and Carrie together. "What's all this screaming about?" Mrs. Egg stood behind them in the doorway. "Oh Mommy" said Bert clutching his mother's hand. "There's a monster on my bathing suit." "I'm sure it's not a monster" said Mrs. Egg. "The socks moved!" cried Carrie. "I'll see what it is" said Maddie. She marched into the room Everyone else tiptoed in behind her. "There it is!" cried Bert. "There's the monster!" Slithering on top of Bert's bathing suit was a long black snake. Bert Carrie and Mrs. Egg screamed. But Maddie calmly reached down and picked up the snake with her bare hands. "Put it down Maddie!" shouted her mother. "It won't hurt us" said Maddie. "It's just a garden snake." She held it up for everyone to see. Bert Carrie and her mother all screamed again. "Take it outside Maddie" said her mother. "Quickly." She looked at the snake again arid shuddered. Maddie took the snake outside and left it in the garden. Then.she went back upstairs to Bert's room. Her mother was helping Bert put on his bathing suit. "Thank you Maddie" said her mother. "Thank goodness you're so brave." Maddie was brave. Everyone said so. Maddie brushed her hands together after a job well done. "Now can we please go to the pool?" The Eggs piled into the steamy-hot car. Maddie was excited. She had just finished second grade and she was ready for summer. Summer never really begins Maddie thought until I stick my big toe into the pool. On the way they passed a beat-up red convertible. Its top was down. A young man was driving it. He wore sunglasses and waved. "Is that Bob?' asked Maddie. Bob was Bert's invisible friend. Bob was sixteen. He could drive. "Bob's car is blue" said Bert. "And anyway he's invisible." The pool parking lot was nearly full. Maddie walked across the hot gravel in her blue flip-flops. She could hear the shouts of kids playing in the water and the sharp tweet of the lifeguard's whistle. Maddie walked through the entrance gate and down the shady breezeway. Her flip-flops went thwap-thwap against her heels. She walked past the damp dressing rooms past the snack bar to a patch of grass. There she spread out her towel. Carrie Bert and Mrs. Egg were right behind her. But Maddie didn't wait for them. She walked quickly to the edge of the pool and dipped her big toe in the water. Summer had begun. Splash! Bert jumped in at the shallow end. He sank to the bottom and bobbed back up again laughing. Carrie jumped in after him holding her nose. She was careful to keep her head above the water. Bert splashed her. She splashed him back. "Come on Maddie!" said Carrie. But Maddie liked to get in slowly. One corner of the pool had four wide steps. Maddie walked down the steps standing on each one a short time until the water began to feel warm. Suddenly a girl popped up beside Maddie. She had been swimming under the water holding her breath. It was Maddie's friend Emma Doyle. "Hi Maddie" said Emma. She shook her wet hair. "Hi Emma" said Maddie. "I didn't know you could swim like that." "I took lessons at the Y this winter" said Emma. "I passed the beginner test. It was a cinch." "Oh" said Maddie. "I learned a new game" Emma said. "Want to play?" "Okay" said Maddie. She stepped down onto the bottom of the pool. The water came up to her chest. Emma swam along the shallow end diving under the water like a dolphin. Maddie followed. She bounced from one foot to the other like an astronaut walking on the moon. She was careful not to get her face wet. Emma reached over the side of the pool. She held up a shiny penny. "You toss the penny and I'll dive down and get it" she said. Maddie took the penny. "Ready?" she asked. Emma nodded Maddie threw the penny into the water. Emma disappeared with a splash. A few seconds later she popped up the penny in her hand. "Now you try it" she said. Splash! Carrie jumped in beside Maddie holding her nose as always "Can I play with you?" she asked. "No" said Emma. "I think you're too little for this game."  Carrie frowned but she didn't leave. "I'll watch" she said. Emma tossed the penny. Maddie watched it sink under the water. "Go get it" said Emma. Maddie looked at her. She didn't move.  "What are you waiting for?" Emma asked. Maddie stared at the spot where the penny went down. She wanted to go underwater and get it. But as soon as she thought about going underwater something strange  happened. Her heart began to pound. The blood rushed to her head. She tried to tell herself not to be afraid. But her ears were ringing. Louder and louder.  The ringing blocked out all other sounds. She couldn't hear the lifeguard's whistle. She couldn't hear the kids playing. All she could hear was the terrible ringing in her ears. Ring! Ring! "Yoo-hoo Maddie" said Emma. She waved her hand in front of Maddie's face. Maddie's ears cleared. She snapped out of it. "What's wrong?" Emma asked. Maddie didn't know what to say. "I think I have water in my ears" she lied. Emma just shrugged. She dived down picked up the penny and came up with it in her hand. "How do you do that?" Carrie asked Emma. "Can you open your eyes under water?"  Emma nodded. "It's easy. You want to try again Maddie?"  Maddie shook her head. "Let's play Marco Polo" she said. "Are you afraid?" Emma asked. "Maddie's not afraid of anything" said Carrie. "This morning she picked up a huge black snake with her bare hands." But Carrie was wrong. Maddie was afraid of something. Maddie was afraid to put her head under the water. The lifeguard blew her whistle. Adult swim. Maddie Carrie and Emma got out of the pool and went to the snack bar. Maddie forgot all about the game with the penny. No one asked her to put her head under the water again that day. That night Mr. Egg brought a pizza home after work. "Hey kids" he said. "I've got a big surprise!" "What is it?" asked Maddie. "What is it? What is it?" Bert said patting Mr. Egg's pockets. Mr. Egg kissed Mrs. Egg and set the pizza on the kitchen table. "Sit down and I'll tell you about it" he said. Maddie passed out plates and Mr. Egg put a slice of pizza on each one. "It's about our vacation" said Mr. Egg. "We're not going to the beach this year."   "We're not?" said Carrie. "Why?" asked Maddie. "Because -" Mr. Egg let the word hang in the air. Maddie and Carrie and Bert sat perfectly still waiting to hear the reason. "Because -" "Because why?" Bert demanded. "Because - we're going on a boat trip!" "Hurray!" cried Maddie and Carrie and Bert. They jumped up from the table. Bert ran around it three times. Maddie and Carrie slapped each other five. Mr. and Mrs Egg laughed. "We're going to charter a boat with a cabin" said Mrs Egg. "A boat you can sleep on. "And we'll sail all around the Chesapeake Bay" said Mr Egg. "We'll stop at little towns on the shore. We'll explore islands." "Desert islands?" asked Maddie. She had always wanted to explore a desert island - and maybe find some pirate treasure. "Sure" said Mr. Egg. "We'll try to find a desert island just for you Brave Maddie Egg." "Can we fish off the end of the boat?" asked Carrie. "You bet" said Mr. Egg. "Can Bob come too?" asked Bert. "There's no room for Bob" Maddie said. "He'll have to ride alongside in his own motorboat."  Bert pouted. "I'm not going if Bob's not going!" He said. "Don't tease him Maddie" said Mrs Egg. "Of course Bob can come with us." Maddie picked up her slice of pizza and bit into it. A boat trip! It sounded exciting. "We'll go the first week of August" said Mr. Egg. "There's only one condition. Before we go you each must pass the swimming test for beginners." Maddie spit out her pizza. "A boat can be very dangerous" said Mrs. Egg. "If you fall overboard you have to know what to do." "But Dad-" Maddie began. "No buts" said Mr. Egg. "I won't budge on this. If you want to go sailing you have to know how to swim. That's final " "Tomorrow morning you'll all start swimming lessons" said Mrs. Egg. Not me thought Maddie. I'm not taking any swimming lessons. I know what swimming lessons really mean. They mean putting your head under water. Early the next morning Mrs. Egg drove the kids to the pool on her way to the hospital. She worked part time as a nurse. "I'll be back around noon" she called waving from the car window. "Have fun!" Bert and Carrie waved cheerfully back at their mother but Maddie only grumbled "Have fun yourself." It was eight o'clock and the air was still chilly. Swimming lessons start too early in the morning Maddie thought. I'm supposed to sleep late in the summer. I might as well go to school. She followed Carrie and Bert through the entrance