Arion Sings
Arion was a singer. He lived in a big city by the sea. He played a lyre and sang songs.
People gave him gold for his songs. Soon he had a big bag of gold.
Arion sailed home on a big ship. The sailors saw his bag of gold.
The sailors wanted his gold. "Jump into the sea!" they said. Arion was afraid.
"Let me sing one last song," said Arion. "Then I will jump." The sailors said yes.
Arion stood on the ship and sang. His song was so lovely! The sailors sat and listened.
Then Arion jumped into the sea. Splash! He still held his lyre.
A dolphin swam up to him. Arion held on to its back. Off they went!
The dolphin swam and swam over the waves. It took Arion all the way home.
Arion told the king about the sailors. The king said, "I will ask them some questions."
"Where is Arion?" asked the king. "We do not know," said the sailors.
Then in walked Arion with his lyre! The sailors could not say a word.
The Greeks made a little bronze dolphin to remember Arion. It was a happy end for the singer.
Questions
- To sing one last song
- To eat some food
- To see the king
- A big wave
- A dolphin
- A little boat
- They wanted his gold
- They did not like his song
- They wanted to swim
- The dolphin
- The king
- Arion
- A kind of ship
- A small harp
- A bag of gold
Words to know
- lyre: a small harp
- sailors: ship workers
- dolphin: a sea animal
- gold: a bright metal
Answer key: Arion Sings
- A. To sing one last song
- B. A dolphin
- A. They wanted his gold
- C. Arion
- B. A small harp
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Arion Sings” is a reading level 6 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 10 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 6 words a sentence, and to show 12 to 20 words on a screen. At most 7% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Readers reach this level by climbing, not by grade.
| This passage | 199 words, 13 screens, 5 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 4 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings |
|---|---|
| Longest sentence at this level | 10 words |
| Words on a screen | 12 to 20 |
| Skills practised at this level | phonics (sounding words out), first sounds, sight words |
Reading level 6: the limits, a real sample and the free games. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: use the questions to talk about the story, not to grade a child.