Text Leveling System

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

RDQ:	689	Max Word/Sent	26	Total Words	903		Diff Words	385
Lex	680	Ave Word/.Sent	9	Hi Freq occurs	498	55.1%	Hi freq	135	35.1%
AR	3.1	Long Sentences	8.2	Low Freq occurs	71	7.9%	Low freq	49	12.7%

Rancher Hicks lived out west. As far as the eye could see
there was nothing...not even a roaming buffalo. So nothing
much ever happened.]]
"I think I'll drive into town and see what's happening" said
Rancher Hicks.
"Want to ride along Elna?" he asked his wife.
"No. I've got to dig potatoes" said Elna.]]
So Rancher Hicks climbed into his truck and drove eighty-four
miles to the town of Sleepy Gulch.
He stopped at the post office to look at the new wanted posters
but they were the same ones that were there twelve years ago.]]
Meanwhile...back at the ranch...
The cat had just had kittens in Elna's sewing basket when the
phone rant.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Elna Hicks?"
"Yes."
"Mrs. Hicks you have just won a brand-new wall-to-wall frost-free
super-cool refrigerator with a built-in automatic food maker!"
"Why I never!" exclaimed Elna.
"The delivery men are on their way."]]
Meanwhile...yawn...back in Sleepy Gulch...
Rancher Hicks strolled on over to the barber shop for a whisker
trim and to hear the latest gossip.
"So what's new Bob?" asked Rancher Hicks.
"Well..back in the spring of '49 we had a rainstorm you wouldn't
believe. Why it rained for pretty near a whole five minutes. Folks
thought it'd never stop. Nothin' much been happening since."]]
Meanwhile... back at the ranch...
The dog had just had puppies when the postman came up
the drive with a special delivery.
Elna opened it.]]
It was her Great Aunt Edith's will. It said:
My dear Elna
I am leaving you my entire estate which is worth a bundle.
Your loving Great Aunt Edith
P.S. Enclosed is a winning lottery ticket. I didn't have time
to cash it in.
So Elna cashed in the lottery ticket and put new siding on
the house. Then she added a new wing for the wall-to-wall
refrigerator and a new den for all the puppies and kittens.]]
Meanwhile...snore...back in Sleepy Gulch...
Rancher Hicks mosied on over to Millie's Mildew Luncheonette.
"What's on the menu for today Millie?"
"Well we got potatoes mashed and potatoes fried potatoes boiled
and potatoes baked potatoes roasted and potatoes stewed
potatoes scalloped and potatoes steamed and one egg."
"Sounds great" said Rancher Hicks. "I'll have one of each and
a side order of fries."]]
Meanwhile...back at the ranch...
After all the pigs had had piglets Elna finally started to dig
potatoes. She struck oil!]]
The oilmen came and gave her lots of money. They started eight
new oil wells and an oil refinery that day!
Elna took the money and had a very stylish sty built for all the 
pigs and piglets.]]
Meanwhile...sigh...back at Sleepy Gulch...
Rancher Hicks headed on over to the general store to check out
the checker game
"Howdy boys. What's new?"
Well Bernie here just got a king and it only took him two weeks!"
said Kurt.
"And I just jumped two of Kurt's men in a little over two hours!"
said Bernie.
"Wow. What a game!" said Rancher Hicks. "I can't wait to
tell Elna."]]
Meanwhile...back at the ranch...
All the cows had calves when a silver limo swung into the
driveway. Out jumped a Hollywood movie producer and
his hairdresser.]]
"Elna Hicks I'm going to make you a movie star!"
So Elna went on a diet and lost twenty pounds. The hairdresser
dyed her hair blond and painted her lips red.
The movie producer gave her a script a bikini and a large stack
of dollar bills!
So Elna had a glamorous cow palace built for all the cows and
calves and she studied her script.]]
Meanwhile...ho hum...back in Sleepy Gulch...
Rancher Hicks started to cross Main Street when he saw it!
"Amazing" he gasped.
Folks ran to see it.
"Incredible" they said.]]
A crowd gathered.
"This is big news really big" said the newspaper editor.
"We'd better wake up the mayor" said the sheriff.
The mayor came. Why I've never seen anything like it!" said
the mayor. So he declared it a town holiday.
The whole town watched if for hours and hours until finally...
a turtle crossed Main Street!!!]]
Meanwhile..back at the ranch...
All the horses had colts when the President's helicopter landed
in Elna's yard. "Elna Hicks" he said "you've got the finest horses
west of Washington. I'm making you a diplomat. Please deliver
two of your finest horses to the Queen of England!"
The President paid Elna for the horses and gave her a diplomat's
diploma and an autographed picture of himself. "Don't forget
to vote for me!"
Elna took the money and had a very stately stable built for all
the horses and colts.]]
Meanwhile...zzzz...back in Sleepy Gulch...
The sun began to sink slowly in the west. Rancher Hicks felt bad
that Elna had missed all the excitement so he stopped and
bought her a box of Cracker Jacks.
"This will make her day" he said.
Then he climbed into his truck and drove eighty-four miles back
to the ranch.]]
Elna met Rancher Hicks down by the mailbox.
He gave her the box of Cracker Jacks and told her about all the
excitement.
"Shoot! I miss everything" said Elna.
Then Rancher Hicks turned around.]]
"What the hay...?"]]
Meanwhile Elna opened her box of Cracker Jacks and inside she
found...a real diamond ring!!!!]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Some Long/Complex

Text structure: Story/Poem

Inferences: Some implications

Complexity: Several ideas - closely related

Concept: Fanciful

Features

Character traits

Integral Setting

Topic

Attitudes

Actions

*Family & Friends

Low Frequency Words

bikini	calves	cashed	diamond	diploma
diplomat	diplomat's	edith	edith's	editor
enclosed	estate	general	glamorous	gossip
gulch	hairdresser	hicks	incredible	limo
lottery	luncheonette	meanwhile	mildew	mosied
nothin	oilmen	piglets	postman	president
president's	producer	rainstorm	rancher	rant
refinery	refrigerator	roaming	scalloped	sheriff
siding	stable	stately	strolled	studied
stylish	whisker	worth	yawn