The Little Mermaid: read-along
The Little Mermaid as a read-along for the projector: 20 pages, 2644 words, level 13, grade 8.
Page 1 of 20
Far out at sea, where the water is as blue as a cornflower and as translucent as glass, the ocean is so extraordinarily deep that no anchor has ever touched the bottom, and it was there that the Sea King had built his magnificent palace. Its walls were made of coral, its tall windows were cut from clear amber, and its roof was a crown of mussel shells that opened and closed with the movement of the tide, every one of them holding a luminous pearl. The king lived there with his aged mother and his six daughters, who were all mermaids, and the youngest of them had the most enchanting voice in the entire ocean, together with eyes as dark and blue as the deepest water.
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
- 20 pages, 2644 words, about 20 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, a little spooky
Related
About The Little Mermaid
The youngest daughter of the Sea King rescues a prince from a shipwreck and gives up her voice and her home to be near him. This is the original Danish tale, and it ends with more sorrow and more hope than the film.
Words to preview
- amber (AM-ber)
- golden-brown stone
- immortal (ih-MOR-tul)
- never dying
- foundling (FOWND-ling)
- child found alone
- whirlpools (WHIRL-poolz)
- spinning water
- rigging (RIG-ing)
- ropes on a ship
- graceful (GRAYS-ful)
- smooth and lovely
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 Little Mermaid take to read aloud?
It has 20 pages and 2644 words, so about 20 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 Little Mermaid?
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.