Text Leveling System

The Flying School Bus

RDQ:	384	Max Word/Sent	19	Total Words	381		Diff Words	231
Lex	600	Ave Word/.Sent	8	Hi Freq occurs	204	53.5%	Hi freq	75	32.5%
AR	2.4	Long Sentences	0	Low Freq occurs	21	5.5%	Low freq	20	8.7%

The school bus was old. 
Its fenders were bent.
It rattled and rumbled
wherever it went.]]
The paint was chipped.
The seats were lumpy.
and out on the road
It went thump-ity-BUMPY.]]
But the children loved
their rickety old bus
and hopped aboard it
without any fuss.]]
Come storm come snow
in rain or in hail
they knew their friend
would never fail.]]
Till early one morn
in the middle of town
with an extra-loud rumble
it plain broke down!
The principal frowned
and shook her head.
"It's certainly time
for a change" she said.]]
"A change to be sure"
Mayor Thayer agreed.
"A nice new school bus
is just what we need."]]
So a new one arrived
all shiny and clean
with fresh yellow paint
and seats of dark green.]]
The kids were unhappy
with this elegant bus.
"Our old one" they said
"was more friendly to us!"]]
"Where will they put it?"
a little boy cried.
"In the junkyard of course"
the mayor replied.]]
"The motor's worn out.
The tires are flat.
We'll sell it for scrap
and that will be that."]]
So there the wreck sat
till one gloomy day
along came a tow truck
to haul it away.]]
While the kids looked on
With tears in their eyes
the driver unloaded
his chains and supplies.
But as he came close
the wreck gave a cough.
The horn went Ta-TOOT.
The hubcaps flew off!]]
Then as they stared
with mouths gaping wide
that battered old bus
started to glide.
Thump-ity-BUMPY it
rolled past the square
Then ever so smoothly
sailed up in the air!]]
It zoomed right over
young Officer Pickett
who promptly began 
to write out a ticket.]]
It circled a game
of baseball nearby
and made Jodie Jenkins
hit a pop fly.]]
It buzzed the farm
of Mrs. O'Hare who
huffed "What's a pumpkin
doing up there?"]]
It looped and swooped
like a big yellow kite
then flew up  up 
clear out of sight!]]
And soon far and wide
the country folk heard
of a magic school bus
that flew like a bird.]]
"Silly!  Impossible!"
came the great cry.
"Everyone knows that
buses can't fly!"]]
Did all this happen?
Is the tale true?
The children say "YES!"
How about you?]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Simple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Concept: Fanciful

Sequence of Events: Chronological

Features

Simple problem/solution

Simple Plot

Rhyming

Topic

*Transportation

Buses

Flight/Flying

School

Low Frequency Words

aboard	cough	elegant	fenders	folk
gaping	hubcaps	ity	jodie	junkyard
looped	morn	motor's	pickett	promptly
rickety	smoothly	supplies	tow	unloaded