Don Quixote and the Windmills: read-along
Don Quixote and the Windmills as a read-along for the projector: 13 pages, 1560 words, level 14, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 13
In a village in La Mancha, a dusty region of central Spain, there lived a gentleman of about fifty named Alonso Quixano, who owned a lance he never used, a shield that hung on the wall, a skinny old horse and a greyhound that was faster than both of them. He was lean, an early riser, and moderately fond of hunting, but his genuine passion, the obsession that consumed his days, was reading. Above all, he adored books about knights in shining armor who rode across the world rescuing princesses and battling giants. He read them at breakfast and at dinner and long after midnight, and he sold acres of his own farmland to buy more of them. His niece and his housekeeper watched him with growing alarm.
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 14, beyond grade 8
- 13 pages, 1560 words, about 12 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About Don Quixote and the Windmills
An old gentleman in Spain reads so many books about knights that he puts on a cardboard helmet and rides out to become one. With his sensible neighbor Sancho Panza beside him on a donkey, he spots thirty giants on a hill, and Sancho is quite sure they are windmills.
Words to preview
- lance (LANS)
- long spear
- visor (VY-zer)
- helmet's face guard
- squire (SKWIRE)
- knight's helper
- enchanter (en-CHAN-ter)
- magician
- dignity (DIG-nih-tee)
- proud calm
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 Don Quixote and the Windmills take to read aloud?
It has 13 pages and 1560 words, so about 12 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 Don Quixote and the Windmills?
Level 14, 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.