A Midsummer Night's Dream: read-along
A Midsummer Night's Dream as a read-along for the projector: 12 pages, 1796 words, level 16, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 12
In ancient Athens, Duke Theseus was preparing to marry Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and the whole city was buzzing with preparations for the celebration, which would take place in four days. Into this happy palace stormed an angry old man named Egeus, dragging his daughter Hermia and two young gentlemen behind him. Egeus had chosen one of them, Demetrius, as Hermia's husband, but Hermia was in love with the other, Lysander, and she absolutely refused to obey. According to the harsh old law of Athens, the duke reminded her, a daughter who disobeyed her father must either be put to death or be shut away in a convent for the rest of her life. He granted her until his wedding day to decide. Lysander sighed and observed that "the course of true love never did run smooth," which has been true for the four hundred years since Shakespeare wrote it.
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 16, beyond grade 8
- 12 pages, 1796 words, about 13 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About A Midsummer Night's Dream
Four young Athenians run into an enchanted wood on a midsummer night, just as the king and queen of the fairies are quarreling and a troupe of hopeless actors arrives to rehearse a play. Add one mischief-making spirit named Puck and a flower that makes you fall in love with the first thing you see, and the night goes splendidly, ridiculously wrong.
Words to preview
- convent (KON-vent)
- home for nuns
- elopement (ih-LOPE-ment)
- secret running off
- lamentable (luh-MEN-tuh-bul)
- very sad
- anoint (uh-NOINT)
- dab with oil
- disdainful (dis-DANE-ful)
- scornful
- bower (BOW-er)
- leafy shelter
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 Midsummer Night's Dream take to read aloud?
It has 12 pages and 1796 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 Midsummer Night's Dream?
Level 16, 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.