Text Leveling System

Groundhog Weather School

RDQ:	1136	Max Word/Sent	57	Total Words	2176		Diff Words	763
Lex	770	Ave Word/.Sent	8	Hi Freq occurs	1415	65%	Hi freq	291	38.1%
AR	3.8	Long Sentences	3.8	Low Freq occurs	167	7.7%	Low freq	127	16.6%

Happy Groundhog Day,
everyone! I do not
see my shadow.
That means spring Is here.
YAHOO!]]
Spring Is here!
Sun and fun,
Sigh.
I guess It's really hard
to predict the weather.]]
Dear Weather Groundhog,
You were wrong.
Sprint is not here yet.
Maybe you are too far away to predict the weather everywhere.
Could you get more groundhogs to help you next year?
Signed,
Rabbit
Hmm. Rabbit's right-I do need some help.
But how will I find enough other
groundhogs to help me predict the
weather all over North America?]]
HAVE YOU GOT WHAT
IT TAKES TO BE A
WEATHER FORECASTER?
Take this quiz and check all that apply:
ARE YOU A MAMMAL?
If you are warm-blooded,  have a backbone, and drank milk as a baby, you probably are.
ARE YOU FURRY?
You be the Judge. 
DO YOU LIVE IN A BURROW?
If you live in a hole or a tunnel dug in the ground, check this box.
ARE YOU A RODENT?
If you have 2 front teeth that never stop growing, you probably are.
ARE YOU AN HERBIVORE?
If you only eat plants, you are.
DO YOU HIBERNATE?
If you sleep for months at a time each winter, you're a hibernator all righty.
If you checked all 6 boxes, you're invited to attend
GROUNDHOG WEATHER SCHOOL!]]
The news travels fast.
check
no
no
no
no
no.
check
check
check
nope
nope
nope.
check
check
nuh-uh
nuh-uh
nuh-uh
nuh-uh.
No fair.
I bet a skunk could forecast
the weather, too.]]
check check check check rats! rats!
check check check check check hibernate? darn
check check check check check check.
Yay! I'm heading for Groundhog Weather School.]]
Welcome to your first day at Groundhog Weather School. Let's begin by
saying the pledge.
Pledge of Hog Allegiance.
We, the students of
Groundhog Weather School,
pledge to come out of our burrows
on February second
to look for our shadows,
and to remember that
If we don't see our shadows,
It means spring Is here;
If we do see our shadows,
It means there'll be
six more weeks of winter.]]
I see my shadow when it's sunny.
But why would sunny weather mean
more cold winter weather Is coming?
I don't get It.
Shadow? Nobody said anything about shadows. Dark, creepy shadows.
Groundhog shadow spring. groundhog shadow winter.
It says here that a sunny winter day may be
extra cold because there Is no cloud blanket
to trap the sun's warmth near the ground.
Cool hair, dude. But are you sure you're a groundhog?
Um. I'm a foreign exchange student.
Will that be on the test?]]
Class, please tell us about yourselves.
We're the only animal with a holiday named after us.
Aren't you forgetting Turkey Day?
G my name Is
Groundhog.
I'm smaller than
a beaver,
but bigger than
a squirrel.
And I weigh
ten pounds.
We watch out for
these predators.
My eyes, ears, and nose
are good danger detectors.
If a predator Is near,
I run for my burrow.
I can't run fast, only
about ten miles per hour.
Squirrels, chipmunks, and prairie dogs
are our relatives. we're all part of a big
rodent family called marmots.]]
Most of us live In
areas that get very
cold In winter, like
the northeast or
central part of the
United States and
In Canada.
Groundhog Day began here in Pennsylvania.
Well done, class!
We dig holes and
eat farm crops.
So some states don't
allow groundhogs except
for graduates of
Groundhog Weather School of course.
Like most groundhogs in the
northeastern United States,
I prefer to be called a woodchuck.
In the Appalachian Mountains,
groundhogs are called whistle pigs
because we whistle to warn other
groundhogs of danger.
Now let's visit the library.
Research reports are due
on the next page.]]
Punxsutawney Phil Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
made his first weather prediction in 1886.
met U S President Ronald Reagan
starred in a movie called Groundhog Day.
General Beauregard Lee Lilburn, Georgia.
lives in a small white house at the yellow river game ranch.
has been on the today show and on animal planet.
has an honorary college degree.
Wiarton Willie Wiarton, Ontario, Canada.
a rare white albino groundhog with pink eyes.
tries to predict which football team will win the super bowl.
gets visitors from as far away as Pakistan.
Jimmy the Groundhog
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
is visited by as many as 500 people each Groundhog day.
has a weather hotline.
visits Wisconsin schools.]]
Buckeye Chuck Marion, Ohio
The official Ohio state groundhog.
lives in a comfy straw-lined box in a park.
visits a radio station on Groundhog Day to give his weather forecast.
Staten Island Chuck Staten Island, New York
has a house with a thermometer in the roof.
lives at the Staten Island zoo.
ice statues of him are carved on February 2.
Pierre c Shadeaux New Iberia, Louisiana
is really a nutria, a rodent with webbed feet and a long tail that lives in marshland or swamps.
has a cajun style house, which is moved to the Bouligny Plaza park each for for a big Groundhog Day celebration.
Sir Walter Wally Raleigh, North Carolina
in the week before Groundhog Day, kids record their weather observations. When the mayor announces Wally's weather forecast at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, kids watch to see if Wally's prediction turns out to be right.]]
Some plants and animals can help predict the weather.
A tree's leaves can predict storms.
Leaves curl upward so their underside
shows if there is moisture in the air
and a strong wind Is blowing.
Cows don't like wind blowing in their faces, so they stand with their backsides to the wind. Winds blowing from the west usually bring good weather. So if a cow's tail is turned toward the west, it often means good weather is coming.
Wet honeybees are too heavy to fly. They stay near their hive if rain is coming.
If a pinecone's leaves fold inward, it may rain. In dry weather, they fold outward.]]
Luke Howard created a system for classifying and naming different cloud shapes. It includes cumulus, cirrus, and stratus clouds. 
Weather men
Evangelista Torricelli invented the barometer, which measures air pressure. If air is not pressing hard against the earth, it's called a low pressure system. That often means it will rain. Can you guess what a high-pressure system means?
