The Empty Birdcage: read-along
The Empty Birdcage as a read-along for the projector: 16 pages, 2079 words, level 13, grade 8.
Page 1 of 16
The canary was gone. The cage was locked. We solved it before the nine o'clock bell, entirely by reasoning and without disturbing anything, and here is how. I am writing this in strict order, because order is the one thing in life I have never found to be unreliable. There are five of us in the Locked Room Club: Ravi, who has theories; Tobias, who has a ruler; Ngozi, who keeps a notebook of secret writing; Jun, who has the sharpest ears in the school; and myself, Elspeth, who keeps the minutes, because somebody must. Our teacher, Ms. Fairweather, says that the minutes are the reason we have never solved anything wrong twice.
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
- 16 pages, 2079 words, about 15 minutes aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About The Empty Birdcage
On Friday morning the library's canary is gone and his cage is locked. The five members of the Locked Room Club each give a theory, but only one fits every clue, and the clues are all on the page before the answer.
Words to preview
- theory (THEER-ee)
- reasoned guess
- cipher (SY-fer)
- secret code
- infirmary (in-FUR-muh-ree)
- school sickroom
- gallery (GAL-uh-ree)
- raised walkway
- squinted (SKWIN-ted)
- peered, eyes narrowed
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 Empty Birdcage take to read aloud?
It has 16 pages and 2079 words, so about 15 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 Empty Birdcage?
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.
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.