Text Leveling System

Arctic Fives Arrive

RDQ:	1121	Max Word/Sent	52	Total Words	685		Diff Words	293
Lex	760	Ave Word/.Sent	16	Hi Freq occurs	287	41.9%	Hi freq	86	29.4%
AR	3.8	Long Sentences	26.8	Low Freq occurs	83	12.1%	Low freq	54	18.4%

One late Arctic day, not too far from the bay,
five snowy owls gracefully flew.
They spotted a mound, the tallest around,
where small birds could have a nice view.]]
Deciding to light, the owls circled right,
while making one final survey.
It looked like a place with plenty of space
for the animals headed their way.]]
The five snowy owls, all fine feathered fowls,
were peacefully taking their rest.
But hoots filled the air as up popped five bears
to join them atop the hillcrest.]]
Those bears were delighted but far too excited;
each owl hip hopped out of harm's way.
The bears rubbed their jaws and licked icy paws;
once groomed, the bears planned to stay.]]
The owls wondered then if the rest would fit in.
Counting by fives, that's five, ten:
Five polar bears on pigeon toed paws;
and five snowy owls with long, curvy claws.]]
The bears settled down as the owls looked around
and spied ermine making the climb.
From ten occupants came a series of grunts,
when they shifted themselves one more time.]]
Tiny ears twitched and long whiskers switched
on the ermine surveying the view;
all anticipating, while contemplating
if others would climb the hill, too.]]
Counting by fives, that's five, ten, fifteen:
Five sly ermine all pop eyed and lean;
five polar bears on pigeon toed paws;
and five snowy owls with long, curvy claws.]]
Fifteen restless critters, all with the jitters,
felt something huge quaking the ground.
They heard walrus clapping, tail fins aflapping,
and knew who'd be next on the mound.]]
Each animal lifted, then suddenly shifted,
as fat walrus rumbled their way.
The five shut their eyes and heaved heavy sighs,
because of the weigh pulled that day.]]
Five, ten, fifteen, twenty:
Five fat walrus with tusks sharpened keen;
five sly ermine all pop eyed and lean;]]
five polar bears on pigeon toed paws;
and five snowy owls with long, curvy claws.]]
Twenty animals now, all fitting somehow,
saw Arctic hares thump the packed snow.
They must move again, for the hares to fit in,
though there wasn't much space left to go.]]
The pert Arctic hares all wiggled their ears,
still numb from the chill of the day.
Pleased to be there, with time yet to spare,
the hares nimbly squeezed in to stay.]]
That's five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five:
Five Arctic hares whose ears dip and dive;
five fat walrus with tusks sharpened keen;
five sly ermine all pop eyed and lean;
five polar bears on pigeon toed paws;
and five snowy owls with long, curvy claws.]]
Suspense filled the air.  Then out of nowhere
came musk oxen stumbling topside.
Twenty-five shuffled; to make room they scuffled,
for the new guys seemed overly wide.]]
The oxen looked beat.  When they stamped their feet,
snow spattered the entire throng.
Once wedged into place, they stared into space
and hoped no one else came along.]]
That's five, ten, fifteen,
twenty, twenty-five, thirty:
Five musk oxen who timely arrive;
five Arctic hares whose ears dip and dive;]]
five fat walrus with tusks sharpened keen;
five sly ermine all pop eyed and lean;
five polar bears on pigeon toed paws;
and five snowy owls with long, curvy claws.]]
The white Arctic hares hip hopped everywhere,
excited to get under way.
Each fat walrus clapped, all clapped, all five ermine yapped,
and the polar bears started to sway.]]
Then sheer energy from electricity 
was felt in the heart of each beast.
There were snowy owl whos and musk ox moos
as a rainbow of hues flickered east.]]
A soft, frosty glow slowly covered the snow,
while the bright colors lit the dim night.]]
They'd all come to see a great mystery
the phenomenon called ""Northern Lights.""]]
Their order reversed, the watchers dispersed:
thirty, twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten, and five.
The small snowy owls, all satisfied fowls,
were last, since the first to arrive.]]
The owls flying high in a dark Arctic sky,
were pleased with their choice for the show.
Perhaps one day, at another display,
they would gather again in the snow.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Inferences: Some implications

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Many Long Complex

Text structure: Difficult

Inferences: Some implications

Complexity: Several ideas - closely related

Concept: Fanciful

Prior Knowledge: Familiarity

Mature concepts: With common experiences or clear fantasy

Features

Integral Setting

Figurative Language

Rhyming

Topic

*Animals

Arithmetic

Arctic Areas

*Math

Numbers

Low Frequency Words

aflapping	anticipating	contemplating	curvy	dispersed
electricity	ermine	eyed	feathered	fitting
fowls	gracefully	groomed	grunts	harm's
heaved	hillcrest	hues	jitters	keen
mound	musk	nimbly	northern	nowhere
numb	occupants	overly	peacefully	pert
phenomenon	pigeon	quaking	restless	satisfied
scuffled	series	sheer	shuffled	spattered
spied	survey	surveying	throng	timely
toed	topside	twitched	walrus	watchers
whiskers	who'd	whos	yapped