Text Leveling System

Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots

RDQ:	1061	Max Word/Sent	26	Total Words	2669		Diff Words	797
Lex	750	Ave Word/.Sent	7	Hi Freq occurs	1832	68.6%	Hi freq	343	43%
AR	3.7	Long Sentences	2.7	Low Freq occurs	133	5%	Low freq	96	12%

A New Teacher
""Poor Mrs. Deedee,"" said Melody. ""I 
feel sorry for her."" A couple of other girls 
in the third-grade classroom at Bailey 
Elementary School agreed.
""She got what she deserved."" Eddie, 
the class bully, was a tall kid with curly 
red hair.
Melody turned to Eddie. ""You shouldn't 
have been so mean to her. If you had 
been nicer she wouldn't have gone crazy!""
""It's not my fault,"" Eddie said. ""Nobody 
else was very nice to her either.""
It was true. There was not an innocent 
person in the whole class. Every student 
there had talked out loud or thrown paper 
wads or done something to drive their 
teacher crazy. Mrs. Deedee had not 
actually gone nuts, but she had quit her job]] 
after she found her top desk drawer full 
of shaving cream.
She had been looking for a pencil when 
she stuck her hands in the mint-scented 
shaving cream. ""I can't stand it anymore!"" 
Mrs. Deedee screamed. She held 
her hands up like a surgeon and looked 
around the room. A wild look came into 
her eyes.
""I don't know who did this, but I want]] 
you to know that you will pay for it. 
Someday, you'll get yours! Somebody, 
somewhere, will make you pay!"" She 
laughed a cackling kind of laugh and left 
the room.
No one in the third grade had seen Mrs. 
Deedee since, but it was rumored that 
she had moved to a small town in the 
farthest corner of Alaska.
Today, the third grade of Bailey 
Elementary was getting their new teacher. 
No one had seen her yet and everyone 
was worried.
""What if we get a male wrestler?"" 
Melody twisted one of her jet black pigtails. 
""My cousin's teacher moved away, and 
they got this male wrestler for their new 
teacher.""
""Oh, be serious, Melody,"" Howie laughed 
and wrinkled his freckle-covered nose. 
""Wrestlers don't become teachers!""]] 
""I am serious. He weighed at least 300 
pounds and had muscles the size of 
watermelons. He threatened to stuff 
anybody who misbehaved inside their 
pencil boxes.""
""Did he ever do it?"" Howie asked.
""No. He never had to. Nobody ever 
misbehaved,"" Melody answered. Everybody 
agreed that having a male wrestler 
or a teacher would be a lot worse than 
having Mrs. Deedee.
A short girl named Liza spoke up. 
""Maybe we'll get Miss Viola Swamp."" 
Everybody laughed. Viola Swamp was a 
character in a book they had read.
Liza turned bright red. ""Well, we might 
get her for a teacher and then you'd all 
be sorry!"" That silenced everyone. Viola 
Swamp was the strictest, meanest teacher 
in the whole world. If they got somebody 
like her, they would all be doomed.
""Don't worry,"" Eddie bragged. ""I can]] 
take care of any teacher - even a male 
wrestler!""
Footsteps from out in the hall made 
everybody scramble for their seats. An 
uneasy quiet settled over the class as the 
footsteps stopped in front of the third-grade 
room. A couple of students took 
deep breaths as the doorknob slowly 
turned.]] 
Mrs. Jeepers
Their principal, Mr. Davis, walked into 
the classroom with a beautiful lady. ""Good 
morning, students,"" the principal said. 
Mr. Davis looked something like an egg 
with two legs. He wore dark-rimmed 
glasses and was completely bald. ""I would 
like to introduce you to your new teacher, 
Mrs. Jeepers.""
Mrs. Jeepers smiled at the class and 
said in a strange accent, ""It is very nice 
to meet you, boys and girls. I am sure we 
are going to have a good year together.""
Some of the girls in the back of the 
room giggled at her accent and Mr. Davis 
looked at them sternly. ""I am sure that 
no one in the class will give you trouble, 
Mrs. Jeepers. If they do, I want you to let 
me know.""]] 
""Thank you, Mr. Davis. I am sure we 
will be fine."" Mrs. Jeepers smiled an odd 
little half smile.
The door closed with a loud click as 
Mr. Davis left. All twenty-two children 
looked at Mrs. Jeepers. She was kind of 
short and her long red hair was pulled 
back with a purple barrette. She wore a 
starched white blouse with a high collar. 
At the collar was a green brooch the size 
of a chicken egg. It seemed to glow when-
ever she moved. Her skirt was black and 
hung to the tops of her black, laced, 
pointy-toed boots.
While the class stared at her, Mrs. 
Jeepers looked around the room. A couple 
of kids were chewing gum and almost 
everybody slouched in their chairs. A fat 
boy picked his nose and a girl in the back 
combed her long blonde hair. Loose 
papers and books were scattered all over 
the floor.]] 
Mrs. Jeepers cleared her throat and 
spoke. ""I am glad to be your teacher and 
I think we should start off by laying the 
groundwork. There are some rules I expect 
you to follow.""
A few kids in the class groaned.
""Do not worry. They are not difficult 
rules. They are probably ones that you 
have already been following. We will 
start with the most important ones."" With 
that, Mrs. Jeepers proceeded to write 
