The Nightingale: read-along
The Nightingale as a read-along for the projector: 18 pages, 2131 words, level 12, grade 7.
Page 1 of 18
A long time ago, in an empire on the far side of the world, there was an emperor whose palace was built entirely of porcelain; it was so fine and so brittle that anyone who walked through it had to take great care not to break something. In the garden outside, the most extraordinary flowers grew, and to the most beautiful ones tiny silver bells were tied, so that nobody could pass without hearing them chime. The garden was so large that the gardener himself had never found its end. Beyond it lay a forest of tall trees and deep lakes that reached all the way to the sea, and in the branches of that forest lived a nightingale.
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 12, Grade 7
- 18 pages, 2131 words, about 16 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, a little spooky
Related
About The Nightingale
An emperor learns that the sweetest singer in his empire is a plain grey bird in his own garden. When a jewelled clockwork bird takes its place, only the real nightingale can save him.
Words to preview
- porcelain (POR-suh-lin)
- fine china
- courtier (KOR-tee-er)
- palace official
- artificial (ar-tuh-FISH-ul)
- made, not real
- banished (BAN-isht)
- sent away
- clockwork (KLOK-wurk)
- wound-up machine
- hollow (HOL-oh)
- empty inside
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 Nightingale take to read aloud?
It has 18 pages and 2131 words, so about 16 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 Nightingale?
Level 12, Grade 7. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 12 sits at grade 7. 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.