Text Leveling System

The Homework Machine

RDQ:	1466	Max Word/Sent	59	Total Words	3263		Diff Words	853
Lex	820	Ave Word/.Sent	10	Hi Freq occurs	2458	75.3%	Hi freq	363	42.6%
AR	4.3	Long Sentences	11	Low Freq occurs	199	6.1%	Low freq	136	15.9%

Introduction
Police chief Rebecca Fish Grand Canyon Arizona
Seen a lot of strange stuff go down in ten years
working here. Probably has something to do with
being so close to the canyon. Having a mile-deep
hole in your backyard brings out the weirdness in
folks.
I remember the time that gambler from L.A.
lost a bet in Las Vegas, and his friends drove him
up here. Forced him to parachute into the
canyon. Guy almost died. You get all kinds in this
part of the country. The canyon attracts 'em like
flies to dog doo. But this recent situation involving
the children was one of the stranger cases I
ever ran into.
We called in everybody who had anything to
do with what happened and taped their private]]
testimony for the record. Far as I'm concerned,
this case is closed and shut. Let's hope these four
students learned their lesson. This'll never happen
again, that's for darn sure.]]
Chapter 1
September
Sam Dawkins Grade 5
The police lady says me and Brenton and Judy
and Kelsey have to each come in separately and
talk about what happened.
Okay, so here goes. Is this thing on? My name
is Sam Dawkins, but everybody calls me Snikwad
on account of that's my last name spelled backward.
Dawkins. Snikwad. Get it? Most kids call
me "Snik." It's kinda cool. Beats having a nickname
like Booger Face or Fart Boy or something
stupid like that.
I was new to the school. I didn't know anything.
And I didn't get kicked out of my old
school because I refused to get a haircut. That's
a lie. I don't know how that rumor got started.
I don't care if you believe me. That's the truth.]]
Anyway, my parents moved here from Oregon.
My dad was in the air force and that's why we
moved to Arizona. He was assigned to Luke Air
Force Base near Phoenix.
The bottom line is, we messed up. Stuff happens.
We're not perfect. We all feel bad. We won't
do it again. What are you gonna do, throw us in
jail? That's my statement.
What, you need more than that? Details?
Okay, okay. What do you want to know?
Kelsey Donnelly GRADE 5
My name is Kelsey Donnelly. I really don't see
the reason why we gotta do this. The police lady
told me that I have to make a "statement" in private
and tell the whole story of what happened
from the very beginning in September. Like I'm a
creep or something! I barely remember what happened
last week. Forget about way back in
September.
Look, we're sorry about what happened. We
were just having a little fun and it got out of hand.
It's not like we robbed a bank or anything. That's
my statement. I can't believe I have to spend my
summer in this room with a tape recorder when I
could be out having fun. Can I go now?]]
Judy Douglas Grade 5
My name is Judy Douglas. My mom works at
home and my dad works for the National Park
Service. He cuts down dead trees and does controlled
burns to prevent forest fires.
The whole thing started because certain people
who shall remain nameless did some thoughtless
things that I don't need to discuss here.
This is so unfair. I have almost straight A s
and I'm in the G&T program. That's gifted and
talented. I would never break the law or do anything
dishonest. Things just got out of control.
The next thing we knew, we had to go talk to the
police .
Do you have any idea of how humiliating this
entire ordeal has been for me? Do you know how
upset my parents were when they found out?
And now this is going to be on my permanent
record, probably for the rest of my life. If this 
keeps me out of law school someday, I will be so
angry.
I'll sue. That's what I'll do. Well, if I get into
law school I'll sue. But if I get into law school I
won't need to sue. Oh, I just wish I could go to
sleep and wake up and find out it was all a dream.
Like it never happened.]]
Judy's MOM
My first reaction was that it was discrimination.
We are one of the few African-American
families living in this area. When something bad
 happens to Judy, I can't help but wonder if it is
bigotry at work. But I looked into it, and that
wasn't the case. She and the others just did a
dumb thing and they got caught. It's as simple as
that. And now they' re going to have to pay for it.
Brenton Damagatchi Grade 5
It's interesting how things happen sometimes.
If I line up ten dominoes and I push over the first
one, the others will fall one by one. But if I leave
the first one alone, the other dominoes remain
standing.
Life is like that. The way your life plays out
depends on which dominoes you choose to push
over and which ones you leave alone. In this case,
we pushed over the wrong domino. Can I get a
drink of water or something?
Miss Rasmussen fifth grade TEACHER
I was so excited, walking into my very own
classroom for the first time in September. I had
been a student teacher in Ohio, and I was hoping]]
to get a job somewhere in the west, preferably
near a national park. I've always been a nature
lover, and I wanted to share this with young people.
When I got an offer to teach fifth grade at the
Grand Canyon School, well, it was one of the best
things that ever happened to me.
The Grand Canyon! I had never even been
here before. Just think! Over the course of four
billion years, the Colorado River slowly sliced this
gash into the Earth. I spent hours exploring it
when I moved here, and took lots of pictures of
the layers of rock. The Grand Canyon is like a
sculpture, created by nature. I was in awe.
Judy Douglas Grade 5
When I walked into Miss Rasmussen's class
on the first day of school, the first thing that struck
me was that she was so young! I mean, she looked
like she could have been one of the students. I
