The Tall Thin Man
It is night. Mia is in bed.
She looks at the door.
A tall, thin man is there!
He does not move.
Mia can not sleep.
She gets up and turns on the light.
It is a coat on a hook!
“Hello, Tom,” said Mia.
She puts a hat on Tom.
Tom looks funny in the hat.
Mia grins and gets in bed.
“Good night, Tom,” said Mia.
Questions
- A cat
- A tall, thin man
- A dog
- A cloud
- A tree
- A coat
- Tom
- Sam
- Ben
- To keep it warm
- To make it silly, not scary
- She is cold
- Not loud
- Not bright
- Not short
Words to know
- tall: not short
- thin: not wide
- hook: holds a coat
- coat: you wear it in the cold
Answer key: The Tall Thin Man
- B. A tall, thin man
- C. A coat
- A. Tom
- B. To make it silly, not scary
- C. Not short
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“The Tall Thin Man” 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 | 68 words, 12 screens, 5 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 4 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.