The Blue Dot and the Clocks: read-along
The Blue Dot and the Clocks as a read-along for the projector: 9 pages, 746 words, level 10, grade 5.
Page 1 of 9
Nia is halfway up a hiking trail when the path splits in two, and the only signpost has lost its arrows. She pulls out her phone. A small blue dot appears on the map, right where she is standing. That is strange, when you stop to think about it. Her phone has no eyes. It does not need to send anything to a satellite, and nobody told it where she was. So how does it know? The answer comes from the sky, and it starts with a clock.
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 10, Grade 5
- 9 pages, 746 words, about 6 minutes aloud
- A true book, gentle
Related
About The Blue Dot and the Clocks
A blue dot on a hiking map knows exactly where Nia is standing, yet her phone has told no one. The secret is a clock, four satellites, and a clue from Einstein.
Words to preview
- satellite (SAT-uh-lyt)
- orbiting machine
- broadcast (BRAWD-kast)
- send to everyone
- trilateration (try-LAT-er-AY-shun)
- finding by distances
- sphere (SFEER)
- round ball shape
- signal (SIG-nul)
- message in waves
- orbit (OR-bit)
- path around
Questions that fit any book
- What is one new thing you learned from this book?
- Which page told you the most? What did it say?
- What would you still like to find out about this?
Questions
How long does The Blue Dot and the Clocks take to read aloud?
It has 9 pages and 746 words, so about 6 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 Blue Dot and the Clocks?
Level 10, Grade 5. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 10 sits at grade 5. 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.