Mina and the Eight Planets: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read Mina and the Eight Planets aloud on the projector: 13 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 730 words (about 5 minutes), level 8, grade 3, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 13
How many planets are there? That was Mina's homework, so she asked Grandpa Birch, and he did not even stop to think. "Eight," he said, "and they all go around the Sun. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune." "Show me," said Mina. So Grandpa found a nickel, and then he went to look in the fruit bowl.
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 the questions come up on the screen. The same questions are below, with what to listen for.
About this book
- Level 8, Grade 3
- 13 pages, 730 words, about 5 minutes aloud
- A true book, gentle
Related
About Mina and the Eight Planets
A 730-word text that teaches the planets by scale, with a nickel for Earth and fruit for the smaller worlds, and then explains why Pluto is called a dwarf planet. The kitchen-table comparison gives students a way to picture sizes, and the Pluto section shows that scientists can change a name when they learn more.
How many planets are there? Mina asks Grandpa Birch, and they line up a nickel, a blueberry and a raspberry on the kitchen table. Then comes the story of the planet that got a new name.
Before you read
Ask the class to name the planets they know and put them on the board in order from the Sun. Tell them the book uses a nickel and fruit to show how big the planets are.
Words to preview
- planet (PLAN-it)
- world circling a star
- rings (RINGZ)
- bands around Saturn
- rusted (RUS-tid)
- turned red-brown
- dwarf (DWORF)
- very small kind
- twilight (TWY-lyt)
- dim evening light
Questions to talk about
- What are the eight planets, and which one is home?Listen for: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, in order from the Sun. Earth is the nickel.
- Venus is farther from the Sun than Mercury. Why is it hotter?Listen for: Venus has thick air that traps the heat, like a blanket. The book says it is the hottest planet of all.
- How does Grandpa Birch explain what makes Mars red?Listen for: The dirt has iron in it, and the iron has rusted, like an old bike left out in the rain.
- Why is Pluto no longer called a planet?Listen for: In 2006 a group of astronomers voted on what a planet is: it goes around the Sun, is round and is big enough to clear other big things out of its path. Pluto did not do that, and other worlds like it had been found, so it is a dwarf planet.
- The book ends by asking which fruit you would pick for Pluto. What would you choose, and why?Listen for: Any fruit with a reason. The book calls these worlds small and round, so most students will choose something small. Ask what in the book tells them so.
Questions
How long does Mina and the Eight Planets take to read aloud?
It has 13 pages and 730 words, so about 5 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 Mina and the Eight Planets?
Level 8, Grade 3. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 8 sits at grade 3. 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.