Text Leveling System

Flik the Inventor

RDQ:	543	Max Word/Sent	22	Total Words	1027		Diff Words	385
Lex	650	Ave Word/.Sent	6	Hi Freq occurs	620	60.4%	Hi freq	167	43.4%
AR	2.8	Long Sentences	0.7	Low Freq occurs	47	4.6%	Low freq	28	7.3%

Princess Dot and some of the Blueberries
stood outside Flik's room in the anthill.
Pop! Wheeze! Gulp! came the noises from
inside. As always Flik was trying to invent
something to help the ant colony.]]
Maybe we should ask him if he needs help"
Dot suggested.
But before anyone could answer there was a loud
thump! Flik bounced out of the room landing 
at Dot's feet.]]
"Hmmm" Flik muttered as he stood up and
brushed himself off. "The flinging mechanism
must be too tight."]]
Flik was so deep in thought he didn't even notice
Dot and her friends. He marched right past them
and back into his room.
"Well" Dot said "at least we know he's okay."]]
The next morning Dot saw Flik at the end of the
fields with a funny-looking machine.
"Hi Flik!" Dot said. "Watcha working on?"
"Oh hello Princess" said Flik. He smiled happily.
"This is my pick-up-and-mover machine."]]
"How does it work?" asked Dot.
"Here let me show you" Flik said as he helped
Dot up onto a rock. Then he started his machine.]]
Soon an arm of the machine reached out and
grabbed Dot! "That tickles!" she said giggling.
Suddenly Dot felt herself being lifted into the air!]]
A moment later she landed safely on the ground.
"Wowee!" cried Dot. "Look how far I moved!"
"Excellent!" Flik said. "I'm glad I adjusted that
flinging mechanism. Otherwise you might have
ended up on the other side of Ant Island!"]]
Just then Thorny appeared.
"Flik" Thorny said "why aren't you collecting 
food with the rest of the worker ants?"]]
"Hello Thorny! I was hoping you'd ask me
that very question" Flik replied. "You see I have
invented a new machine. Would you like to see
how it works?"]]
Thorny was angry. "We don't have time for all
these silly inventions! There's work to be done!
We need to collect food!"]]
"But - " Flik tried to explain.
"Just get to work like the other ants" Thorny
called as he stomped away.
Flik hung his head.]]
"Don't worry Flik" Dot said. "You'll figure out
some way to use your invention. I just know it."]]
"Yeah it must be good for something but
what?" Flik said to Dot as he walked out to the
fields to work.]]
Later that night Flik sat in his room trying to
think of a useful invention. Suddenly he got an idea.
He worked deep into the night.]]
Early the next morning Dot found Flik outside
looking intently at a large stalk.
"Flik!" she said. "You'd better get out in the fields
with the other ants. Thorny's been looking for you!"]]
"Sure I will Dot" Flik said. "But wouldn't you like 
to see my latest invention first? It's a stalk chopper1"
"Flik you're gonna get in trouble" Dot warned.
"You're supposed to be collecting food."]]
"Yes yes" Flik said. "I will I will. Right after I
try this out. Stand back Princess!"
Flik started up his machine and set to work.]]
Moments later the stalk was chopped neatly in half.
"Aha!" Flik cried. "It worked. How do you like
that Princess?"
But Dot didn't answer. Thorny did.]]
"How many times do I have to tell you there's 
work to be done?" cried Thorny.
"But Thorny" Flik said "look at this! It's my
new stalk-chopping machine."
"We don't have time for this!" Thorny insisted.
"But I'm sure - " Flik began.]]
"We don't need to chop stalks. We need to
collect food!" Thorny told him.]]
Flik's antennae drooped as he walked out to
the fields to join the other worker ants. "That's 
all Thorny thinks about - harvesting food" Flik
mumbled to himself.]]
Then Flik stopped short.
"That's what we need!" he cried. "A harvester! A
machine to collect food!" Flick turned around and
raced back to his room.]]
He looked at his pick-up-and-mover machine.
Then he looked at his stalk-chopping machine.
"Hmmm...what would happen if I combined 
them?" Flik thought out loud. "I guess there's only
one way to find out!"]]
The following morning with his new invention
strapped to his back Flick headed toward the fields.
He smiled as he watched two ant children run past
him playing tag. Then he waved to some worker
ants collecting food.]]
Flik sighed happily. He knew his invention
would save the worker ants hours fo working time.
In fact Flik thought he might become something
of a hero.]]
Flik tried to get Thorny's attention but Thorny
was too busy talking to Princess Atta. And Princes
Dot was nowhere to be found.]]
"Flik!" one of the worker ants called out. "What
crazy thing did you invent this time? Ha ha ha!"
The other ants laughed too. "That Flik!"
one said. "He's always thinking up useless stuff!"]]
But Flik didn't mind the other ants' teasing.
He was busy starting up his machine. Then he 
cut down a stalk. Moments later the flinging
mechanism launched dozens of pieces of grain
into a basket.
Flik's machine worked!]]
"Hey!" cried one worker ant. "That's your
pick-up-and-mover machine!"
"That's right" Flik said proudly.]]
"And its connected to your stalk-chopping
machine!" said another ant.
"Uh=huh" Flik replied.
"Wow!" shouted the worker ants.]]
"Yup. I put them together and made a harvester" Flik
explained. "Now one ant can collect as much food as a
whole bunch of ants put together!"
"Hooray!" cried the other ants. "Three cheers for Flik!"
Flik grinned. He had done it. He had finally created a
really useful machine!]]
Dear Blueberry Journal
Boy the worker ants sure do work hard!
Just a few of them collect enough food
for the entire ant colony to survive
winter. Sometimes the seeds are already 
on the ground and the workers pick them
up and carry them away in their mouths.
Other times they have to cut the seeds 
off the grasses and weeds before they
can take them.
Now that we have Flik's harvester
everyone can gather seeds faster and 
more easily. Then all the worker ants
have to do is carry them inside the nest
to keep them dry.
Hooray! More time to play!
Till next time
Dot.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Simple language

Sentences: Some Long/Complex

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Concept: Fanciful

Features

Simple Plot

Topic

Food

Inventions/Inventors

Ants

Machines

*Technology & Progress

Low Frequency Words

adjusted	antennae	atta	colony	excellent
giggling	gonna	gulp	harvester	harvesting
hoping	intently	invention	inventions	journal
mechanism	moments	muttered	nowhere	otherwise
stalk	stalks	survive	thorny	thorny's
warned	watcha	wowee