The Mice Hold a Meeting
In a big old house lived many mice. They had one big problem. It was the cat.
She walked on soft paws. The mice never heard her coming, so they ran.
One night the mice met under the floor. "We must do something," said the oldest mouse.
A young mouse jumped up. "Let us put a bell on the cat!" he said.
"Then we will hear the bell ring when she comes. We can all run and hide!"
All the mice clapped and cheered. It seemed like a very fine plan.
Then a wise old mouse stood up. "It is a good plan," he said.
"But who will tie the bell on the cat?" The room went quiet. "Not me," said one mouse.
"I am too slow," he said. "Not me," said another. "I am too small."
Every mouse had a reason. Not one of them would do it. They all looked at their toes.
The meeting was over. The bell sat in its box. The cat slept on in the sun.
Questions
- In a tree
- Under the floor
- On the roof
- Move away
- Make a trap
- Put a bell on the cat
- A wise old mouse
- The cat
- A young mouse
- Very loud
- Very small
- Full of sense
- Yes
- No
- Only one
- A plan is easy to make, but hard to do
- Cats are slow
- Mice are loud
Words to know
- meeting: a time to talk
- plan: an idea to do
- wise: full of sense
Answer key: The Mice Hold a Meeting
- B. Under the floor
- C. Put a bell on the cat
- A. A wise old mouse
- C. Full of sense
- B. No
- A. A plan is easy to make, but hard to do
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“The Mice Hold a Meeting” 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 | 172 words, 11 screens, 6 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.