The Beggar in the Hall: read-along
The Beggar in the Hall as a read-along for the projector: 10 pages, 1212 words, level 13, grade 8.
Page 1 of 10
For twenty years, Odysseus's house on the island of Ithaca had been waiting for him, and by now nearly everyone had completely stopped believing that he would ever return. Dozens of young lords from the nearby islands had moved into his halls, consuming his cattle and drinking his wine and demanding that his wife, Penelope, choose one of them for a husband. Their leader was a handsome, arrogant man named Antinous, and Odysseus's son Telemachus, who had been a baby when his father sailed to Troy, was now a young man who was powerless to evict them. Then one morning a ship came quietly into a secluded harbor, and an unfamiliar stranger stepped ashore.
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 13, Grade 8
- 10 pages, 1212 words, about 9 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, a little spooky
Related
About The Beggar in the Hall
After twenty years away, Odysseus comes home dressed as a beggar, and the only one in Ithaca who knows him at first sight is a dog too weak to stand. Before the contest of the bow, he must sit in his own hall and take whatever the suitors throw.
Words to preview
- battlements (BAT-ul-ments)
- notched wall tops
- arrogant (AIR-uh-gunt)
- proudly rude
- evict (ih-VIKT)
- force out
- vagabonds (VAG-uh-bondz)
- wanderers without homes
- hearth (harth)
- fireplace
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 The Beggar in the Hall take to read aloud?
It has 10 pages and 1212 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 The Beggar in the Hall?
Level 13, Grade 8. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 13 sits at grade 8. 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.