Text Leveling System

Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed

RDQ:	531	Max Word/Sent	23	Total Words	2155		Diff Words	433
Lex	640	Ave Word/.Sent	6	Hi Freq occurs	1548	71.8%	Hi freq	194	44.8%
AR	2.8	Long Sentences	0.6	Low Freq occurs	41	1.9%	Low freq	21	4.8%

I, Nate the Great, am not going to look for a weed.
I only take important cases." "This is an important weed,"
Oliver said. "I bought it for a nickel at Rosamond's ADOPT A WEED sale.]]
Rosamond picks weeds that nobody wants
and she finds homes for them." "I believe it," I said.
"She gave me a Certificate of Ownership,"
Oliver said. He pointed to something sticking out of his back pocket.
It was a thick, rolled up piece of paper with a ribbon tied around it.
Oliver pulled the paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. I untied the ribbon
and unrolled the paper.]]
It was long. It had printing on it. Oliver. Owner of Super weed. Superweed born six weeks ago in the left corner of the vacant lot on Dakdale Street. Rosamond's guarantee. Your money back if not satisfied. 
There was a shiny seal stuck on the paper.
It also had printing on it.]]
"See? It's an important weed," Oliver said. "It also came with a record that Rosamond made to play to her weeds to help them grow.
Be proud you're a weed, wild and free, and you might grow up to be a tree . "
"Rosamond thinks big," I said, "as well as strange."
I gave the Certificate of Ownership back to Oliver. He put it in his pocket.]]
"Tell me," I said, "what happened after you bought the weed?"
"I took it home," Oliver said. "But it looked sick. I played Rosamond's record for it. Then it looked sicker. So I went to the library and found a big book about weeds. I took it home. I read about sick weeds and healthy weeds. The book told me how
to make sick weeds healthy. It gave three steps. Step One. Put the weed in dirt.]]
I got a pot with dirt in it. Then I stuck the weed in it. Step Two. Give the weed sun. I took the weed in the pot out to my back porch and put it on my railing where the sun was shining.]]
Step Three. Give the weed water.
I went into the house for a glass of water. When I got back to the porch with the water, the pot was there, but the weed was gone."
 "Perhaps the weed did not like what you were doing to it," I said. "Perhaps it escaped." 
I never did the third step," Oliver said.]]
"I have already solved your case," I said. "Today is a breezy day. The weed blew away in the breeze. The breeze is going east. Your weed could be in China by now."
 "But China is way outside my porch," Oliver said.
"And my porch is screened in." "I, Nate the Great,
do not want to look for your weed," I said. "I would not know it if I found it."
"My weed looks small and scraggly and sick," Oliver said.
"It has a yellow bud. ]]
 Rosamond said it will grow into a flower that will reach as high as the sky.
That is why I bought it." Oliver stood there and looked up at the sky.
He might stay forever if I did not look for his weed. 
"Very well," I said. "I will take your case."
I wrote a note to my mother.
Dear mother, I am on a small scraggly and sick case. I wish I weren't. I will be back. Love Nate the Great.]]
"Show me where your weed disappeared," I said to Oliver.
Oliver, Sludge, and I walked to Oliver's back porch.
It was screened in.
I looked for holes and cracks. But I could not find any.
I looked at the railing. It was covered with dirt.
A pot of dirt was sitting on it. Beside the pot was a big book.
With a dirty fingerprint on the cover. But I could read the cover.
It said Wonderful Weeds of the World.]]
"Your weed has to be on this porch," I said. "But it isn't here.
This is a tough case.
I must go to Rosamond's ADOPT A  WEED sale.
Perhaps I will learn something there." "I will follow you," Oliver said.
"Not if I can help it," I said. I, Nate the Great, and Sludge ran to Rosamond's house.]]
She was sitting outside behind a table
that was covered with weeds and cats.
There was a big can of water under the table.
There was a sign beside the table.]]
"I am looking for Oliver's lost weed," I said.
"He lost his weed?" Rosamond asked. "That was my star weed.
It will grow to the sky. It's Superweed."
"It's sick," I said.
"Oliver didn't love it enough," Rosamond said.
"Would you know it if you saw it again?" I asked.
 "I know all my weeds," Rosamond said. "I keep a list of them in this book." Rosamond opened a book she had on her lap.]]
"Oliver's weed has a yellow bud," she said.
"I already know that," I said.
"And its name is Superweed," Rosamond said.
"I know that too."
I, Nate the Great, had a better name for it.
But I did not think that Rosamond would like Stupidweed.
"You have told me everything I already knew," I said.
"Oh, good," Rosamond said. "I knew I could help you." Rosamond closed her book.]]
Annie and her dog, Fang, were coming down the street.
Sludge ducked under the table.
He knocked over the can of water. It fell on Rosamond's feet.
PLOP!]] 
"Sloppy Sludge!" Rosamond cried. "You got my feet wet!"
This was not a good day for Sludge. He was afraid of Fang.
He was also afraid of Rosamond's cats. I spoke to Annie.]]
"I am looking for a weed with a yellow bud on it."
"Maybe Fang ate it Annie said. "Is Fang a weed eater?" I asked. "Fang will eat almost everything," Annie said. "Watch!"
Annie shouted, "Fang! WEED!" Fang grabbed a weed in his teeth and started to run away.
"You owe me two cents, Fang!" Rosamond shouted.
Rosamond's four cats ran after Fang. I hoped that Fang and the cats would have a big fight.
I hoped they would all lose. The world would be safe forever.]]
Sludge ran out from under the table. He knew it was time to leave. We had to look for Stupidweed. But where? Perhaps we should look where lots of things grow. Perhaps we could find a clue in the woods or in a park.]]
Sludge and I walked to the woods. We peered inside.
