Paddy's Strange House
Paddy the Beaver was building something big. Jerry Muskrat watched from the water.
First there was a flat pile of mud and sticks. It stood in the middle of the pond.
"Paddy is making a mistake," said Jerry. "I see no door at all."
A rabbit came by and looked, too. "Is that another dam?" he asked.
Jerry laughed. "No, it is Paddy's house. The doors are under the water!"
"Then where will he sleep?" asked the rabbit. "That mud heap is in the way."
Jerry did not know. He was a bit worried. But he did not like to say so.
Next day Paddy came with long sticks. He leaned them on the heap. He tied the tops.
Soon the mud heap was gone. Sticks covered it, and a roof stood in its place.
Jerry and the rabbit looked and looked. "It is a house!" said Jerry. "A fine house!"
Jerry laughed at himself. He had thought Paddy was wrong. He was glad he had not told him so.
"Paddy knew what he was doing," said Jerry. "He always does. I should have known."
Questions
- Under the water
- On the roof
- In a tree
- A fox
- Jerry Muskrat
- A hawk
- Stones
- Berries
- Long sticks
- A big pile
- A small song
- A wet door
- Wait and see before you say someone is wrong
- Mud is hard to find
- Rabbits are quick
Words to know
- mistake: something wrong
- heap: a big pile
- roof: top of a house
Answer key: Paddy's Strange House
- A. Under the water
- B. Jerry Muskrat
- C. Long sticks
- A. A big pile
- A. Wait and see before you say someone is wrong
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Paddy's Strange House” 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 | 185 words, 12 screens, 5 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.