The Red-Headed League: read-along
The Red-Headed League as a read-along for the projector: 12 pages, 1499 words, level 15, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 12
One autumn morning I called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street and found him engaged in conversation with a stout, florid gentleman whose hair was the most brilliant shade of red I had ever observed. His name was Mr. Jabez Wilson, and he appeared to be an ordinary, slow-moving London tradesman. Holmes, however, examined him for a moment and announced that he had formerly done manual labor, belonged to a secret society, had recently traveled to China and had written a considerable amount. Mr. Wilson was astonished. Holmes explained that the cuff of his right sleeve was shiny and his left elbow was worn smooth from resting on a desk, and that a small fish tattooed above his wrist could only have been produced in China.
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
- 12 pages, 1499 words, about 11 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About The Red-Headed League
A pawnbroker with fiery red hair is offered a wonderful job just for having it: four pounds a week to copy out an encyclopedia. When the job suddenly ends, Sherlock Holmes asks one question about the trousers of the pawnbroker's helpful assistant.
Words to preview
- pawnbroker (PAWN-broh-ker)
- loan shopkeeper
- vacancy (VAY-kun-see)
- open job
- nominal (NOM-uh-nul)
- in name only
- vault (VAWLT)
- strong room
- commonplace (KOM-un-plays)
- ordinary
- dissolved (dih-ZOLVD)
- ended
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 Red-Headed League take to read aloud?
It has 12 pages and 1499 words, so about 11 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 Red-Headed League?
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.