Text Leveling System

Turk and Runt

RDQ:	582	Max Word/Sent	20	Total Words	896		Diff Words	354
Lex	660	Ave Word/.Sent	6	Hi Freq occurs	516	57.6%	Hi freq	121	34.2%
AR	2.9	Long Sentences	0	Low Freq occurs	71	7.9%	Low freq	49	13.8%

Turk’s parents were so proud of him. He was the biggest, strongest, and most graceful bird on the wishbone farm.]]
He's a dancer, said his mother. He's an athlete, said his father. He's a goner, said his brother, runt. But no one ever listened to runt.]]
Every year, the farm animals looked forward to the excitement of autumn. Carloads of people came to pick red, ripe apples from the orchard in September. Folks arrived to choose plump, orange pumpkins from the fields in October period and come November, it was Turkey time. One by one, the fattest, roundest turkeys were chosen.]]
Chosen for what asked Turk. To be the lead dancer in Swan Lake, said his mother. To play the Thanksgiving day football game, Said his father. To be roasted and gently basted, said his brother, runt. But no one ever listened to runt.]]
So every morning in November the family watched turk practice his dance steps. One two three lift.]]
And every afternoon, the family watched Turk practice hit football moves. Sixteen, twenty three, forty seven hike. He's getting stronger, said his mother. He's getting bigger, said his father. He's getting juicier, said runt.]]
Two days before Thanksgiving, Madame Waddelle, the famous ballet instructor, arrived at wishbone farm. She came to choose a Turkey.]]
In addition. Mother squealed. It's your time to shine. Go out there and shake those tail feathers. Turk gracefully dance to the front of the barnyard. He leaped. He spun. He twirled and whirled. He did a triple somersault and landed in a split.]]
Look at zee size of zose  drumsticks. Said Madame Waddelle. Zat Is a beautiful bird.]]
Mother beamed father puffed out his feathers with pride. Red puffed out his feathers too. Then he threw himself on the ground. He flapped. He flopped. He hissed and sputtered.]]
He gobbled like a maniac as he chased Madame Waddelle out of the barnyard. Sacre Bleu! Screamed Madame Waddelle. Zees birds are crazy.]]
Then she drove far, far away from wishbone farm. No Swan Lake. Cried mother. no starring role. cried father. No roasted Turk with chestnut dressing. Cried runt. Hooray! But no one ever listened to runt.]]
The day before Thanksgiving, coach giblet of the crow city corn shuckers came to pick out a Turkey. This is your big chance, said father. Get out there and strut your stuff. Turk sprinted to the front of the barnyard. He bobbed. He weaved. He tackled and dived. He mowed down every Turkey who got in his way. That's one healthy looking bird. Said coach giblet. Only the biggest and best for my team.]]
Father grinned proudly. Mother got tears in her eyes. Runt got tears in his eyes too. Then his beak began to drip. He coughed. He wheezed. He sniffed and sneezed. He fell to the ground in a hacking fit of quivering feathers.]]
Good gravy. Shouted the coach as he hopped back onto the team bus. These are very sick birds. The corn checkers deserve better. Then he sped far, far away from wishbone farm. No football contract. Cried father. No TV commercials. Cried mother. No Turk sandwich with cranberry sauce. Cried Runt. Hooray. But no one ever listened to runt.]]
It was Thanksgiving morning. Turk’s family heard the putt putt putt of a little old car. Out of the car climbed a little old lady. Maybe she's a little old talent scout, said father. Maybe she's a little old dance instructor, said mother. I hope she's a little old vegetarian, said runt. Father and mother pushed Turk to the front of the barnyard. Show her what you've got.]]
But before Turk could perform even 1 pirouette, the little old lady scooted him aside. Ha ha. She exclaimed, pointing at runt. Exactly what I've been looking for. This bird is just the right size for me.]]
What? Cried mother. Him? Cried father. Help. Cried runt. But no one ever listened to rent. So he ran. ]]
He ran behind father. Don't let her eat me. He ran behind mother. Hide me. Hide me.]]
He ran behind Turk. I'm too young to be basted. Turk saw the look in the little old lady's eyes. He saw the drool on her lips. He saw the fork in the little old lady's pocket. He saw the roasting pan in her back seat. Rent had been right all along.]]
Work with me, rent. Turk instructed. Or your goose is cooked. Turk bobbed and weaved. Runt flatbed and drooled. Turk leaped and twirled. Runt coughed and wheezed.]]
Rent gobbled like a maniac while Turk dived down and tackled the little old ladies shoes.]]
Stuff and nonsense. Cried the little old lady, climbing back into her car. I wouldn't eat these birds if they were the last turkeys on earth.]]
That day, as the family feasted on corn and alfalfa, they had much to be thankful for. I'm thankful we're all together, said mother. I'm thankful for two brave sons, said father. I'm thankful for such a smart brother, said Turk.]]
We're not out of the woods yet, runt warned. Come december, folks begin planning their holiday dinners. Dinners that include stuffing? Asked mother dinners that include gravy, asked father. Dinners that include me? Asked Turk. Over my feathered body. Rent said. We're not plucked yet. I have a grade a plan.]]
And this time, everyone listened to runt.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Some support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker

Vocabulary: More decoding/definition issues

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Multiple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Inferences: Some implications

Features

Character traits

Topic

Thanksgiving

Tricking

Danger

*Holidays, Events, Cele

Low Frequency Words

addition	alfalfa	ballet	basted	bleu
carloads	chestnut	commercials	cranberry	deserve
drooled	feathered	gobbled	goner	graceful
gracefully	hacking	healthy	instructed	instructor
juicier	ladies	madame	maniac	mowed
orchard	perform	pirouette	plucked	quivering
runt	sacre	sauce	shuckers	somersault
squealed	starring	strut	swan	turk
turkeys	vegetarian	waddelle	warned	weaved
wheezed	whirled	zat	zose