Text Leveling System

We The Kids

RDQ:	939	Max Word/Sent	61	Total Words	796		Diff Words	328
Lex	730	Ave Word/.Sent	18	Hi Freq occurs	496	62.3%	Hi freq	132	40.2%
AR	3.5	Long Sentences	46.5	Low Freq occurs	62	7.8%	Low freq	36	11%

BIG WORDS, BIG IDEAS
The first time I was forced to think about the Constitution was in fifth grade. Presidents' Day was coming up and my teacher, Mrs. Baldwin, wanted to talk about BIG IDEAS!: stuff like FREEDOM,
LIBERTY, FOUNDING FATHERS, PRESIDENTS. I sat doodling a picture of George Washington riding the red  Johnnie Ginger Mountain Ranger bike I hoped to get for my next birthday.
"WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, IN ORDER
TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION ... " she recited,
"SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND
OUR POSTERITY ... "
I remember thinking: MAN, why couldn't the guys
who wrote this just use regular English?
"ESTABLISH JUSTICE, INSURE DOMESTIC
TRANQUILITY ... "But I guess that's just how
everyone talked back in the olden times like
my grandfather, who always said
things like "ripsnortin'," "hornswoggled,"
and "rooty-tooty."
I'm a much older guy now and I've figured out that our Constitution is simply a list of rules and promises written down by people just like you and me. Some were tall, some were short, some were thin, fat, or hairy, and all of them used to be kids. So you definitely don't have to be a grown-up to understand what they wrote.
For me, the Constitution is a kind of how-to book, showing us ways
to have happiness, safety, and comfort. Sounds like common sense, right? But a couple hundred years ago those things weren't common AT ALL. For instance, back then if you said or wrote something and the people in charge didn't like it, they could put you in jail or stick tar and feathers all over you (ouch!). Now, even though a lot has changed, if you listen, the rules in our Constitution still make good sense and tar is used to make highways and feathers are strictly for the birds.]]
A few years ago I went and saw the real Constitution in Washington, D.C. It's an old, brown,
crackly-looking thing with curly handwriting that's almost impossible to read. But when it was new,
it gave us rights and privileges that nobody had ever had before. It let us decide for ourselves what
kind of life we wanted to have. At certain times I wanted to be a garbage man, baseball player, brain
surgeon, and airline pilot. Instead I became a dad, an artist, and a political cartoonist. When I paint
my paintings or draw my cartoons, I can do them any way I want. Being able to do that makes me
feel very happy and very free. And I think that's exactly what all those old guys with their big words
and big ideas wanted-for themselves, for me, for other grown-ups, and, maybe especially, for kids.]]
The Words in the Preamble and What They Mean ...
PREAMBLE: The first part of something, an introduction.
WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES: All the people in our country, including kids.
IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION: To come together and make things better
for everyone who lives in our country.
ESTABLISH JUSTICE: To make things fair and honest for everyone.
INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY: To make sure we can all have a nice life and get along with one another.
PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE: To protect us from other people or countries who might try to harm us, as in a war, and to help us if we have been harmed.
PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE: To help make life good for everybody. Having enough to eat, a place to live, being safe, and having friends and fun times are some of the things that make our lives good.
AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY: To protect our rights and freedoms and not let anyone take them away. Being able to choose our religion, to say what we think, and to get together with friends, family, and other people are some of the freedoms we have.
TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY: For kids, parents, other grown-ups, and all the people born in our country after we are.
DO ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION: To write down, and then to live by, a list of rules and promises for our government to keep and our people to obey.
FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Our country-where we live.
These big words expressed big ideas. Check out what the dog is doing in this story.
He will also help you understand what they mean.]]
We the People of the United States,]]
in order to form a more perfect Union,]]
establish justice,]]
insure domestic tranquility,]]
provide for the common defense,]]
promote the general Welfare,]]
and secure the blessings of liberty]]
to ourselves and our posterity,]]
do ordain and establish this Constitution]]
for the United States of America.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Vocabulary: Many difficult words

Language: Colorful, figurative

Sentences: Many Long Complex

Text structure: Formal

Concepts: Concrete/Simple Social

Author's purpose: Obvious

Prior Knowledge: Familiarity

Features

Topic

*History

Government

American History

US Constitution

Low Frequency Words

cartoonist	constitution	crackly	domestic	doodling
expressed	founding	freedom	freedoms	general
government	handwriting	happiness	honest	hornswoggled
instance	insure	introduction	liberty	obey
olden	ordain	ourselves	political	posterity
presidents	privileges	promote	recited	ripsnortin
rooty	secure	surgeon	tooty	union
welfare