A Christmas Carol: read-along
A Christmas Carol as a read-along for the projector: 14 pages, 1768 words, level 14, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 14
Ebenezer Scrooge was the stingiest, chilliest, most miserable old moneylender in the entire city of London. His heart was so frozen that his office stayed icy even in the middle of summer, and his voice was so sharp that strangers instinctively stepped aside when he approached. Nobody ever stopped him in the street to ask how he was, and even the beggars' dogs tugged their owners into doorways to avoid him. His business partner, Jacob Marley, had died exactly seven years earlier, on Christmas Eve, and Scrooge had never bothered to paint Marley's name off the sign above the door. Occasionally new customers called him Marley by mistake, and Scrooge answered to either name, because it made no difference to him whatsoever.
Keys: ← → or Page Up and Page Down turn the page, Space starts and pauses the voice, Home and End jump, F fills the screen. Tapping the right side of a page goes on; the left side goes back.
How to use it
- Press Full screen (F) to put the book on the projector.
- Press Read to me (Space), or read it yourself and turn pages with the arrow keys or a tap. Pick the Pace that suits the class.
- After the last page, three questions come up to talk about.
About this book
- Level 14, beyond grade 8
- 14 pages, 1768 words, about 13 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, a little spooky
Related
About A Christmas Carol
On Christmas Eve, the stingiest man in London is visited by the ghost of his old partner, rattling in chains, and then by three spirits. By morning, Ebenezer Scrooge has one chance to change, and Tiny Tim's life may depend on it.
Words to preview
- humbug (HUM-bug)
- nonsense
- clerk (KLURK)
- office worker
- phantoms (FAN-tumz)
- ghosts
- forged (FORJD)
- made, hammered
- apprentice (uh-PREN-tis)
- learner at work
- donation (doh-NAY-shun)
- gift for charity
- transformation (trans-for-MAY-shun)
- complete change
Questions that fit any book
- What happened at the beginning, in the middle and at the end?
- Which page was your favorite? Why?
- How did the main character feel at the end? What tells you?
Questions
How long does A Christmas Carol take to read aloud?
It has 14 pages and 1768 words, so about 13 minutes at the Steady pace and a little less at Quick. If you stop to talk on the way, plan for more.
What reading level is A Christmas Carol?
Level 14, beyond grade 8. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; levels above 13 are beyond grade 8 and have no grade. A level is a guide for choosing, so look at the pages yourself.
Whose voice is it?
Your browser's own. Read to me uses a speaking voice already on the computer, so it sounds like that computer and works without a sign-in. Voices differ: some light each word as it is spoken, and some do not, in which case the highlight follows a steady pace instead. Some browsers use an online voice; if yours does, the browser, not us, sends the words of the page to its speech service. If no voice is installed, turn the pages and read it aloud yourself.
Do students need an account?
No. Nothing is asked of anyone and nothing is sent to us. Project the page, or share the link and let students open it on their own screens.
Is this the original text?
No. It is a retelling in Peabody's own words at this reading level, so it may differ from the edition you know.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.