Text Leveling System

Slugs in Love

RDQ:	426	Max Word/Sent	31	Total Words	692		Diff Words	289
Lex	620	Ave Word/.Sent	8	Hi Freq occurs	405	58.5%	Hi freq	111	38.4%
AR	2.5	Long Sentences	8.1	Low Freq occurs	38	5.5%	Low freq	29	10%

Marylou loved everything about Herbie How his slime trail glistened in the dark, how he stretched himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar window, how we always found the juiciest tomato. Though she never spoke a single word to him she was too shy she thought about Herbie every morning and every night and most of the hours in between. On Monday, while she grazed in the strawberry patch, Herbie filled her mind and loved poem filled her heart she wrote it in slime on the watering can.]]
Strawberries are red. Blueberries are blue. Herbie is handsome. Love, Marylou.]]
 The next morning, Herbie found it. He looked around. There were already at least sixty slugs in the garden. Which one, he wondered was Marylou? Herbie decided to send a message back. He wrote it on the garden hoe.]]
Marylou, Which one are you? Meet me here at 2:30. Yours truly, Herbie. But the gardener put the hoe away in the barn, so Marylou never saw herbie's message. ]]
On Tuesday, while Marylou was hiding from the sun in the Ivy, she saw Herbie hiding under a stone, and a poem came immediately to mind. She wrote it on the wheelbarrow later that day.]]
The sun is shining all around. It shines on field and tree. But herbie's safe beneath a rock. I wish he'd think of me. Love, Marylou.]]
Marylou loves Herbie. Teased jethro on Wednesday morning. Herbie  blushed. Who is Marylou? He asked, but jethro didn't know either.]]
Herbie sent another message. This time he wrote it on a fence where it would stay put. To Marylou: you could make my life complete. I'd love to meet someone so sweet. Tell me where and I'll be there. Sincerely, Herbie.]]
But that afternoon it rained and his letter washed away. Even when Marylou was sleeping, poems to Herbie filled her dreams. She woke early and wrote another poem on the scarecrow.]]
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are. Herbie, Herbie, handsome slug, Marylou  would love a hug. Love, Marylou.]]
That Marylou is some poet. Said Sammy. Do you know her? Herbie asked excitedly.]]
I think she's the brownish one, said Sammy.]]
All day long Herbie searched for a brownish slug, but next to the brown dirt, they all looked a little brown. Herbie left another message on the watermelons.]]
Your poems make me happy. Your poems make me glad. But I can't find you, Marylou. And that makes me feel sad. Your friend, Herbie.]]
But Marylou was in the squash patch that day and didn't see herbie’s note. She left another poem behind on the zucchini.]]
Herbie, you would make me as happy as can be if you just pay attention and please, please notice me. Love, Marylou.]]
Herbie was at his wits end. He had been noticing her period well, where problem is anyway. And he’d asked everyone he could think of if they knew her. I think she's the greenish one, said Homer. I think she's the pinkish one, said Jodelle. Maybe she's the one who likes tomatoes, said Adelaide. But Adelaide had given him an idea.]]
Herbie climbed to the top of the tallest tomato plant. On his way back down he wrote a message.]]
Look at me. I've climbed so high that I can see the world passed by; mice and ants, an old black shoe but Marylou, where are you? I've left you poems near and far.]]
Won't you tell me where you are? Love, Herbie.]]
And that night, when Marylou went out to snack on a tomato, she found Herbie's message glistening in the garden. What joy. What gladness. What delight. Marylou Could hardly contain herself as she hurried to the barn..]]
The next morning, the first thing Herbie saw was:]]
your rhyme is sublime, Herbie, dear, I am here.]]
As always, when she saw Herbie, poetry filled Marylou‘s head. She said: Herbie, I am Marylou. We meet at last period how do you do? Herbie was tongue tied. Suddenly he felt shy, but at last he blurted out: I am fine. Will you be mine?]]
Marylou And Herbie lived happily ever after.]]
The end.]]

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: Little support

Unconventional format

Dialog: Two speakers

Vocabulary: Few decoding/definition issues

Language: Few descriptive words

Sentences: Simple phrases

Text structure: Blend of written/oral

Features

Topic

Love

Romance

*Feelings, Behaviors

Low Frequency Words

adelaide	blurted	cellar	excitedly	gardener
gladness	glistened	glistening	greenish	handsome
immediately	ivy	jethro	jodelle	juiciest
noticing	poem	poems	poet	poetry
rhyme	scarecrow	sincerely	squash	sublime
truly	watermelons	wheelbarrow	zucchini