The Ghost in the Yard
A white thing flaps in the yard.
“A ghost!” said Tom.
The cat runs from it.
The ghost flaps and flaps.
Tom and Sue go to look.
It is a sheet on the line!
The wind makes it flap.
“It needs a face,” said Sue.
Sue draws a big smile.
Tom draws two big eyes.
Now the ghost grins in the wind.
The cat sits and looks at it.
Questions
- A bird
- A white thing
- A flag
- Naps
- Plays
- Runs away
- A sheet on a line
- A bird
- A kite
- To scare the cat
- To make it friendly
- It is a test
- Sits still
- Falls down
- Waves in the air
Words to know
- flaps: waves in the air
- sheet: cloth for a bed
- wind: moving air
Answer key: The Ghost in the Yard
- B. A white thing
- C. Runs away
- A. A sheet on a line
- B. To make it friendly
- C. Waves in the air
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“The Ghost in the Yard” is a reading level 4 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 8 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 5 words a sentence, and to show 1 to 8 words on a screen. At most 6% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Readers reach this level by climbing, not by grade.
| This passage | 69 words, 12 screens, 5 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 3 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings |
|---|---|
| Longest sentence at this level | 8 words |
| Words on a screen | 1 to 8 |
| Skills practised at this level | phonics (sounding words out), first sounds, sight words |
Reading level 4: 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.