gate. Her flip-flops Thwap-thwapped just as they always did. But this time the sound did not cheer her. The pool was empty. Maddie could hear the hum of the water filter as she passed the shuttered snack bar. Seven children had gathered by the shallow end of the pool. Maddie Carrie and Bert dropped their towels on the grass and joined them. Maddie looked around at the other kids. They were all shorter than she was. Most of them were five or six Carrie's age. Maddie was seven and a half. Her heart sank. She was in the baby group. She sat down hard on the cold cement hugging her knees. I knew this was a bad idea she thought. One of the lifeguards walked out of the dressing room. A boy of about fifteen joined her. The lifeguard was blond and already tan. She wore a blue tank suit with a lifesaving patch at the hip and a whistle around her neck. "Good morning;' said the lifeguard. "Welcome to the Tadpoles." The tadpoles were the very beginning swimmers. "I'm Sandy and this is my helper Jeff." Sandy pointed to the older boy "Okay let's start by getting into the water." A few of the kids slipped into the pool. Others stood shyly on the side. Maddie went to the edge and stuck in her toe Ooh. The water was freezing. Sandy and Jeff reached for the littlest kids and carried them into the water. Carrie jumped in by herself holding her nose. Bert ran two steps and did a belly flop. Show-off Maddie thought. Sandy tapped Bert on the shoulder. "What's your name?" she asked him. "Bert" he said. "Well Bert it looks like you've got a head start on the rest of us. You already how to put your head under." "I can dog-paddle too" said Bert- "But I don't know how to really swim." "Don't worry" said Sandy. "You'll know how very soon."  Carrie was holding on to Jeff's arm jumping up and down to get warm. Everybody was in the water now. Everybody but Maddie. Sandy looked at Maddie and asked her her name. "That's my sister Maddie." Bert said. Maddie tried to smile. "Maddie don't you want to get in with us?" asked Sandy "Not really" Maddie said. "It's too cold." "You'll get used to it" said Sandy. "Come on." "That's okay" said Maddie. "I'll just stay here and watch." She sat down on the edge of the pool and let her feet dangle in the water. Jeff bounced toward her a five-year-old on his arm. "You shouldn't be scared" Jeff said. "You're the biggest kid in the group. You should know how to swim by now." Maddie felt her cheeks get warm. Why did Jeff have to say that? Maddie knew she was the biggest kid in the group. She knew she should be able to swim already. But she couldn't put her head under water. She just couldn't.  And I never will Maddie thought. She gritted her teeth. They can't make me. No one can. Then she remembered the boat trip. Dad had said that she must pass beginner test o or she couldn't go on the trip He didn't mean it thought Maddie. Did he? "So how was it?" their mother asked as they how piled into the car. "Petty good" said Carrie. "Sandy is really nice." "Bob likes Sandy" said Bert "Maddie?" asked her mother. "Okay" Maddie said "Maddie didn't go In the water" said Bert.  "Shut up Bert" said Maddie.  "Why not Maddie?" asked their mother. "You usually love the pool." "It's too early in the morning" said Maddie. "It's too cold. And I don't like all the stupid things Sandy makes you do."  "Like what?" "I like holding on to the side and kicking. It's dumb." "I like kicking" said Carrie. "That's because you're a baby" said Maddie. " I am not!" "You're all big kids" said their mother. "Especially you Maddie. You're big enough to learn to swim now. Tomorrow you'll have to get in." Maddie didn't say anything. She stared out the window at the rows and rows of houses on their way home. The next morning was a little warmer. Maddie walked slowly down the pool steps into the water. "It's not so bad once you get in is it?" Sandy said. She gave Maddie a Styrofoam kickboard. "Just hold on to this and kick" she said. "Soon you'll be zooming all over pool just like your brother Bert" Maddie glanced at Bert who was playing the penny game with Jeff. Jeff tossed a penny into the pool and Bert dived down to the bottom and picked it up. "Bert is just his nickname." Maddie muttered. "His full name is Stupidhead Eggbert." She took the board from Sandy and  