three rules on the board.
1. Act nicely to teachers and fellow 
students. 
2. Talk at appropriate times.
3. Walk.
Eddie waved his hand in the air. ""What 
if we don't follow those rules? What'll 
happen then?""
Mrs. Jeepers smiled and flashed her]]
green eyes. "I hope you never have to find out."
With the rules out of the way, Mrs. Jeepers started classwork. Everybody remembered Mr. Davis' warning for a little while and the morning went smoothly. Mrs. Jeepers seemed to be a pretty fun teacher. During social studies she even told the class about her home country.
Mrs. Jeepers started speaking very softly. "I come from the country of Romania." She picked up a globe and spun it to show where Romania was located.
"Jeepers doesn't sound like a Romanian name to me," Eddie said:
Mrs. Jeepers flashed her eyes in his direction. "My real name is too difficult to pronounce. I changed it when I came to America.!'
All the students leaned forward to hear her better. Even Eddie, who always tried to act as if he weren't paying attention,]] 
leaned on his elbows and listened. "Romania is a small country bordered by Russia and the Black Sea. I grew up on my family's estate at the foot of the Transylvanian Alps. It was a wonderful life until . ."
"Until what?" Liza blurted. Mrs. Jeepers flashed her green eyes. "Until my family was forced to leave."
"Why did you have to leave?" Melody asked.
Mrs. Jeepers gently touched her brooch. "Oh, that is not important now," she said with a little half smile. Then she dismissed the class for recess.]] 
The Haunted House
A group of third-graders met under the giant oak tree on the playground. The tree's branches were like a tent above them. A breeze whispered through the golden leaves.
"I think she's strange," Melody said. "Have you noticed her odd little smile?"
"I think she smiles because she's nice. And her accent is really neat!" Liza said.
"I think her accent is freaky. And what about that Romanian story?" Howie asked. Carey nodded her head. "Why do you think her family had to leave? Do you think they're criminals?"
Melody's eyes got big. "Maybe they're jewel thieves. That's probably where she got that huge brooch she wears. Have you noticed how she keeps rubbing it?"]] 
Eddie reached over and pulled Melody's ponytail. "Yeah, she could even be a murderer," he snickered. "I bet she murdered all the kids in her last class!"
Howie gave Eddie a push. "Be serious! We need to decide how we're going to treat Mrs. Jeepers!"
Eddie rolled his eyes. "I think you guys need to get serious. Mrs. Jeepers is just an ordinary teacher with a strange-sounding voice. As a matter-of-fact, I think she's an old-fashioned softie!"
"What do you mean?" Melody asked. "What makes you think she's a softie?" Eddie leaned against the rough trunk of the giant oak and looked each one of his friends in the eyes. "Didn't you notice that she never once raised her voice today? And what about those sissy rules on the board. No mean teacher would think about using rules like that. She]] 
didn't mention one thing about pushing, hitting, or spitting. Any teacher who knows what she's doing would have really laid down the law. But all she did was smile that silly grin!"
"So, what are you getting at?" Melody asked.
"It's simple," Eddie said. "We can get rid of this one like we got rid of Mrs. Deedee."
His friends looked at Eddie. Slowly, Howie started to shake his head. "I don't know, Eddie. This time you may be wrong. Mrs. Jeepers might surprise us!"
Later, on their way home, Eddie, Melody, and some of the other third-graders were walking down Delaware Boulevard. "Yuck, somebody is moving into the Clancy estate. You couldn't get me to move in there for a million bucks!" Melody shuddered.]] 
"It sure is creepy looking. I bet it's haunted with ghosts and vampires." Eddie pretended to bite a couple of the kids on the neck.
Melody shook her head. "I can't believe anybody would want to live there. They would have to be crazy."
The whole group jumped when a voice came from behind them. "Good afternoon, children. I see you have noticed my new home."
They all turned to see Mrs. Jeepers smiling at them.
"You mean you're going to live here?" Howie asked.
"Yes, is it not lovely? Would you like to come in and see it?" asked Mrs. Jeepers.
"No, thank you," Melody said quickly. "I mean, I have to get home to do my homework."
"Do not be silly. I did not give you any]] 
homework today." With that, she took Eddie and Melody by their arms and gently pulled them toward the heavy wooden front door. The other kids suddenly heard their mothers calling them and ran home as fast as they could.
"It is so nice to have company. I do get lonely sometimes," Mrs. Jeepers said as she stepped out of the way of two moving men.
"Do you live by yourself, Mrs. Jeepers?" Melody asked.
Mrs. Jeepers smiled and looked at the long wooden box the men were carrying through the basement door. "Well, not exactly alone. But it is quiet most of the time."
Mrs. Jeepers pulled the reluctant pair into the front hall of the big house. A huge cobwebbed-covered chandelier hung from the high ceiling. A massive wooden staircase curved down to meet the dusty]] 
