Text Leveling System

How Kittens Grow

RDQ:	247	Max Word/Sent	22	Total Words	733		Diff Words	261
Lex	510	Ave Word/.Sent	8	Hi Freq occurs	445	60.7%	Hi freq	97	37.2%
AR	2.1	Long Sentences	1.1	Low Freq occurs	15	2%	Low freq	13	5%

Mother cat has just given
birth to these four kittens.
She lies on her side and 
licks them off.]]
Each kitten is tiny.
It cannot see because its eyes are closed.
It cannot hear because its ears are closed.
But the kitten can smell and touch and feel warmth.]]
Each kitten crawls toward Mother's warm body.
Its front legs move forward slowly.
It drags its hind legs along.
Its head moves from side to side.
At last it reaches Mother cat.]]
Now the kittens nuzzle in Mother cat's fur with 
their noses and mouths.
They keep nuzzling until they touch a nipple.
Then they grab the nipple with their mouths
and begin to suck milk.
Each kitten sucks milk within an hour after it is born.]]
These kittens need their mother.
She nurses them.
She keeps them warm.
She keeps them safe.]]
For four days Mother cat stays with
the kittens almost all the time.
About every two hours she gets up.
She stretches.
Then she goes off to eat something.
After the fourth day she gets up more often.
The kittens sleep while she is away.
They usually sleep on top of one another.
They keep warm that way.]]
When Mother cat 
comes back
she licks the kittens.
This wakes them up.
Then Mother cat 
lies down
and the kittens
suck milk again.
By this time
each kitten 
has learned to nurse
at its own special nipple.
If another kitten tries to take its place
it holds on tight
and will not let go.]]
When the kittens are about two weeks old
their eyes have opened.
Their ears are open too.
The kittens are growing.
They weigh twice as much now
as they weighed when they were born.]]
The kittens still crawl.
The cannot walk yet.
But they are beginning
to see more and hear more.]]
Sometimes a kitten crawls
away from Mother.
But then the floor feels cold.
And the floor smells different.
The kitten cries.
Mother cat hears it.
She goes to it and carries it home 
by the neck.]]
Now the kittens are
four weeks old.
They can go over to
Mother cat to nurse when
she does not come to them.
Each week they gain about
six ounces.]]
The kittens stand
on their feet and
walk slowly.
They are still wobbly.
But they see pretty well.
And they hear pretty well.]]
Mother cat goes to the kittens less and less.
But the kittens can follow her around now
and make her lie down and let them nurse.
They still nurse at their own special nipples.]]
Now the kittens can play 
with each other.
They lick each other.
They chase each other.
They roll over each other.]]
They play with everything they can find.]]
They run after Mother cat.
They jump on her.
They lick her face.
They bite her tail.]]
Sometimes the playing
gets too rough.
Then Mother cat jumps
away from the kittens.
She jumps on a high stool
or up to a shelf.
Sometimes she swats
the kittens.]]
When the kittens are five weeks old
they are getting less milk from their mother.
But they can drink milk from a saucer.]]
They follow Mother cat
when she goes to feed.
Sometimes they step 
in the food dish.
Sometimes they step on
some food on the floor.
Then they lick their paws.
The food tastes good!
Sometimes they lick
Mother's mouth and
taste the food that way.
That is how they learn
to eat solid food.]]
On farms cats hunt their own food.
At first Mother cat brings live animals back to the kittens.
They learn to know the food they will later hunt themselves.
Then the kittens begin to follow Mother
when she goes to find food.]]
That is how they learn
to hunt and kill small
animals especially mice.
The kittens have teeth
now nd can chew.
These are baby teeth
at first just as yours are.
When a cat is about 
six months old
the baby teeth fall out 
and the adult teeth take their place.]]
When the kittens are about eight week old
they have stopped getting milk from their mother.
They have learned to eat solid food.
The can chase climb leap run move quietly
through the grass and pounce on a mouse.]]
They can do everything a grown-up cat can do.
This is the best time to get a kitten.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Features

Topic

Growth/Growing

Cats

Babies

*Animals

Amphibians

Birth

*Animal Life

Pets

Low Frequency Words

carries	hind	nipple	nipples	nuzzle
nuzzling	ounces	pounce	rough	saucer
swats	warmth	weighed	wobbly