It was dark and scary in there. It was almost as scary as Fang. I, Nate the Great, hate cases where I have to be brave.]]
We heard something behind us. It was gaining on us. It was Oliver.
Sludge and I hid behind a tall tree. Oliver ran into the woods.
Sludge and I ran out. We ran to the park. We sat down on a bench. Everything was sunny and bright. And safe. I liked it there.
Flowers and plants were everywhere. Was there a clue among all these growing things? Was there a weed?
Suddenly I saw something.]]
It was Claude.
Claude is always losing things. He was crawling down a path among the flowers.
"Did you lose something?" I asked. "A worm," he said. "It crawled into the ground.
I can't see it but I know it is in there. It is right under our noses.]]
 Can you help me find it?" This was not a good day for me, Nate the Great.
I had been asked to find a weed. I had been asked to find a worm. It was time to do something important.
I went home and made pancakes. I gave Sludge a bone.
I thought about the case. I had to find the weed and lose Oliver.
But I was stumped.
The weed could not have left Oliver's porch. But it was not there.]]
I thought about clues. What had I learned?
The weed's name was Superweed. I knew that was not important.
The weed had a yellow bud. Maybe that was important. Maybe it wasn't.
The weed was last seen inside a pot on Oliver's railing.
Last seen was always important.
What was Oliver doing
just before the weed disappeared?
He was reading from a book and looking at his weed
and turning away from his weed to go into his house.]]
Were those clues?
I thought of Rosamond. She was strange.
That was not a clue. That was her problem.
Then I thought about her book and her can of water.]]
Hmmmm.
I looked at Sludge eating his bone.
He always tried to help with my cases. But all he had done was knock over Rosamond's can of water.
Was he trying to tell me something?]] 
I thought about Claude and his worm.
Suddenly I knew I had a lot of good clues.
I had to go back to Oliver's house. It was hard to do.]]
Oliver was sitting on his back porch. "I lost you in the woods," he said. "Did you find my weed?"
"I am getting close," I said. I looked at his railing. "Where is your weed book?"
"I took it back to the library," Oliver said.
"Then I, Nate the Great, must go to the library."
"I will follow you," Oliver said. 
"I know it," I said.
Sludge and I rushed to the library. Sludge had to wait outside.
I went inside.
I looked for weed books.]]
I found Wonderful Weeds of the World.
It had a dirty fingerprint on the cover,
so I knew it was Oliver's copy. I pulled it down.
I opened it up. I looked inside.
I found what I knew I would find.]]
Oliver's weed!
It was between two pages. It was pressed against Step Three.
It did not look sick anymore. It looked dead.]]
I took the weed from the book and put the book back on the shelf.
I knew that Steps One, Two, and Three could not help Oliver's weed.
Nothing could help Oliver's weed. I left the library.
Oliver was outside with Sludge.
I held up the weed with both hands. 
It needed both hands to keep it up.
"Here is your weed," I said. "The case is solved."
"How did you find it?" Oliver asked.]]
"Clues," I said. "Lots of clues.
I saw Claude looking for a worm in the ground.
He said he could not see it.]]
but he knew it was in there just under our noses.
I thought about that.
Your weed could have been in something close by,
but we still could not see it. What was near the pot?
What was just under our noses? Your weed book!
But you gave me the biggest clue when you said you were using the book when the weed disappeared. When I saw your book, it was closed.
I remember reading the title on the cover.]]
It had to be closed for me to do that.
But it should have been open because you were still using it. Rosamond closed her book when she was through with it.
Why was your book closed when you weren't through with it?" 
Oliver shrugged.
"I, Nate the Great, will tell you why. The breeze blew it closed while you were getting the water." "So what?" Oliver said.
"After the weed fell into it!" I said.
"What?" Oliver gasped. "Why would the weed do that?"]]
"Because it was hit by the Certificate of Ownership sticking out of your back pocket.
When you turned to go into your house,
the certificate hit the weed, and the weed fell into the book.
PLOP!
Just like Rosamond's can of water fell over when Sludge hit it.]]
Turn your back to the pot, Oliver." Oliver turned.
"Aha! Your certificate is aimed directly at the pot. Perfect aim." 
"I wasn't trying," Oliver said.
 "Your weed was sick," I said.
"It was in dry dirt.
It was easy for it to plop.
It was right under our noses. But we couldn't see it.
Just like Claude and his worm." "So my weed didn't go to China," Oliver said.
"I, Nate the Great, make a few mistakes."
Oliver stared at his weed.]]
"This weed looks terrible. It will never reach the sky. I am going to Rosamond's house to get my nickel back." 
"I am going home," I said.
I said goodbye to Oliver. I liked doing that. "I will be over later," he said.
"I know it," I said.]]
Sludge and I went back to our garden. I started to weed again. But I was tired of weeds. Perhaps Rosamond could come over and pick them all. She would give them names and homes. That would make everybody happy. Especially me.]]
I had better things to do.
I, Nate the Great, went back to the library
and took out
a good, clean book.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Dialog: Two speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Simple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Concepts: Concrete/Simple Social

Features

Character traits

Simple problem/solution

Simple Plot

First Person

Topic

Mystery

*Plants

*Family & Friends

Low Frequency Words

certificate	crawling	dakdale	escaped	guarantee
healthy	owe	ownership	peered	railing
satisfied	scraggly	screened	shrugged	sludge
stumped	stupidweed	superweed	unrolled	vacant
weed's