Wilson Snowflake Bentley was a farmer in Vermont who took thousands of pictures of individual snowflakes. This helped scientists understand how snowflakes form.
Professor Theodore Fujita was nicknamed Mr. Tornado because he helped figure out how to measure the wind speed inside a tornado.]]
Lunchtime, everyone! Be sure you hog out.
It's important to add as much fat to our
 bodies as we can before hibernation begins.
Why do we have to hibernate in the winter? Yeah! I'm not sleepy.
We hibernate for four or five months  between October and March because its  cold and food Is hard to find. 
During hibernation we are in a
deep sleep. Our heartbeats slow
down, our body temperatures drop,
and we only breathe about once
every four minutes! We don't need
to eat because we live off of the
fat our bodies have stored.
So eat up, groundhogs!
My friend Frog
hibernates at the
bottom of a stream
where the water
doesn't freeze.
My friend Bat
hibernates In a
cave, with her
wings tucked close
to keep her warm.]]
How to Build a Burrow.
I. Dig a hole In the ground
to make your front door.
2. Keep digging.
Chomp through any roots.
This will help wear down
your claws and teeth so
they don't grow too long.
3. We can dig about five feet In
one day. If you want a simple
burrow, dig about fifteen feet
of tunnel. ff you want a fancy
one, dig up to forty feet.
4. Make a few rooms
along the way,
such as a bedroom,
a bathroom, and a
storeroom
for snacks.
5. Be sure to
make a back door
In case you need
to make a quick
escape!]]
The Reasons for Seasons.
We have a surprise for you, Professor a skit about seasons.
In North America, a year is divided Into
four seasons of three months each. The
seasons are winter, spring, summer, and fall.
I'm winter. I begin around December 21 at the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.
I'm spring. I begin around March 21
at the spring equinox,
when day and night
are the same length.
I'm summer.
I begin around June 21
at the summer solstice,
which Is the longest
day of the year.]]
I'm fall.
I begin around
September 21
at the fall equinox,
when day and night
are the same length.
There are two reasons
why we have seasons:
1. Planet Earth orbits
(goes around) the sun.
2. The Earth Is tilted.
The equator Is an Imaginary line
that divides Earth Into two halves
called hemispheres. When a
hemisphere tilts toward the sun, It's
warmer, as In summer. When It tilts
away, Ifs colder, as In winter.]]
On February 2, we will
look for our shadows.
Can anyone tell
me what a shadow Is?
A Dark, scary monster that chases me?
I know!
It's the shade that's made when something blocks out the light. Right?
If there's a solar eclipse on Groundhog Day, will we get a do-over?]]
Move far from the
light to make a
small shadow.
Come close to the
light to make a
big shadow.
At night there are
no shadows because
there's no sunlight.
Who's hogging the flashlight? Excellent! I think you're all ready for the final exam.]]
The Big Test
A Multiple Choice Quiz.
Please circle the correct answer:
What day do you come out of your burrow? on your birthday on February 2nd on February 3rd.
What do you look for when you come out? a valentine a shadow a pot of gold.
If you see it see answer to number 2, what does it mean?
spring is here a summer vacation is here six more weeks of winter.
If you don't see it, what does it mean. you are invisible, spring is here, six more years of school.
Whether you see it or not, what is the next thing you do? go back to sleep, have a snack, report the result to Groundhog Headquarters. That's one big test!]]
Graduation Day
Yay I passed.
Me too. I'm going to New York to check the weather. I got Florida. What a cinch. It'll be spring for sure. Yahoo! I'll be doing Texas.
Get to your posts, graduates, and start hibernating. Remember to set your alarm clocks for February 2. We'll be awaiting your shadow reports.]]
October Columbus day. November Thanksgiving. December Christmas, Hanukkah.
Yum! For me? I shouldn't have.]]
January Martin Luther King Jr Day. Feb 2nd Wake up! It's Groundhog day! It's almost time. At last!]]
It's February 2. At
school headquarters,
weather reports are
coming in from every
Groundhog Weather
School graduate. Will
there be more winter?
Or is It time for spring?
Hello?
Groundhog Weather
School here.
Does seeing a shadow
In lightning count?
I see a dog. I
Shadow
What's your report?
Achoo No sdado.
I see a dog. Does that count?]]
Yep! That's a
skunk shadow
you're seeing,
folks!
The results are In.
I'll rush them over
to the professor.
I see fog, but no shadow.
How can I see
my shadow without
my glasses?
My shadow is divine. I wish you could see it.]]
Happy Groundhog Day.,
everyone! I had some help this
year from the graduates of Groundhog
Weather School. Most of us saw our
shadows, Including me. So it's a
sure bet that winter will last
for six more weeks!
Professor Groundhog
took my advice and
got some help.
He's sure to be right
this time.]]
I'm going sledding! Sigh. I guess it's really, really hard to predict the weather.]]
How did Groundhog Day get started?
Long ago, farmers In Europe watched for badgers and bears to wake up from
hibernation, hoping this Indicated that winter had ended. If spring was coming,
It would be safe to plant crops without worrying they might freeze. When these
farmers settled In Pennsylvania In the 1700s, there were lots of groundhogs
around, so the farmers began watching them wake up Instead.
But why choose February 2?
Ancient Romans and other past civilizations could hardly wait tor warm spring
weather to arrive. February 2 comes about halfway between the shortest day of
the year (December 21) and the beginning of spring (March 21), so It was a good day
to celebrate the coming season. In North America, these February 2 celebrations
became Groundhog Day.
Who's better at predicting the weather-a groundhog or you?
Groundhog weather predictions are only right about one third of the time. But
It's fun to celebrate Groundhog Day and watch for winter to eventually turn into
spring. This February 2, do you
hope spring will come right
away or do you hope winter
lasts longer? Which do you think
will happen? Write down your
prediction and see If It comes true.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Speech Bubbles