blood-red carpet. Cobwebs clung to the walls and a dusty mist filled the air.
"Is it not lovely?" Mrs. Jeepers asked. "I know it needs some work, but it really has a lot of potential."
"Er, yes, it's real nice," Melody lied. 
"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Mrs. Jeepers asked. 
"We'd really like to. Maybe some other time," Eddie said quickly. "You might want to clean up or something. We'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Jeepers." Eddie grabbed Melody's arm and pulled her out the door.
When they were safe on the other side of the street, Melody glared at Eddie.]]
"See! Mrs. Jeepers is weird! Do you believe us now?"
"All right, maybe she is a little strange for wanting to live in the old Clancy place, but that doesn't mean she's weird," Eddie said.
"I don't know, Eddie," Melody warned. "I think we'd all better watch out for Mrs. Jeepers."]] 
Suspicions
Mrs. Jeepers was late for class the next morning. The students sat in their seats and anxiously listened for her footsteps.
"Maybe she quit," Liza suggested. "Why would she quit?" Eddie asked.
"She's only been here one day. She hasn't gotten the full treatment yet!"
"I don't think she quit, either," Howie whispered. "We saw her moving into the Clancy house yesterday!"
"THE CLANCY HOUSE!" several students gasped.
"That place has been empty ever since I can remember," Carey said. "I heard it was haunted!"
"Maybe a ghost ate her," Liza said. "Or maybe she was bitten by a vampire!"]] 
"That's right!" snapped Melody. "I remember seeing the moving men carry a box into the basement yesterday."
"So?" several children chimed.
"So ... the box was shaped long and thin - like a coffin!"
"She did say she was from Transylvania," Howie said. "And isn't that where Count Dracula lives?"
A ghostly silence filled the room as the doorknob slowly turned. Everyone snapped to attention as Mrs. Jeepers came into the room.
"Good morning, class," Mrs. Jeepers said in her strange accent. "I am sorry to be late. But I did not get much sleep last night."
Melody's eyes grew wide and Howie's mouth dropped open.
"Vampires don't sleep at night," Melody whispered to Liza.]] 
Liza leaned over and said, "Yeah, but vampires don't wear polka dots."
Everyone looked at Mrs. Jeepers. It was true. She didn't look like a vampire today. She had on a bright pink-and-green polka-dotted dress with a bright green ribbon tied in her red hair. Her fingernails were even painted bright green. And at her neck was the green brooch.
"Perhaps we had better start with our lesson," Mrs. Jeepers suggested. "We will begin with arithmetic."
The class opened their books. Not a sound could be heard as she explained the problems and did examples on the board. Eddie looked at his friends. They were being too quiet.
Eddie wadded his math paper. The crinkling of the paper broke the silence. Several of his friends gasped as they turned to Eddie. Mrs. Jeepers didn't even flinch.]] 
Tap-tap-tap. Eddie drummed his pencil on his desk. He glanced at his friends and noticed that some of them were moving their lips as though they were praying. Mrs. Jeepers just wrote another problem on the board.
Eddie started making goldfish noises with his mouth. The students sitting near]] 
him sunk low in their seats, but Mrs. Jeepers didn't notice. He watched the minute hand of the clock go around three times. Still, Mrs. Jeepers ignored him. His mouth began to get dry and his jaws felt as if he had been chewing a super-big wad of bubble gum for hours. This was too much. Eddie wasn't used to being ignored, especially by a teacher.
Eddie stopped making goldfish noises and watched as Mrs. Jeepers showed the class how to work the problems for their assignment. He watched as she neatly wrote one number after another. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He held his math book high in the air. Then he let it go.
KA-BLAM! Everyone in the class jumped as the book fell to the floor with a thud. Everyone except Mrs. Jeepers.
Oh so slowly, Mrs. Jeepers ran her]] 
fingernails down the blackboard. Cold chills escaped down Eddie's neck and back. The screeching of her fingernails on the blackboard made everyone forget about Eddie's book falling to the floor. Turning, Mrs. Jeepers peered straight at Eddie. Calmly, and almost in a whisper, she spoke in her strange accent, "That is quite enough."]] 
Hip Wiggles
Eddie couldn't believe how well the class was behaving. It really bothered him. Nobody had thrown a paper wad or spitball for days. It was as if Mrs. Jeepers had turned everyone into a goody-goody. Everyone but Eddie. Eddie hated being good. It made him sick. He was just itching to cause some trouble.
He leaned over and poked Howie in the ribs. "How about switching everybody's pencils when they're not looking?"
"Shhhh! Mrs. Jeepers might hear," Howie warned.
"Well, how about .. ." Eddie started. 
"Shhh!" Howie shook his head no.
Eddie turned away in disgust. Howie used to be so much fun. Now he was just another student under Mrs. Jeepers' goodness spell.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Inferences: Some implications

