The Sailor and the Snake
A sailor was on a big ship. Then a big storm came.
The waves were tall. The ship broke. The sailor held on to a plank.
The sea carried him to an island. He lay on the sand, wet and tired.
Nobody was there. He found figs and grapes, and he ate and ate.
Then the ground began to shake. Out of the trees came a giant snake!
It was as long as a ship. Its skin shone like gold.
The sailor was so scared. He could not say a single word.
But the snake was kind. It carried him, very gently, to its home.
"Do not be afraid," said the snake. "You will be safe here."
"A ship will come for you," it said. "You will go home."
And one day, a ship came! The sailor knew the men on board.
The snake gave him many gifts. The sailor said, "Thank you, kind friend!"
The sailor sailed home. He told the king about the kind snake.
Questions
- A plank
- A rope
- A fish
- Bread and soup
- Figs and grapes
- Nothing at all
- It chased him
- It would not speak
- It was kind to him
- The snake was gentle and said he would be safe
- He ran away
- He fell asleep
- Very fast
- In a soft way
- With a loud noise
Words to know
- plank: a flat piece of wood
- island: land in the sea
- gently: in a soft way
- gift: a present
Answer key: The Sailor and the Snake
- A. A plank
- B. Figs and grapes
- C. It was kind to him
- A. The snake was gentle and said he would be safe
- B. In a soft way
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“The Sailor and the Snake” 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 | 167 words, 13 screens, 5 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.