The Shell Line: read-along
The Shell Line as a read-along for the projector: 17 pages, 1895 words, level 12, grade 7.
Page 1 of 17
Tansy had lived in the same periwinkle shell since the spring, and by the end of August it no longer fit. She could feel it every time a wave came through the pool. A hermit crab in a proper shell can pull in until nothing shows but the tips of her claws, folded across the opening like a door. Tansy pulled in as far as she could, and the soft pink curl of her tail still stuck out at the back, where anything with a beak could notice it, and the shell had not shrunk. She had grown. That was how it went with hermit crabs, and in all the history of the beach, nobody had found a way around it.
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
- 17 pages, 1895 words, about 14 minutes aloud
- A story, a little spooky
Related
About The Shell Line
Tansy the hermit crab has outgrown her shell, and every better shell in the tide pool already has somebody inside. When a storm brings one perfect new shell, she must organize the world's strangest line, with a hungry gull watching from above.
Words to preview
- periwinkle (PAIR-ih-wing-kul)
- small sea snail
- whelk (WELK)
- large sea snail
- anemone (uh-NEM-uh-nee)
- stinging sea flower
- scramble (SKRAM-bul)
- messy rush
- delicacy (DEL-ih-kuh-see)
- gentle care
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 Shell Line take to read aloud?
It has 17 pages and 1895 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 Shell Line?
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.
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.