Max and the Magnet
Max played in the sandpit. His steel key fell out of his pocket. It sank in the sand.
Max dug and dug with both hands. He could not find it. "It is lost," said Max.
Then Max felt a thing in his other pocket. It was a horseshoe magnet from school.
He held the magnet over the sand. He moved it from side to side.
Click! Something stuck to the magnet. It was the key, up out of the sand!
Max ran to show his big sister, Rosa. Rosa had a bar magnet, too.
Rosa held her magnet by Max's. They pulled together with a loud snap.
Then Rosa turned hers around. Now they pushed apart! They would not touch.
Max said, "A magnet has two ends. Different ends pull together. The same ends push apart."
Max zipped his key in his pocket. Rosa said, "Magnets are for tools, not mouths."
Questions
- Max's magnet
- Max's house key
- Rosa's ball
- A toy
- A coin
- A horseshoe magnet
- The key jumps up and sticks to it
- The sand sticks to it
- Nothing happens
- Rosa is pushing
- They are broken
- The same ends push away
- It is cold
- So the key will not fall out again
- He has a new coat
- Move away
- Move closer
- Hold still
Words to know
- magnet: pulls some metal
- sandpit: a box of sand
- snap: a quick click
- pocket: a small pouch
- pull: move closer
- push: move away
Answer key: Max and the Magnet
- B. Max's house key
- C. A horseshoe magnet
- A. The key jumps up and sticks to it
- C. The same ends push away
- B. So the key will not fall out again
- A. Move away
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Max and the Magnet” 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 | 151 words, 10 screens, 6 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 6 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.