The Junkyard Orchestra: read-along
The Junkyard Orchestra as a read-along for the projector: 14 pages, 2386 words, level 18, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 14
The letter from the school district arrived in June, on the final afternoon of the term, folded inside every report card like an apology that nobody had particularly wanted to sign. Because of unavoidable reductions in the budget, it explained, the instrumental music program at Hollin's Ferry Middle School would be discontinued in the autumn, and every borrowed instrument was to be returned to the band room before the end of the week. Ollie Brandt read it twice on the bus. Then he unlatched the scuffed case across his knees and studied the dented trumpet nestled inside, which had been his, more or less, for three years of scales, recitals, and enthusiastic blunders. The only part of it that genuinely belonged to him was the mouthpiece, a small silver-plated cup he had purchased with birthday money in the fourth grade. He twisted it free, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and slipped it into his pocket before he surrendered the remainder of the trumpet to the secretary, who apologized as though the decision had been entirely her own.
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 18, beyond grade 8
- 14 pages, 2386 words, about 18 minutes aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About The Junkyard Orchestra
When the school takes back every band instrument, Ollie and his friends try to build a band out of a retired plumber's garage, and their first rehearsal is so dreadful that the cat leaves. To save the festival slot they need one note everybody can agree on, and then, mid-song, the speakers die.
Words to preview
- octave (OK-tiv)
- same note, higher
- column (KOL-um)
- tall narrow body
- soldered (SOD-erd)
- joined with metal
- collided (kuh-LY-did)
- crashed together
- rehearsal (rih-HUR-sul)
- practice performance
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 Junkyard Orchestra take to read aloud?
It has 14 pages and 2386 words, so about 18 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 Junkyard Orchestra?
Level 18, 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. 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.