liked that, because I figured she would be really
enthusiastic about everything. Some of the older
teachers who have been teaching all their lives
don't get too excited about anything anymore.
On the other hand, I was afraid Miss Rasmussen
might not be experienced enough to handle some
of the boys, who can be a problem sometimes.]]
Sam Dawkins Grade 5
So I walk into Miss Rasmussen's class on the
first day of school in September and I'm the new
kid, so I'm a little nervous and I don't want everybody
looking at me, but they're all looking at me
anyway because, well, I'm the new kid and everybody
wants to check out the new kid.
I scope out the scene and it's obvious who the
cool kids are, who the dumb kids are, who the
smart kids are, and who the dorks are. I could tell
in a minute. The class had the usual number of
clueless dweebs, pre jock idiots, losers, brownnosers,
and bullies, just like my old school.
But the one kid who stood out was Brenton.
You just knew the first time you set eyes on him
that there was something different about this kid.]]
Judy Douglas Grade 5
Brenton would dress funny, with these stiff
long pants no matter how hot it was. He always
wore a button-down shirt and sometimes he
would even wear a tie to school. Can you imagine?
I guess his mom made him dress that way. I
hope so, anyway. I can't imagine a boy wearing a
tie to school on his own. He was actually pretty
good-looking, but he combed his hair in a really]]
weird way. Like he parted it on the wrong side or
something.
Once I suggested to him that he would look
better if he combed his hair the other way. He
just looked at me like I was crazy. Like it hadn't
even occurred to him that you could change your
personal appearance to look better. Or that it
would matter. He probably had so many more
important things on his mind that he couldn't be
bothered with something as trivial as combing
his hair.
Some of the other kids would make fun of him
behind his back. Sometimes in front of his back.
He didn't have any friends. Nobody seemed to
know what to make of him.
Sam Dawkins Grade 5
Brenton just came out and said the weirdest
stuff. Like one time he comes up to me and
asks me if I know what they made glass out of.
I say no and he says they make glass out of
sand. I say that's interesting, even though I
really don't think it's all that interesting. Then
he gets that look in his eyes and he says they
take sand and make it into glass. He says he figures
that if they can turn sand into glass, just]]
about anything is possible. I'm telling you, the
guy is different.
Kelsey Donnelly Grade 5
Brenton was a genius when it came to school
and stuff, but he was real stupid when it came to
other stuff. I remember one time this reality TV
show was hot and everybody was talking about
it. I mean everybody. And we were all at recess
talking about it and Brenton comes out and says
something like, "I never heard of that show." We
all just looked at him. It was like not knowing the
sun was in the sky. And they say I'm dumb! 
That's just the way Brenton is. He doesn't 
know or care about the stuff that normal people
care about. We all thought he was a dork. Well,
probably Judy didn't, 'cause she's a genius too.
Sam Dawkins Grade 5
Most kids at least try to act cool in some way.
You know, like they'll get T-shirts with cool logos
on them or they'll get a cool bike or listen to cool
music. They may not be cool themselves, but
they make themselves cool by having cool stuff or
hanging around with cool people. But Brenton, he
didn't even make the effort.]]
Brenton Damagatchi Grade 5
What does "cool" mean, anyway? Did you
know that Abraham Lincoln once said "That is
cool"? It's true. I looked it up. He said it in his
famous Cooper Union speech. Google it if you
don't believe me.
I feel that a person can change himself or
herself no more than a giraffe can decide it
doesn't like having a long neck. It would be easy
enough to buy the latest clothes and watch the
hot new TV shows and surround myself with
cool things. But that wouldn't make me cool.
Nothing will ever make me cool. Some people
are simply destined not to be cool. And I'm cool
with that.
If everybody was cool, everybody would be
the same. Nobody would be cooler than anyone
else. There would be nobody to make fun of. So I
suppose I serve a purpose, in a weird way.
Miss Rasmussen fifth grade teacher
Our claim to fame at the Grand Canyon
School is that we are the closest school to the
Grand Canyon. We're about a half a mile from the
South Rim. If you've ever been to the canyon, our
school is south of El Tovar and near Bright Angel.]]
We go all the way from kindergarten to twelfth
grade, and I believe we have the only high school
that is in a national park.
By September, most of the tourists have gone
back to work and school. It gets pretty quiet
around here. But it's nice in a way, because we
have the canyon to ourselves. We've got a lot of
great teachers, nice parents, and good kids here.
But sometimes, I guess, good kids do bad things.
Sam Dawkins grade 5
Somebody told me that the human brain isn't
fully formed until we're about twenty years old.
That's why kids do dumb things sometimes. And
that's why we're not allowed to vote and drink and
stuff. So can you really blame us for the dumb
thing we did? I don't think so. Our brains aren't
fully formed yet.
Miss Rasmussen Fifth Grade teacher
Some teachers like to have the desks arranged
in perfect columns and rows. In graduate school,
one of my professors told me that the children
learn better when they work in small groups. I
divided the class into six groups of four kids, and
we pushed the desks together in those groups.]]
I had no big plan to put Brenton, Kelsey, Judy,
and Sam together. I did it alphabetically. All their
last names started with D. We called them the D
Squad.
Every child is unique, of course. It's necessary
