"The Speedy Sloth' is an inspiring story that explores the concept of perseverance and inclusivity. It has a fun rhyming structure and is about Spike, a sloth, who never gives up in a race that challenges him.
This text was chosen as the 2023 ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime- to be shared across all education settings at the same time.
This activity pack includes activities to support this text, which allow students to discuss, comprehend, make connections and explore themes of commitment, hard work and believing in ones self to achieve success. There are activities that can be adapted and cater for Pre- Year 6.
Included in this pack:
*Match the rhyming words- students make connections between words in the text and match the rhyming word.
*Rhyming structure- this activity is for older students to explore the rhyming structure in the text and write their own rhyming part to add to the story.
*Informative text scaffolds- students can collect information on sloths and use the subheading to organise their information and then use the informative text structure to plan paragraphs.
*Compare and Contrast- students can explore the characteristics of a real sloth and compare it to Spike- the sloth in the story. They can explore similarities and differences between the character and a sloth in real life.
*Retell the story- students can use the scaffold to identify the orientation, events, complication and resolution (ending) in the story and retell in their own words.
*Mindset activities- students can brainstorm words that are associated with Spike's mindset and write or draw examples of Spike's mindset throughout the story. Another activity allows students to examine how Spike felt in the story and identify why Spike still felt like a winner.
*Perseverance colouring- this fun colouring sheet also allows students to define perseverance and make connections with a time they have persevered with something.
*Vocabulary activity- students define and draw various words from the text which helps to develop meaning and understanding of the text.
*Newspaper report. Students can write a sports report using descriptive language to describe the race and the atmosphere surrounding it.
Australian Curriculum content descriptions
Compare different kinds of images in narrative and informative texts and discuss how they contribute to meaning (ACELA1453)
Discuss how authors create characters using language and images (ACELT1581)
Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different types of literature and explore some features of characters in different texts (ACELT1584)
Understand that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and language features that help the text serve its purpose (ACELA1463)
Identify, reproduce and experiment with rhythmic, sound and word patterns in poems, chants, rhymes and songs (ACELT1592)
Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)
Identify and explain how choices in language, for example modality, emphasis, repetition and metaphor, influence personal response to different texts (ACELT1615)