Midas and the Gold
King Midas loved gold. He had gold cups and gold coins. But he always wanted more.
A kind god came. "I will give you a wish," he said. Midas did not wait.
"Make all I touch turn to gold!" he said. "Is that what you want?" asked the god. "Yes!" said Midas.
Midas picked up a stick. It was gold! A rock was gold, too.
He ran home and touched a red rose. It shone like the sun. "I am so rich!" he said.
Then Midas got hungry. He took a bite of bread. It turned to gold in his mouth!
He lifted a cup of cool water. It turned to gold, too. He could not eat or drink.
He held the gold rose to his nose. It had no smell at all. Midas felt sad.
"Take back your gift!" he said to the god. "Go and wash in the river," said the god.
Midas jumped in the river. The gold washed off. At last he could eat his bread!
Questions
- Music
- Gold
- Bread
- A new house
- A pet
- A wish
- It turned to gold
- It got cold
- It flew away
- He lost his crown
- He had no rock
- He could not eat or drink
- He gave away his hat
- He washed in a river
- He went to sleep
- Something you hope for
- A kind of bread
- A cold river
Words to know
- gold: a shiny metal
- wish: a thing you hope for
- rose: a sweet flower
- river: moving water
Answer key: Midas and the Gold
- B. Gold
- C. A wish
- A. It turned to gold
- C. He could not eat or drink
- B. He washed in a river
- A. Something you hope for
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Midas and the Gold” 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 | 170 words, 10 screens, 6 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.