to treat them as individuals. Just like me, Sam was
new to this area, and he had some initial problems
adjusting to the curriculum and the other
students. Judy seemed very studious from the
start, and I could tell that it was very important for
her to be a high achiever. Kelsey was the opposite.
She didn't appear to like school very much. And
Brenton, well, Brenton was ... different.
Brenton Damagatchi grade 5
It makes no difference to me where I sit. I'll get
the same information whether I'm sitting on one
side of the room or the other. I don't ordinarily
strike up friendships with my classmates. Snik,
Judy, and Kelsey pretty much ignored me, and I
ignored them. At least in September. It was fine.
Brenton's Mom
He was always different, from the moment he
was born. I don't think he ever cried when he
was a baby. Not even once. When he was]]
hungry, he would just look at me with this look
that said, "If I could speak, I would be saying I
need a bottle."
He spoke very early. He had no interest in
watching television or playing with other children.
Instead, he would play chess against himself.
He taught himself how to play the piano as
soon as he was big enough to climb up on the
bench. When he was just six, he wrote a concerto.
Really! And that's what he called it, too.
"My concerto." I don't know where he got the
word "concerto." I still don't know what it means.
He was very special.
Brenton Damagatchi grade 5
I was thinking of starting a club for kids like
me, who don't particularly enjoy the company
of other people. We could call it The Antisocial
Club. We could hold meetings and talk about
the best ways to avoid other people. But then I
decided that the best way to avoid other people
would be to not start the club.
Kelsey Donnelly grade 5
The good thing about sitting at Brenton's table
was that you could copy answers off him. He]]
knew everything, and he didn't care if you peeked
at his papers. That's the only reason I got a B in
math for the first marking period. I copied off
Brenton.
Sam Dawkins grade 5
What did I think of the other kids at my table
when I first met them? Let me think. First impressions?
Judy: stuck-up. Kelsey: a loser. Brenton:
mutant dork from another planet. I was the only
cool one.
Judy Douglas grade 5
Oh, I didn't like Snik at all in the beginning.
He had really long hair, which I personally think
looks terrible on a boy. And he had this very
smart-alecky "I hate the world" attitude. It's typical
of boys with low self-esteem, I understand.
He struck me as, and I hate to say this, but he
struck me as stupid.
Kelsey, well, she just didn't seem to care about
anything, and I found it very hard to relate to her
because I care so much about everything. She and
Snik were not the kind of people I would ever
hang around with.
Brenton ... What can I say about him? I was]]
in awe of him. I've been in Brenton's class ever
since first grade, and he was always smarter than
me. I try so hard all the time and he never
seemed like he was trying at all. I was in awe of
his natural intelligence. I had never met anyone
who was smarter than me. I almost felt like
nobody should be allowed to be that brilliant. I
never made fun of Brenton the way other kids
did.
Ronnie Teotwawki grade 5
My name is Ronnie Teotwawki. I sat on the
other side of the room, near the cloakroom. Why
do I have to be here? I didn't have anything to do
with it.
I never wanted to sit with any of those D
Squad losers. Snikwad is a jerk. Everybody knows
he got thrown out of his last school. Personally, I
loved it when the four of them got in trouble. It
took the attention off me.
Kelsey Donnelly grade 5
I guess it all started because of homework.
Homework sucks, but I do it. It would suck even
worse to fail and have to repeat a grade because I
didn't do my homework.]]
Sam Dawkins grade 5
I've always been antihomework, and I'll tell
you why. We work at school all day long. Then,
finally, three o'clock comes and we can go home.
And what do we have to do at home? More
schoolwork! It's not fair. When I get home from
school, my brain needs a rest. I want to hang out
and watch some TV or play video games.
Homework is like punishment you get just for
being a kid.
Miss Rasmussen fifth grade teacher
I came across a worksheet titled "The Ten
Commandments of Homework." I made a copy
for everyone in the class. For their first homework
assignment of the year, I asked everyone to write
his or her feelings about it.
The Ten Commandments of Homework
1. Homework is an essential part of learning.
2. Not doing your homework because you do not believe
in homework is self-defeating behavior.
3. Keep track of your daily assignments.
4. The more you review information, the easier it is
to remember and the longer you are able to retain
it. Even though you may not have written work to]]
do, you can always review or reread assignments.
5. It is your responsibility to find out what you
have missed when you are absent. Take the initiative to ask a classmate or teacher what you need to make up.
6. Have a place to study that works for you, one
that is free from distractions. Be honest with
yourself about how well you study when the TV or
stereo is playing.
7. Make sure you have everything you need before you
begin to work.
8. Develop a schedule you can follow.
9. Be rested when you study. It is okay to study in
short blocks of time. Marathon study sessions may
be self-defeating. Study for 30 to 40 minutes at a
time, then take a 5- to 10-minute break. Estimate
the amount of time it will take to do an assignment
and plan your break time accordingly.
10. Prioritize your homework so that you begin with
the most important assignment first. For instance,
study for a test and then do the daily assignment.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: No support