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Vocabulary: Some difficult words

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Inserts/Side bars

Headings

Features

Topic

Shadows

*Weather

Seasons

Calendars

*Holidays, Events, Cele

Low Frequency Words

advice	albino	allegiance	announces	appalachian
awaiting	backsides	barometer	beauregard	bentley
bouligny	buckeye	burrow	cajun	cirrus
classifying	college	comfy	cumulus	divides
divine	dude	eclipse	equator	equinox
evangelista	eventually	excellent	ff	forecaster
foreign	furry	general	graduate	graduation
groundhogs	halves	hanukkah	headquarters	heartbeats
hemisphere	hemispheres	herbivore	hibernate	hibernates
hibernating	hibernation	hibernator	hogging	honeybees
honorary	hoping	hotline	imaginary	indicated
individual	invisible	inward	january	judge
lilburn	louisiana	mammal	marmots	marshland
measure	measures	moisture	multiple	nicknamed
northeast	northeastern	nuh	nutria	observations
official	outward	pakistan	pennsylvania	pinecone's
pledge	prairie	predator	predators	prediction
predictions	president	pressure	punxsutawney	raleigh
rd	reagan	reasons	relatives	research
result	results	righty	rodent	sciences
sdado	season	seasons	shadeaux	sledding
solar	solstice	sprint	starred	statues
storeroom	stratus	swamps	temperatures	thermometer
tilted	tornado	torricelli	underside	upward
vermont	warmth	warn	wiarton	woodchuck
yahoo	yourselves