Thistle Counts the Tides: read-along
Thistle Counts the Tides as a read-along for the projector: 12 pages, 1165 words, level 10, grade 5.
Page 1 of 12
The sea comes in twice a day, and I know exactly when. I have not touched it since I was six days old. I know by the gulls, because when the tide goes out, the mud flats are uncovered and the gulls descend on them screaming, because there are worms, and when the tide returns they go quiet and sulk. High, low, high, low. It is a remarkably small clock made of noise, and the only one that nobody else is winding. My name is Thistle, and I am a harbor seal who counts the tides.
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 10, Grade 5
- 12 pages, 1165 words, about 9 minutes aloud
- A story, gentle
Related
About Thistle Counts the Tides
Thistle, a harbor seal in a small tank at the end of a pier, has never felt the sea since she was six days old, but she knows every tide by the sound of the gulls. A night cleaner named Rosa starts asking what the tank cannot give her.
Words to preview
- descend (dih-SEND)
- swoop down
- soothing (SOO-thing)
- calming
- sanctuary (SANK-choo-air-ee)
- safe place
- shingle (SHING-gul)
- pebbly beach
- honestly (ON-ist-lee)
- truthfully
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 Thistle Counts the Tides take to read aloud?
It has 12 pages and 1165 words, so about 9 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 Thistle Counts the Tides?
Level 10, Grade 5. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 10 sits at grade 5. 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.