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Some Long/Complex

Text structure: Oral/Natural

Inferences: Some implications

Concepts: Abstract/Complex Social

Headings

Author's purpose: Obvious

Features

Character traits

Character development

Simple Plot

Twist ending

Difficult names

Topic

Teacher/Teaching

Learning

Grades

Study/Study Skills

*Feelings, Behaviors

*Schools & Education

Responsibility

School

Low Frequency Words

accordingly	account	achiever	adjusting	alecky
alphabetically	antihomework	antisocial	assigned	assignment
assignments	awe	bigotry	booger	brenton
brenton's	brownnosers	cloakroom	clueless	columns
combed	commandments	concerned	concerto	controlled
curriculum	damagatchi	dawkins	defeating	destined
dishonest	distractions	domino	dominoes	donnelly
dorks	douglas	dweebs	enthusiastic	essential
esteem	estimate	exploring	figures	fully
gambler	gash	genius	gonna	google
gotta	graduate	honest	hoping	humiliating
idiots	ignored	impressions	initial	initiative
instance	intelligence	introduction	involving	jock
kelsey	kinda	kindergarten	knowing	logos
marathon	mutant	nameless	national	nature
nickname	obvious	occurred	opposite	ordeal
ordinarily	ourselves	parachute	parted	particularly
permanent	personal	personally	phoenix	preferably
prioritize	private	professors	purpose	rasmussen
rasmussen's	reality	recent	recorder	refused
reread	responsibility	retain	review	ronnie
rumor	schedule	schoolwork	scope	sculpture
separately	service	sessions	situation	snik
snikwad	speech	squad	statement	stereo
studious	surround	teotwawki	testimony	thoughtless
tourists	tovar	trivial	twelfth	typical
union	unique	weird	weirdest	weirdness
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