The Truss: read-along
The Truss as a read-along for the projector: 13 pages, 1939 words, level 15, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 13
Marisol Ybarra was going to win the county bridge contest, and she had already chosen the exact spot on her wall for the ribbon. The contest had three rules, which she had copied onto an index card and propped against the lamp on her desk. Every bridge had to be constructed from no more than two hundred craft sticks and ordinary white glue. It had to span a gap of forty centimeters between two tables. And on contest day a bucket would hang from the middle of it while a judge poured in sand, one scoop at a time, until something gave way. The winning bridge was displayed in a glass case in the lobby of the county library for a whole year, with the builder's name engraved on a brass plate. Marisol had inspected last year's winner every Saturday since September, and although it was undoubtedly strong, it resembled a heap of fencing, and she was certain she could do better.
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
- 13 pages, 1939 words, about 14 minutes aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About The Truss
Marisol's craft-stick bridge is the prettiest in the county, right up until the third scoop of sand folds it flat without a single stick breaking. The answer has been sitting at the other end of the kitchen table all summer, in the hands of a seven-year-old who eats his building materials.
Words to preview
- truss
- triangle frame
- rigid (RIJ-id)
- stiff, unbending
- span
- stretch across
- diagonal (dy-AG-uh-nul)
- slanting
- rafters (RAF-terz)
- roof beams
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 Truss take to read aloud?
It has 13 pages and 1939 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 Truss?
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.
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.