Persephone and the Seeds
The Greeks told of Persephone. She loved flowers. Her mother, Demeter, made the plants grow.
One day Persephone found a new flower. She pulled it up. The ground shook!
Hades, a king who lived deep down, took her below. Persephone was sad. She wanted her mother.
Demeter looked and looked for her girl. She was so sad that nothing would grow.
The leaves fell. The fields went cold and bare. Winter came to the world.
At last Zeus sent Hermes down to the dark. "Bring Persephone home!" he said.
Hades gave Persephone a red fruit. She ate six seeds. Then she went up to her mother.
Demeter hugged her. But Persephone had eaten six seeds. She had to go back for part of each year.
Now Persephone is below for six months. Demeter is sad, and it is winter.
When Persephone comes home, the flowers bloom. It is spring! The sun is warm, and plants grow.
Questions
- Athena
- Demeter
- Hera
- A gold coin
- A red bird
- A new flower
- Demeter was so sad
- It did not rain
- The seeds were lost
- Two
- Ten
- Six
- The sun goes out
- It is spring
- It snows
- With nothing on it
- Very loud
- Full of flowers
Words to know
- flower: a plant's bright bloom
- seeds: small parts of a fruit
- winter: the cold time
- spring: when plants wake up
Answer key: Persephone and the Seeds
- B. Demeter
- C. A new flower
- A. Demeter was so sad
- C. Six
- B. It is spring
- A. With nothing on it
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Persephone and the Seeds” 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 | 156 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.