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Story/Poem

Complexity: Several ideas - closely related

Concepts: Concrete/Simple Social

Features

Character traits

Topic

Teacher/Teaching

Mystery

Challenges

Teasing

Behaviors

Classrooms

*Family & Friends

*Feelings, Behaviors

*Schools & Education

Low Frequency Words

accent	anxiously	appropriate	assignment	barrette
blurted	bordered	boulevard	brooch	calmly
chandelier	classwork	cobwebbed	combed	cousin's
crinkling	curved	deedee	delaware	deserved
dismissed	dracula	drawer	elementary	escaped
estate	farthest	fashioned	fault	fellow
flinch	ghostly	glared	groundwork	haunted
ignored	innocent	introduce	jeepers	jewel
laced	lied	massive	melody's	mention
misbehaved	murdered	murderer	ordinary	peered
polka	potential	proceeded	reluctant	rimmed
romania	romanian	rough	rumored	scented
scramble	shaving	silenced	slouched	smoothly
snickered	social	softie	sounding	spitball
staircase	starched	sternly	strictest	studies
surgeon	suspicions	swamp	thieves	threatened
toed	transylvania	transylvanian	treatment	viola
wad	wadded	warned	watermelons	wears
weighed	weird	what'll	whisper	wrestlers
wrinkled