started kicking her way across the pool. Carrie had a kickboard too. *Let's do bumper cars" Maddie called to her sister. Carrie steered her kickboard for Maddie's. The two kickboards bumped and the girls giggled. Sandy blew her whistle. "Everybody line up?" she called. The seven swimming students lined up at the shallow end of the pool. Sandy said "I think you're all ready for the next step: blowing bubbles." She divided the children into two groups. Maddie and Carrie were in Jeff's group. "Let's start with you Carrie" Jeff said. Jeff stood next to Carrie. "Just close your eyes and put your mouth in the water" he told her. "Now gently blow bubbles out of your mouth." "What if I swallow some water?" asked Carrie. " You won't" Jeff said. "'Just keep blowing out." Carrie put her mouth in the water. She blew bubbles. Maddie felt her stomach knot up. She could hardly stand to watch. "Okay  Maddie" Jeff said. "Are you ready to try?" Jeff stood next to Maddie and started telling her what to do. But Maddie could barely hear him.  Her eyes locked on the surface of the water. Her heart was pounding. The blood rushed to her head. Her ears were ringing like crazy. "Help!" Maddie cried. She climbed out of the pool and ran to the dressing room. She locked herself in a bathroom stall. "I'll never come out" she said. Maddie shivered. The cement floor of the stalI was cold and damp. But the ringing in her ears was gone. Why do I have to take swimming lessons? she thought. Why oh why? A few minutes later she heard someone coming. Maddie stood on the toilet seat to hide. "Maddie?" It was Sandy. She knocked on the stall door. "I know you're in there" she called. "This is the only stall with a locked door." Maddie frowned. Why hadn't she thought of that. "Maddie? Don't you feel well?" "I'm okay" Maddie said. "Come out" said Sandy. "The lesson is almost over. You don't have to back in today." Was it true? Or was it a trap? "I'm going back to the pool now" Sandy said. "Come out when you're ready." Maddie heard Sandy's bare feet pad away. She heard the dressing-room door close. It was safe. Carefully Maddie came out of the stall. She went to the dressing-room door and peeked out. The other Kids were standing on the grass with their towels wrapped around them. It had not been a trap. The lesson was over. Whew. that had been a close one. Maddie began to relax. She didn't have to worry about putting her head under water anymore - until tomorrow. That night Mr. Egg brought home a shopping bag and a big white envelope. "Guess what I have in here kids?" he said. He waved the envelope. "Boat pictures!" "What's in the bag?" asked Maddie. Her father smiled and put the bag on the floor. Maddie and Carrie reached inside and pulled out three strange orange things. They looked kind of like hard pillows covered with straps and buckles. "What are those?" asked Bert. "Life jackets" said their father. "In case you fall in the water they will help you float. You'll have to wear them whenever you're out on deck." Mr. Egg took one of the life jackets and put it over Maddie's head. He buckled it and pulled the straps to tighten it. "Put mine on!" said Bert. Maddie helped Bert put on his life jacket. Her father helped Carrie. Soon all three children were wearing them. Carrie Bert and Maddie gathered around the coffee table.  Their father opened the envelope. Inside was a brochure with color pictures of a boat. "This is just like the boat we'll be sailing on" said Mr. Egg. lightning thunder restaurants thunderstorm comforted phone panic]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker

Vocabulary: Some difficult words

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Concepts: Concrete/Simple Social

Chapters

Features

Character traits

Simple problem/solution

Topic

Vacations

Water

Boats

Overcoming

Swimming

Fears

Learning

Family

Low Frequency Words

alongside	arid	astronaut	breezeway	brochure
calmly	convertible	dangle	doyle	eggbert
gravel	gritted	horror	invisible	islands
kickboard	kickboards	lied	lifeguard	lifeguard's
lifeguards	lifesaving	maddie's	muttered	nickname
overboard	panic	petty	pockets	polo
restaurants	shallow	shrugged	shuttered	slithering
stali	stall	stupidhead	styrofoam	swallow
thunderstorm	thwap	thwapped	tweet	underwater
wriggled