The Three Billy Goats Gruff: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read The Three Billy Goats Gruff aloud on the projector: 21 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 386 words (about 3 minutes), level 7, grade 2, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 21
Once there were three billy goats called Gruff. They lived on a hill with short, dry grass.
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 the questions come up on the screen. The same questions are below, with what to listen for.
About this book
- Level 7, Grade 2
- 21 pages, 386 words, about 3 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, gentle
Related
About The Three Billy Goats Gruff
A 386-word telling with a sound pattern the class can act out: trip, trap on the bridge, the troll's roar and his question at each crossing. The goats get bigger and the voices get deeper, which is a good reason to read the three crossings in three different voices.
Three billy goats want the sweet grass on the other side of the river, but a mean old troll lives under the bridge. Trip, trap, trip, trap… who's that walking over my bridge?
Before you read
Ask the class what sound little feet make on a wooden bridge and what sound big feet make. Tell them the book uses trip, trap three times and ask what changes.
Words to preview
- troll (TROHL)
- fairy-tale monster
- gobble (GOB-ul)
- eat fast
- butted (BUT-id)
- pushed with horns
- trotted (TROT-id)
- walked quickly
- creaked (KREEKT)
- made a squeak
Questions to talk about
- Why do the goats want to cross the bridge?Listen for: The grass on the far hill is long, green and sweet, and the grass on their own hill is short and dry.
- Why do you think the troll lets the first two goats go?Listen for: Each asks him to wait for a bigger brother, and he says "be off with you." The text does not give his reason, so ask for a clue in his words, such as "I'm coming to gobble you up."
- How are the three crossings alike, and how is the third different?Listen for: The same trip, trap and the same question from the troll. The big goat's bridge creaks and groans, his voice is deep, and he does not ask the troll to wait.
- What do the big goat's horns have to do with how the story ends?Listen for: He charges and butts the troll off the bridge and into the river. The troll swims away and never comes back.
- Was the littlest goat clever or just scared? What in the text makes you say so?Listen for: Either answer works with evidence. He speaks quietly and says he is too small, and he sends the troll toward his brother. All three goats end up on the sweet grass.
Questions
How long does The Three Billy Goats Gruff take to read aloud?
It has 21 pages and 386 words, so about 3 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 Three Billy Goats Gruff?
Level 7, Grade 2. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 7 sits at grade 2. 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.