(The following email message was sent to the class by our Fall '99 Student Teacher, Ms. Widman. The email message was used to do a beginning of the year reading assessment of all the first and seocnd graders in the class. They did not see the email messages before reading it for assessment purposes. Their reading was scored for accuracy and rate. They were assessed again on reading this same email message in the Spring to compare their reading ability from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.)

Email Message

August 25, 1999

To: The Class

From: Ms. Widman

Dear Class,

Mrs. Rennebohm Franz has told me about the

class trips to Sunnyside Pond.

I'm excited to learn more about the pond.

I live on a farm.

There is a tiny pond on my farm.

The pond is only five feet long and four feet

wide.

It is very shallow.

It is only two feet deep.

I have horses and cows at my farm.

They drink the pond water.

I have seen a few frogs jumping near the

pond.

I wonder if the horses and cows mind sharing

their drinking water with the frogs?

Are there frogs at Sunnyside Pond?

How long is the pond?

Is it very deep?

Thank you for reading my email.

I will write again soon.

Ms. Widman