Nobody Gives Way
Two goats lived by a stream. One was brown, one gray. Each wanted the grass on the far side.
A narrow plank lay across the stream. It was wide enough for one goat.
The brown goat walked out onto the plank. The gray goat walked out from the other end.
They met in the middle, nose to nose. "Move back!" said the brown goat.
"No, you move back!" said the gray goat. "I was here first!" said the brown goat.
They pushed and they stamped. The plank began to shake and wobble under their feet.
Neither goat would take one step back. Each one wanted to go first.
Then, splash! Both goats fell into the stream. The water was deep and cold.
They swam to the bank and shook themselves. Now they were wet and cross.
The plank had caught on a rock. It still reached across the stream.
This time the gray goat said, "You go first." The brown goat said, "Thank you."
They crossed one at a time, and nobody fell in. Both goats had a fine lunch of grass.
Questions
- At the barn
- In the middle of the plank
- On a hill
- To nap
- To swim
- To go first
- They fell in the stream
- They flew
- They went home
- A mark like an X
- To go over
- In a bad mood
- Both at once
- One at a time
- They did not
- Giving way can save the day
- Goats like water
- Planks are weak
Words to know
- plank: a long board
- stream: a small river
- cross: in a bad mood
- bank: the stream's side
Answer key: Nobody Gives Way
- B. In the middle of the plank
- C. To go first
- A. They fell in the stream
- C. In a bad mood
- B. One at a time
- A. Giving way can save the day
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Nobody Gives Way” 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 | 182 words, 12 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.