Text Leveling System

Beady Bear

RDQ:	294	Max Word/Sent	32	Total Words	561		Diff Words	251
Lex	540	Ave Word/.Sent	9	Hi Freq occurs	353	62.9%	Hi freq	111	44.2%
AR	2.2	Long Sentences	3.2	Low Freq occurs	16	2.9%	Low freq	13	5.2%

Beady was a fuzzy toy bear who belonged to a boy named Thayer.
 Hide-and-seek was his favorite fun. From time to time Beady would suddenly stop and topple over - kerplop! he'd come unwound. Then Thayer would always go find him and take his key and gently wind him. Once Beady was all wound up he wanted to keep on playing. And yet when Thayer went to bed Beady knew he ought to too. One winter's day Thayer went away. Just when he'd be back he didn't say. Being all alone for the first time Beady amused himself by looking at a book.  The ABC Animal Book B is for Bear an animal brave who lives in a cave.
 "Why hasn't anybody told me this before?" said Beady sadly to himself. "I wonder if there could be a cave for me away up in those hills?" 
Taking a long look through Thayer's shiny telescope he searched the side of the hill until he spied a cave! I have gone to live where a bear is posed to live -  Beady. 
So he left a note. Up the hill he climbed and climbed. At last! He could hardly believe his beady eyes - it was just his size! "A perfect place for a brave bear like me!" sighed Beady. "And yet it's awfully dark and still here inside! And a wee bit chilly really!" 
That night Beady couldn't sleep a wink. "It's because of these sharp stones I think. There's something I need in here to make me truly happy. I wonder what it could be?" 
"Oh I know!" and he got up and out he trotted down the snowy hillside to his house far below. And what should he bring back but his very own little pillow! 
"This is more like it!" said Beady as he bedded down for the rest of the night. 
"But there still seems to be something missing!" So down the hill he trotted again. and brought back  - of all things - a flashlight. 
But as soon as he settled down he knew there was something more a bear needed to be truly happy. "What good is a light without something to read?" said Beady. The evening papers indeed! Now what more could a bear ask for? 
Well after reading all the papers Beady began to worry and wonder. "Maybe it's some toys I need...At this very moment he heard a loud noise outside. "It's a bear!" said Beady. "I must be brave! This is probably his cave!" The noise grew louder and louder as Beady moved along ever so slowly and shakily. Suddenly he came to a stop - and over he toppled - kerplop! 
"Who's there?" cried Beady upside down. "It's me Thayer! I'm looking for my bear!" But from inside the cave now came not a sound - Beady was much too embarrassed laying there on the ground! 
"Well hello Beady boy! I thought I'd find you in this place. That's why I brought along your key just in case! For goodness' sakes Beady don't you know you need a key? And me?" 
"Yes but if I need you who do you need?" 
"I need Beady." So down the hill to home they went paw in hand and hand in paw and when beady went to bed that night he was the truly happiest bear you ever saw.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Concept: Fanciful

Features

Topic

Toys

Friendship

Bears

Low Frequency Words

amused	embarrassed	happiest	kerplop	ought
posed	sakes	shakily	spied	topple
toppled	truly	unwound