Androcles and the Lion: read-along
Androcles and the Lion as a read-along for the projector: 12 pages, 1501 words, level 15, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 12
Long ago, when the Roman Empire stretched across the coastline of northern Africa, a man named Androcles labored as a servant in the household of a Roman governor, an official whose temper was notorious throughout the province. The governor treated his servants with relentless severity, punishing the smallest mistakes with extraordinary cruelty. Androcles, who was gentle and patient by nature, eventually decided that he could endure such treatment no longer. One moonless night he slipped out through the servants' gate, crept past the sleeping guards, and fled southward into the desert. He preferred the uncertain dangers of the wilderness to the certain misery of remaining in that house. He carried nothing except a cloak, a flask of water and an enormous, trembling hope.
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 15, beyond grade 8
- 12 pages, 1501 words, about 11 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About Androcles and the Lion
A runaway hiding in a desert cave finds himself face to face with a lion who is holding up an enormous, swollen paw. Years later, in the roaring arena of Rome, the two of them meet again.
Words to preview
- governor (GUV-er-ner)
- ruling official
- festering (FESS-ter-ing)
- getting infected
- physician (fih-ZISH-un)
- a doctor
- arena (uh-REE-nuh)
- big stadium
- spectacles (SPEK-tuh-kulz)
- public shows
- tawny (TAW-nee)
- golden brown
- reconciliation (rek-un-sil-ee-AY-shun)
- friendly reunion
- pardoned (PAR-dund)
- officially forgiven
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 Androcles and the Lion take to read aloud?
It has 12 pages and 1501 words, so about 11 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 Androcles and the Lion?
Level 15, 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.