The Necklace: read-along
The Necklace as a read-along for the projector: 14 pages, 1943 words, level 15, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 14
Mathilde Loisel was one of those charming and attractive young women who, through some apparent miscalculation of destiny, are born into a family of modest clerks. She possessed no dowry, no expectations, and no conceivable means of becoming acquainted with, understood by, loved and married to a wealthy and distinguished gentleman, and so she had permitted herself to be married to a minor clerk in the Ministry of Public Instruction. She dressed simply, because she could not afford to dress elaborately, but she was as unhappy as if she had fallen from some higher station. She suffered ceaselessly, convinced that she had been created for every delicacy and every luxury, and she was tormented by the shabbiness of her apartment, the worn walls, the faded chairs and the ugly curtains.
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 15, beyond grade 8
- 14 pages, 1943 words, about 14 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About The Necklace
Mathilde Loisel believes she was born for elegance and luxury, and borrows a dazzling diamond necklace to wear to a glittering ball at the ministry. By the end of the night the necklace is gone, and the price of replacing it will be ten years of her life.
Words to preview
- dowry (DOW-ree)
- bride's money
- antechambers (AN-tee-chaym-berz)
- waiting rooms
- tureen (tuh-REEN)
- soup bowl
- francs (FRANKS)
- French money
- predicament (pree-DIK-uh-ment)
- difficult situation
- reception (rih-SEP-shun)
- a grand party
- promissory (PROM-ih-sor-ee)
- promising payment
- extortionate (ek-STOR-shun-it)
- unfairly high
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 Necklace take to read aloud?
It has 14 pages and 1943 words, so about 14 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 Necklace?
Level 15, 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.
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.