The Bombardier Beetle: read-along
The Bombardier Beetle as a read-along for the projector: 10 pages, 1372 words, level 16, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 10
A bombardier beetle is a small, ordinary-looking insect with an extraordinary method of defending itself. Most of the more than five hundred known kinds are no longer than half an inch, and many wear fairly plain colors, such as dark blue or black wing covers over an orange head and legs. They belong to the large family of ground beetles, and they are found on most of the continents, usually in fields, woodlands, and stream banks where the soil stays damp. During the day they rest underneath stones and fallen logs, and at night they emerge to hunt, running swiftly across the ground on their long legs. Their name is a clue to their secret, because a bombardier is a soldier who drops bombs, and these beetles fire back.
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 16, beyond grade 8
- 10 pages, 1372 words, about 10 minutes aloud
- A true book, gentle
Related
About The Bombardier Beetle
A bombardier beetle can mix chemicals inside its own body and fire a boiling spray, over and over, without hurting itself. This true book explains how it works, and how engineers have borrowed the idea.
Words to preview
- bombardier (bom-bur-DEER)
- bomb-dropping soldier
- hydroquinone (hy-droh-kwih-NOHN)
- beetle spray chemical
- enzyme (EN-zime)
- chemical-speeding helper
- abdomen (AB-duh-mun)
- back body part
- pulse (PULS)
- quick burst
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 Bombardier Beetle take to read aloud?
It has 10 pages and 1372 words, so about 10 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 Bombardier Beetle?
Level 16, 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.
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.