A Hard Nut to Crack: read-along
A Hard Nut to Crack as a read-along for the projector: 20 pages, 1705 words, level 10, grade 5.
Page 1 of 20
Nell was a crow, and she was absolutely famished. It was her first autumn, and all summer long there had been beetles in the grass and bread at the picnic tables and soft fruit that split open on the ground. Now the mornings were cold and white, and the enormous walnut tree beside the mill pond had started to drop its nuts. THUMP! One landed on the grass. THUMP! Another bounced off the mill roof like somebody knocking at the door.
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 10, Grade 5
- 20 pages, 1705 words, about 13 minutes aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About A Hard Nut to Crack
Nell the young crow has a walnut she cannot open, a brother who keeps getting bonked, and one grumpy old crow who always seems to have a snack. When she spies on his secret trick, she finds out that being clever is the easy part.
Words to preview
- husk
- outer shell
- seam (seem)
- joined line
- curious (KYOOR-ee-us)
- eager to know
- magpie (MAG-pie)
- black-white bird
- paved (payvd)
- covered in stone
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 Hard Nut to Crack take to read aloud?
It has 20 pages and 1705 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 Hard Nut to Crack?
Level 10, Grade 5. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 10 sits at grade 5. 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.
Where does this book come from?
It was written for Peabody's library. It is not copied from a published book.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.