My Shadow
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow-- Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball, And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play, And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see; I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me! One morning, very early, before the sun was up, I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup; But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head, Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
My Shadow was written by Robert Louis Stevenson. A Child's Garden of Verses was published in 1885.
Questions
- It jumps before the child
- It stays home
- It falls asleep
- It sticks too close to the child
- It runs far away
- It is afraid of the dark
- A kind of ball
- An idea
- A morning meal
- me and see
- out and about
- go and slow
- Up on the roof
- Next to the child
- Behind, fast asleep in bed
Words to know
- notion: an idea
- arrant: complete
- coward: easily scared
- dew: morning water drops
- rubber: stretchy stuff
Answer key: My Shadow
- A. It jumps before the child
- A. It sticks too close to the child
- B. An idea
- A. me and see
- C. Behind, fast asleep in bed
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“My Shadow” is a reading level 9 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 32 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 11 words a sentence, and to show 55 to 85 words on a screen. At most 11% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Children in 5th grade start at this level.
| This passage | 204 words, 3 screens, 5 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 5 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings |
|---|---|
| Longest sentence at this level | 32 words |
| Words on a screen | 55 to 85 |
| Skills practised at this level | vocabulary, spelling |
Reading level 9: 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.