Text Leveling System

The Warrior Maiden

RDQ:	566	Max Word/Sent	24	Total Words	1031		Diff Words	398
Lex	650	Ave Word/.Sent	7	Hi Freq occurs	543	52.7%	Hi freq	138	34.7%
AR	2.9	Long Sentences	2.3	Low Freq occurs	55	5.3%	Low freq	29	7.3%

Listen!
Listen to the story of Huh-ay-ay
the brave Warrior Maiden
who saved her people from death.]]
Chapter I
Shadows in the Distance 
The sun rises hot and red 
over the Hopi pueblo. 
Huh-ay-ay runs to the window 
and helps her father
lower a ladder.
He is already searching 
the desert for danger.]]
"Be careful" Father warns her. 
"Watch for Apache raiders. 
Protect the corn.
Protect our people.
Pull up the ladders till we return." 
The men and boys
climb down the ladders 
and walk into the morning.]]
Huh-ay-ay and her sisters 
help Mother shuck corn. 
As they work
Mother talks about the ways of the Hopi. 
"We are peaceful people:
Even our name means peace.
We would rather farm than fight.]]

"But we live in a harsh dry land. 
Food is scarce.
The Apache want our corn. 
If they attack
we must be brave and strong. 
And if we must fight
we must fight to win."]]
The men and boys walk miles and miles 
across the desert.
They walk toward a bright green cloud 
at the edge of the sky.
The bright green cloud is 
the growing crops:
corn beans cotton squash.]]
The boys kick small stones 
down the mesa
to remind the gods to send rain. 
The men use long sticks
to plant and weed. 
It is hard work.
The small boys flap their arms 
and make loud sounds
to scare the birds away.
No one sees the shadows of the raiders 
creeping toward the pueblo.]]
Chapter 2
Watching and Working 
Huh-ay-ay keeps watch 
as Mother grinds corn.
Elder Sister mixes it with water. 
Younger Sister helps.
Huh-ay-ay builds the fire 
so she can make bread. 
Every day she tries to bake 
without burning her fingers. 
Ouch!
She burns them again 
on the red-hot stone.]]
Huh-ay-ay sits to rest
but keeps watch the whole time. 
The baking bread
smells sweet and good.
Mother washes Huh-ay-ay's hair 
in cactus suds.
It is shiny and black 
as a crow's wing. 
Mother curls one side 
in a butterfly shape 
and pins it in place.]]
But before Mother can pin up the rest; 
Huh-ay-ay sees a shadow.
It moves!
She sees another shadow 
And another.
She hears a strange bird call. 
Is it a bird?
Or a man?]]
Huh-ay-ay peers across the desert. 
She sees a flash of red.
She remembers her father's words: 
"Be careful. Watch for Apache raiders. 
Protect the corn.
Protect our people."]]
Huh-ay-ay's heart beats like a drum. 
"Five ten fifteen ... "
Huh-ay-ay tries to count the shadows 
but there are too many.
"Look Mother" she whispers. 
"Apache! The raiders are coming!"]]
Mother scoops up the baby 
and holds him close.
Younger Sister hides in Mother's skirt 
afraid to blink.
They huddle in the house 
afraid to breathe.
The bird that is not a real bird 
screams again.
Huh-ay-ay runs and warns the others: 
the other mothers the girls
and the men too old 
to farm or fight.]]
"What shall we do?" asks Elder Sister. 
"Let's run away" cries Younger Sister. 
"We must hide" warns Mother
"or they will kill us 
and take our food." 
"Hush! Be quiet! Hide!" 
everyone cries.
But the Apache shadows creep closer. 
Hiding will not help.
Someone must think of a plan.]]
Chapter 3
The Warrior Maiden
Huh-dy-ay stands still and thinks.
Her heart gallops like a frightened pony 
but she does not feel helpless.
She has a plan.
"Guard the ladders" she commands. 
"Stay out of sight
but make a lot of noise. 
Get drums and beat them: 
Get rattles and shake them. 
Make them think our pueblo 
is full of warriors.
It will give me time to run for help."]]
Huh-ay-ay is so strong so sure 
that they all take heart. 
Everyone does something. 
Some tend the babies.
Some hide the corn. 
The rest make the songs 
and sounds of war.
Huh-ay-ay slips along the cliff 
hiding in the deep blue shade. 
It covers her like the night.]]
The Apache creep closer.
They hear the banging and rattling. 
They hear the songs and sounds of war. 
They stop short.
They crouch and hide.
 "Maybe they think the pueblo
 is full of warriors;"
 Huh-ay-ay says to herself. 
While their eyes search the pueblo 
Huh-ay-ay slips past.]]
Her feet pound softly 
against the hot ground. 
Her hair flies like a black crow's wing. 
Her heart pounds louder than drums. 
Her breath burns in her chest.
But Huh-ay-ay does not look back. 
She runs swift and strong.
She feels her feet against the ground 
and her head against the sky.]]
Huh-ay-ay runs and runs. 
The green cloud of corn 
is still far away.
Her father and brothers look tiny 
like little dolls.]]
Huh-ay-ay runs harder.
Now she can see the men planting corn.
 Now she sees her youngest brother 
flapping his arms to scare the crows. 
Now she sees the weapons 
ready on the ground.]]
Huh-ay-ay calls out her warning. 
"Come quickly! Hurry!
Apache raiders are attacking our pueblo. 
We are trying to scare them away. 
Hurry!"
Huh-ay-ay's father picks up his weapons. 
He nods proudly at his daughter. 
Huh-ay-ay runs with the men and boys 
back through the desert
back to the pueblo 
under the blood-red sun.]]
They are just in time. 
The raiders are 
climbing on one another's shoulders 
climbing the cliffs;
climbing the walls.
Then they see Huh-ay-ay with 
the men and boys:]]
The raiders see weapons flash red in the sun. 
They are frightened.
They know they are outnumbered. 
They turn and run.
The People are safe.]]
Chapter 4 
Peaceful Again
To this day the Hopi walk in peace. 
The men weave cloth;
the women weave baskets.
Men and boys plant and pick corn 
the bread of life.
And each year they celebrate the harvest. 
Each person gets an ear of corn.
Each child gets a gift.
And they all sing and dance 
in praise of Huh-ay-ay--
the brave and clever Warrior Maiden.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Simple

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Concepts: Concrete/Simple Social

Features

Character traits

Integral Setting - Historical

Integral Setting - Cultural/Regional

Difficult names

Present Tense

Topic

*History

Danger

*Community

Helping

*Family & Friends

*Feelings, Behaviors

Native Americans

Low Frequency Words

apache	crouch	curls	dy	elder
harsh	harvest	helpless	hopi	maiden
mesa	outnumbered	peace	peaceful	peers
praise	pueblo	raiders	rattling	scarce
shuck	squash	suds	warrior	warriors
weapons	whispers	younger	youngest