A Predator at the Window: read-along
A Predator at the Window as a read-along for the projector: 10 pages, 1095 words, level 13, grade 8.
Page 1 of 10
Ines's cat, Soot, spends most afternoons on the windowsill, tracking pigeons she can never reach. For a school project on animal welfare, Ines asked a question that sounded simple: is it fair to keep a hunter indoors? To answer it, she had to learn what a cat actually is. Archaeology and genetics suggest the domestication of the cat began in the Near East around 7500 BCE, long before anyone wrote a care guide. That means pet cats are not tiny lions, but they are not an invention of the last century either. They are an old partnership between a predator and a people, and Ines decided to judge it by evidence.
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 13, Grade 8
- 10 pages, 1095 words, about 8 minutes aloud
- A true book, gentle
Related
About A Predator at the Window
Ines asks whether it is fair to keep a hunter indoors, and tests every rule of cat care against the animal's biology and the evidence. Where sources disagree, she says so and leaves the answer to a vet.
Words to preview
- domestication (duh-mes-tih-KAY-shun)
- taming over time
- carnivore (OB-lih-gut KAR-nuh-vor)
- must eat meat
- taurine (TOR-een)
- needed nutrient
- retractable (rih-TRAK-tuh-bul)
- able to pull back
- welfare (WEL-fair)
- well-being
Questions that fit any book
- What is one new thing you learned from this book?
- Which page told you the most? What did it say?
- What would you still like to find out about this?
Questions
How long does A Predator at the Window take to read aloud?
It has 10 pages and 1095 words, so about 8 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 Predator at the Window?
Level 13, Grade 8. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 13 sits at grade 8. 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 as a true book. It is not copied from a textbook or another site.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.