The Magic Paintbrush: read-along
The Magic Paintbrush as a read-along for the projector: 15 pages, 1029 words, level 9, grade 4.
Page 1 of 15
Long ago in China, there lived a poor boy named Ma Liang. He had no mother or father, so he lived by himself and gathered firewood to sell in the market. More than anything, Ma Liang wanted to paint, but a paintbrush cost money, and he did not have a single coin. One day he walked past a school and peeked inside, where a teacher was painting a picture with a beautiful brush.
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 9, Grade 4
- 15 pages, 1029 words, about 8 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About The Magic Paintbrush
Ma Liang is too poor to buy a brush, so he draws with sticks and charcoal until a magic brush comes to him in a dream. Everything he paints comes to life, and he paints only for people in need, which makes a greedy Emperor very angry.
Words to preview
- charcoal (CHAR-kohl)
- burnt black wood
- crane (KRAYN)
- tall white bird
- stable (STAY-bul)
- animal barn
- phoenix (FEE-niks)
- magic fire bird
- scrawny (SKRAW-nee)
- very skinny
- ministers (MIN-is-terz)
- king's helpers
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 Magic Paintbrush take to read aloud?
It has 15 pages and 1029 words, so about 8 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 Magic Paintbrush?
Level 9, Grade 4. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 9 sits at grade 4. 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.