The Tempest: read-along
The Tempest as a read-along for the projector: 13 pages, 2053 words, level 17, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 13
The play begins in the middle of a tremendous storm. A royal ship, returning to Italy from a wedding in Tunis, is being hurled toward the rocks of a mysterious island, while lightning splits the sky and the terrified sailors scream that they are sinking. On board are Alonso, the King of Naples, his son Ferdinand, the king's treacherous brother, an honorable elderly counselor named Gonzalo, and Antonio, who calls himself the Duke of Milan. From the shore, a young woman named Miranda observes the shipwreck in anguish, because she can almost hear the passengers' desperate cries, and she suspects that her father has conjured the storm by magic. She implores him to calm the waves. Her father, Prospero, a dignified elderly magician in a long cloak embroidered with stars, assures her gently that nobody has been harmed. Then he lays aside his magic cloak and reveals to her, for the first time, the astonishing history of who they really are.
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 17, beyond grade 8
- 13 pages, 2053 words, about 15 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About The Tempest
Twelve years after his brother stole his dukedom and set him adrift, the magician Prospero raises a storm that wrecks his enemies on his island. With the airy spirit Ariel and his daughter Miranda, he has them all in his power, and has to choose between revenge and forgiveness.
Words to preview
- treacherous (TRECH-er-us)
- disloyal
- dukedom (DOOK-dum)
- duke's land
- tempest (TEM-pist)
- violent storm
- conspirators (kun-SPEER-uh-terz)
- secret plotters
- harpy (HAR-pee)
- bird monster
- vengeance (VEN-junce)
- revenge
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 Tempest take to read aloud?
It has 13 pages and 2053 words, so about 15 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 Tempest?
Level 17, 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.