Tam and the Wind-Up Tractor: read-along
Tam and the Wind-Up Tractor as a read-along for the projector: 17 pages, 1148 words, level 9, grade 4.
Page 1 of 17
Tam the cricket had lived behind the bookcase for the whole of his life, which was nine months, and in nine months he had never gone farther than four hops from home. He liked it that way. Behind the bookcase there was dust to sit in, and crumbs to eat, and a crack in the baseboard that made a very good door. Then, one Tuesday, a tractor rolled up to it.
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 9, Grade 4
- 17 pages, 1148 words, about 9 minutes aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About Tam and the Wind-Up Tractor
Tam is a house cricket who has never gone more than four hops from home. Desmond is a boy with a broken leg who cannot go anywhere. When Tam finds a wind-up tractor, the two of them plan a night road trip across the living room.
Words to preview
- baseboard (BAYS-bord)
- wall edge strip
- cast (KAST)
- leg plaster
- flashlight (FLASH-lyt)
- hand lamp
- route (ROOT)
- way to go
- gleam (GLEEM)
- bright shine
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 Tam and the Wind-Up Tractor take to read aloud?
It has 17 pages and 1148 words, so about 9 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 Tam and the Wind-Up Tractor?
Level 9, Grade 4. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 9 sits at grade 4. 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. It is not copied from a published book.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.