Prometheus and the Fire: read-along
Prometheus and the Fire as a read-along for the projector: 12 pages, 1824 words, level 18, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 12
Before the age of human civilization, after the tremendous war in which Zeus and the younger gods overthrew the ancient Titans and imprisoned most of them in the gloomy depths of Tartarus, there remained on earth a Titan named Prometheus, whose name signifies forethought, because he possessed the extraordinary ability to anticipate consequences long before anyone else had perceived them. During the war he had foreseen the victory of Zeus and had prudently fought on the side of the Olympians, so he was permitted to wander freely across the newly ordered world, a solitary giant among mountains and rivers that seemed curiously empty, populated by animals of every description but by no creature capable of wondering at the stars, composing a song or remembering its grandfather. The world was beautiful, but nobody was there to notice it. Prometheus found this emptiness unbearable, and he resolved to populate the silent world with companions.
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 18, beyond grade 8
- 12 pages, 1824 words, about 14 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, a little spooky
Related
About Prometheus and the Fire
The Titan Prometheus shaped the first people out of river clay and then watched them shiver in the dark, because Zeus had decided they should never have fire. So Prometheus climbed to the sun with a hollow stalk of fennel, knowing exactly what the king of the gods would do to him.
Words to preview
- Titan (TY-tun)
- elder giant god
- forethought (FOR-thawt)
- thinking ahead
- audacious (aw-DAY-shus)
- boldly daring
- pretext (PREE-tekst)
- false excuse
- vindictive (vin-DIK-tiv)
- wanting revenge
- fennel (FEN-ul)
- tall herb
- pith
- spongy plant center
- adamant (AD-uh-munt)
- unbreakable metal
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 Prometheus and the Fire take to read aloud?
It has 12 pages and 1824 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 Prometheus and the Fire?
Level 18, 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.