Support your students’ comprehension and oral language development with our adorable The Speedy Sloth: Oral Retell Booklet. Designed to accompany a whole class reading of The Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young, this resource provides a structured yet creative way for students to retell key parts of the story.

Retelling is an important skill that helps students consolidate their understanding of narrative structure, character development, and sequence of events. This booklet includes five key scenes from the text, each offering a visual prompt to help students retell the story in their own words. It’s a fantastic way to assess comprehension through speaking and listening, rather than writing alone.

The booklet format is simple to assemble and classroom-friendly. Each page is printed two to a sheet, saving paper and allowing for quick prep. Just print back-to-back, flip on the long edge, then slice down the middle for two student booklets per page. The compact size makes it ideal for small group instruction, take-home packs, or independent literacy stations.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Orally retell events from a narrative text
• ✅ Identify key story elements: characters, setting, and plot
• ✅ Strengthen comprehension through speaking and listening
• ✅ Use visual prompts to support oral storytelling
• ✅ Develop sequencing and narrative structure awareness

What’s Included:

• 5-page student booklet featuring scenes from The Speedy Sloth
• Printed 2-to-a-page for easy prep and assembly
• Visual prompts to support oral retell and discussion

Materials Needed:

• Printed booklets (double-sided, long-edge flip)
• Scissors for slicing pages in half
• Stapler or paperclip to bind each booklet
• Optional: crayons or markers for students to colour each page

How to Use:

1. Read The Speedy Sloth with your class.
2. Provide each student with a booklet and explain how the images represent parts of the story.
3. Model how to orally retell the story using the booklet as a prompt.
4. Have students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to practise retelling.
5. Use the booklets to support assessment, scribing, or listening tasks.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during guided reading to support oral retell skills
• 💡 Include as a literacy station in reading rotations
• 💡 Pair with scribing for early writers who are not yet ready to write their retell
• 💡 Send home as a talk-and-share activity for families
• 💡 Encourage students to colour or decorate each scene as they retell

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Laminate the pages and bind for a reusable class set
• 💛 Support early learners by modelling retells with sentence stems
• 💛 Use with EAL/D students to practise key vocabulary and sentence structure
• 💛 Record student retells as part of your assessment portfolio

Check out more amazing resources related to The Speedy Sloth in our The Speedy Sloth Book PACKAGE.