Support your students in developing their retelling and comprehension skills with our purposeful The Speedy Sloth: Sequencing activity. Designed to accompany a whole class reading of The Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young, these no-prep worksheets help students identify and order the key events in the story.

Sequencing is a foundational skill for understanding narrative structure and improving oral and written retells. After reading the text, students will record the main events in order, focusing on either the beginning, middle and end or the orientation, complication and resolution. This gives students the opportunity to reflect on the structure of the story and practise organising their ideas in a meaningful way.

With three differentiated worksheet styles provided, this resource supports all levels of learners. Students can draw the story sequence, draw and write, or write only, depending on their readiness. Each version is available with 24mm and 18mm lines, making it easy to adapt for different age groups or writing stages. It’s ideal for small groups, literacy rotations, scribing sessions, or as a go-to resource for your relief folder.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify and sequence main events from a narrative text
• ✅ Understand story structure: beginning, middle and end or orientation, complication and resolution
• ✅ Practise organising ideas in a logical order
• ✅ Strengthen drawing and writing skills through visual retelling
• ✅ Build oral language and comprehension through structured responses

What’s Included:

• Three worksheet versions, all available in 24mm and 18mm lines:
•     - Drawing the events of the story
•     - Drawing + writing about the events
•     - Writing only (no drawing section)

Materials Needed:

• Printed worksheets (select level and line size as needed)
• Pencils, crayons, or markers for writing and drawing
• Optional: A3 paper if enlarging for younger students

How to Use:

1. Read The Speedy Sloth as a class and discuss what happened at the beginning, middle and end of the story.
2. Introduce the concept of sequencing and the purpose of organising story events.
3. Choose the worksheet that best suits your students’ writing or drawing ability.
4. Have students draw, write, or do both to reflect the key events in the correct order.
5. Use completed work to support oral retelling or as a comprehension assessment.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use after a shared reading to consolidate understanding of narrative structure
• 💡 Include as a rotation during a comprehension or writing session
• 💡 Create a sequencing wall with student work and accompanying story prompts
• 💡 Use for scribing in small groups or as an early finisher activity
• 💡 Extend by having students retell the story orally using their completed worksheet

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Enlarge to A3 for students who need more space for drawing and writing
• 💛 Model sequencing using story cards or pictures before handing out the worksheet
• 💛 Use in assessment folders to document comprehension skills and writing progress
• 💛 Highlight the difference between drawing only and writing versions to differentiate quickly

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

Available in our basic fun font and all Australian state fonts.