The Fox and the Goat
On a hot afternoon, the fox was terribly thirsty. He leaned over an old stone well and slipped.
Splash! He landed in the water, up to his belly. The sides of the well were smooth and slippery.
He tried to climb the slippery wall, but kept slipping. He tried again and again, but nothing worked.
Presently, a thirsty goat wandered by the well. He leaned over the edge and looked down.
"How is the water down there?" asked the goat. "Is it fresh and cool?"
"Delicious!" said the fox. "It is the sweetest water anywhere. Come down and taste it."
The goat did not stop to think. He was so thirsty that he jumped right in.
He drank and drank. Then he looked up at the enormous stone walls. "How will we ever get out?" he asked.
The fox pretended to think carefully. "I have an idea," he said. "Stand on your back legs, and lean against the wall."
"I will climb up your back and out. Then I will pull you up."
The goat did as he was told. The fox climbed up the goat's back. He stepped on the horns and hopped out.
The fox sat on the edge and brushed his tail. Then he got up to go.
"Hey!" called the goat. "You promised you would help me out of here!"
The fox looked down. "My dear friend," he said, "think carefully before you jump."
Then he trotted off. Soon a farmer's boy came to the well. He heard the goat bleating and lowered a rope.
Questions
- Into a river
- Into a well
- Into a barn
- He climbed on the goat
- He swam
- A boy pulled him out
- It was the best water in town
- He wanted the goat to get him out
- He wanted to share
- Calling like a goat
- Jumping
- Drinking
- Foxes are good at climbing
- Look before you leap
- Wells are cool
Words to know
- well: deep hole for water
- belly: stomach
- pretended: acted as if
- bleating: calling like a goat
- leaned: bent over
Answer key: The Fox and the Goat
- B. Into a well
- A. He climbed on the goat
- B. He wanted the goat to get him out
- A. Calling like a goat
- B. Look before you leap
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“The Fox and the Goat” is a reading level 7 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 30 words on a screen. At most 8% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Children in 3rd grade start at this level.
| This passage | 259 words, 15 screens, 5 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 5 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings |
|---|---|
| Longest sentence at this level | 10 words |
| Words on a screen | 12 to 30 |
| Skills practised at this level | phonics (sounding words out), sight words, spelling |
Reading level 7: 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.