Ben and the Puddle Boat
The rain had stopped. A big puddle sat in the middle of the path.
Ben put on his red boots. He ran out to see what he could find.
He found a wide green leaf. He found a long thin stick, too.
Ben stuck the stick in the leaf. Now he had a boat with a sail.
He set the boat down on the puddle. It rocked a little, and then it floated.
A small snail crawled along the edge. It looked at the boat, and then at Ben.
"Do you want a ride?" asked Ben. He held out his hand to the snail.
The snail slid onto the leaf. Ben gave the boat a soft puff of air.
The little boat sailed across the puddle. The snail sat very still, like a captain.
It bumped into the other side. The snail slid off and gave a tiny wave.
Ben grinned. "Thank you for sailing," he said. Then the sun came out.
Questions
- A cup
- A leaf and a stick
- A shoe
- A frog
- A bug
- A snail
- Ben puffs air
- A motor
- The wind
- Sad
- Happy
- Scared
Words to know
- puddle: a small pool
- sail: wind catcher
- captain: the boat's leader
Answer key: Ben and the Puddle Boat
- B. A leaf and a stick
- C. A snail
- A. Ben puffs air
- B. Happy
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Ben and the Puddle Boat” 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 | 162 words, 11 screens, 4 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 3 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.