Black Beauty: read-along
Black Beauty as a read-along for the projector: 17 pages, 1883 words, level 13, grade 8.
Page 1 of 17
The earliest place I can remember distinctly was a wide, pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Shady trees overhung the pond, rushes and water lilies decorated the deeper end, and beyond the hedge on one side there was a plowed field. While I was very young, I lived entirely on my mother's milk, because I was unable to eat grass. During the daytime I ran beside her, and at night I lay down close against her. Whenever the weather was hot, we stood together by the pond in the shade of the trees, and whenever it was cold, we sheltered in a comfortable shed beside the grove.
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
- 17 pages, 1883 words, about 14 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About Black Beauty
Black Beauty tells his own story, from his happy days as a colt in a meadow to the kind stables, cruel masters and crowded London streets that come after. Through it all he remembers his mother's advice and his friend Ginger, until he finally finds a home where he is loved.
Words to preview
- colts (KOHLTS)
- young horses
- bit
- mouth bar
- chestnut (CHES-nut)
- reddish brown
- coachman (KOHCH-mun)
- carriage driver
- endured (en-DOORD)
- put up with
- groom
- horse caretaker
- exhaustion (ig-ZAWS-chun)
- total tiredness
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 Black Beauty take to read aloud?
It has 17 pages and 1883 words, so about 14 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 Black Beauty?
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.
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.