The Moon Follows Me: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read The Moon Follows Me aloud on the projector: 11 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 171 words (about a minute), level 6, grade 1, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 11
Sam looked out the car window. The moon was big and round and bright.
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 the questions come up on the screen. The same questions are below, with what to listen for.
About this book
- Level 6, Grade 1
- 11 pages, 171 words, about a minute aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About The Moon Follows Me
A story of a ride home at night where a boy believes the moon is following the car. His mother answers with something the class can test: trees and signs go by fast and the moon does not. It is a gentle first example of explaining something you notice.
Sam rides in the car at night, and the moon follows. Mom explains why, and Sam waves goodnight to the moon.
Before you read
Ask if anyone has seen the moon seem to follow them in a car. Tell the class to listen for what Mom says and to decide whether it is an answer.
Words to preview
- moon
- a night light
- rocket (ROK-it)
- a space ship
- following (FOL-oh-ing)
- coming behind
Questions to talk about
- Why does Sam think the moon is following the car?Listen for: When the car goes left the moon seems to go left, and when it goes right the moon does too.
- How does Mom explain it?Listen for: The moon is very far away. Trees and signs go by fast because they are close, and the moon is not close.
- What clue shows how far away the moon is?Listen for: Mom says a rocket needs three days to get there.
- How does Sam feel at the end? What tells you?Listen for: Calm and happy. He waves and says goodnight to the moon, and it is still there, high and bright, when the car turns into the drive.
- Has something far away ever seemed to follow you? How could you test it?Listen for: Clouds or the sun can seem to follow a car or a walker. Testing means noticing that close things pass quickly and far things stay in the same place.
Questions
How long does The Moon Follows Me take to read aloud?
It has 11 pages and 171 words, so about a minute 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 Moon Follows Me?
Level 6, Grade 1. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 6 sits at grade 1. 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.