Big Night at Spade Pond: read-along
Big Night at Spade Pond as a read-along for the projector: 21 pages, 2240 words, level 11, grade 6.
Page 1 of 21
Ronke Achebe had never lost a counting argument, and she did not intend to start with a pond. It began on the last Saturday in February, when a sign appeared at the edge of the woods behind Quarry Road: FOR SALE, FOURTEEN ACRES, BRIGHTWATER HOMES. Underneath, somebody had added a drawing of a house, with a very large garage. Ronke copied the sign into her notebook, with the time and the temperature. Then she wrote down the thing she was certain of, which was that the woods had a pond in them, and that she had been catching tadpoles there since she was five, and that nobody had asked the tadpoles.
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 11, Grade 6
- 21 pages, 2240 words, about 17 minutes aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About Big Night at Spade Pond
When the woods behind Quarry Road go up for sale, Ronke and her friends try to prove that the pond is a real vernal pool and that hundreds of salamanders cross the road to it every spring. Someone keeps moving their flags.
Words to preview
- vernal (VUR-nul)
- of spring
- tally (TAL-ee)
- running count
- commission (kuh-MISH-un)
- town committee
- surveyor (ser-VAY-er)
- land measurer
- scrupulously (SKROO-pyuh-lus)
- very carefully
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 Big Night at Spade Pond take to read aloud?
It has 21 pages and 2240 words, so about 17 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 Big Night at Spade Pond?
Level 11, Grade 6. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 11 sits at grade 6. 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.