Stone Soup: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read Stone Soup aloud on the projector: 11 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 587 words (about 4 minutes), level 8, grade 3, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 11
Long ago, three travelers were walking home along a dusty road. They had walked for days, and they were tired and very hungry. At sunset they came to a little village. "Maybe someone here will give us a bite to eat," said the first traveler. "And a place to sleep," said the second.
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
- 11 pages, 587 words, about 4 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About Stone Soup
A 587-word telling of the old tale in which three hungry travelers get a whole village to share. The change comes one small request at a time, and the last line says the idea outright, which gives the class something to agree or disagree with.
Three hungry travelers come to a village where nobody will share a crumb. So they start to cook a pot of soup with nothing in it but a stone.
Before you read
Ask what the class would do if three hungry strangers came to the door. Then ask what the strangers might do to persuade people to share.
Words to preview
- travelers (TRAV-uh-lerz)
- people traveling
- cellar (SEL-er)
- room underground
- attic (AT-ik)
- roof room
- spare (SPAIR)
- extra to give
- borrow (BOR-oh)
- use and return
- cider (SY-der)
- apple juice
Questions to talk about
- Why does the village hide its food from the travelers?Listen for: The people see strangers coming and whisper that they will want their food, so they hide the carrots, potatoes, cabbages and bread.
- How do the travelers get people to add to the pot?Listen for: They say what the soup needs, one thing at a time: salt and pepper, then a cabbage, carrots, potatoes, then bread and drink. Each person gives a small thing.
- Is stone soup really made from stones? What makes it good?Listen for: No. The food everyone brought makes it good. The stones are the reason to get started.
- How does the village feel at the start of the story, and how at the end? What changed?Listen for: Suspicious and closed at first, then sharing, with music and dancing at the end because they ate together.
- What does the traveler mean by "it works best when everyone puts something in"?Listen for: Many small gifts together make a feast. Ask for a time in class when many small contributions made something.
Questions
How long does Stone Soup take to read aloud?
It has 11 pages and 587 words, so about 4 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 Stone Soup?
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.
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.