Theseus and the Minotaur: read-along
Theseus and the Minotaur as a read-along for the projector: 14 pages, 1642 words, level 14, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 14
Every nine years, a ship with black sails slipped out of the harbor of Athens, carrying fourteen young people who were never seen again. Athens had lost a war against King Minos of Crete, and the conditions of its surrender were merciless. Minos demanded seven boys and seven girls as a tribute, and he locked them inside the labyrinth, an enormous maze so ingeniously constructed that nobody who entered it could ever discover the exit. At its center, the legends said, lived the Minotaur, a monstrous creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Mothers in Athens closed their shutters whenever the ship came back. Some said they could still hear the bellowing across the sea.
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 14, beyond grade 8
- 14 pages, 1642 words, about 12 minutes aloud
- A classic tale, a little spooky
Related
About Theseus and the Minotaur
A young prince sails to Crete to end a terrible tribute, armed with a princess's thread and a maze full of echoes. Halfway through the dark, the thread begins to tug back, and nobody knows who is holding the other end.
Words to preview
- tribute (TRIB-yoot)
- forced payment
- labyrinth (LAB-uh-rinth)
- giant maze
- captives (KAP-tivz)
- prisoners
- retraced (ree-TRAYSD)
- followed back
- Minotaur (MIN-uh-tor)
- bull-headed monster
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 Theseus and the Minotaur take to read aloud?
It has 14 pages and 1642 words, so about 12 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 Theseus and the Minotaur?
Level 14, 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.