Help your students consolidate their comprehension skills with our purposeful The Speedy Sloth: Summarising activity. Designed to accompany a whole class reading of The Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young, this no-prep resource supports students in identifying and recording the key elements of the story in a clear and concise way.

Summarising is a foundational literacy skill that encourages students to think critically about the most important parts of a text. With this resource, students will focus on the main characters, setting, and plot to create a brief summary of what the story was about. By combining visual and written responses, students will develop confidence in expressing their understanding in multiple ways.

This activity includes three differentiated worksheet options to suit various learning levels. Whether students are drawing a single summarising image or writing a short summary sentence using a prompt, each version helps students reflect on what they’ve read and organise their thinking. The 24mm and 18mm line versions allow for flexibility depending on student needs and writing abilities.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify and record the key elements of a story
• ✅ Summarise a narrative using clear and concise language
• ✅ Practise using sentence starters to support writing structure
• ✅ Strengthen comprehension through visual and written expression
• ✅ Build confidence in retelling familiar texts

What’s Included:

• Three worksheet versions:
•     - Drawing a picture that summarises the story
•     - Drawing + sentence prompt (24mm lines)
•     - Drawing + sentence prompt (18mm lines)

Materials Needed:

• Printed worksheets
• Pencils, crayons, or markers for drawing and writing
• Optional: A3 paper for enlarging worksheets for younger learners

How to Use:

1. Read The Speedy Sloth together as a class.
2. Discuss the characters, setting, and what happened throughout the story.
3. Introduce the concept of summarising - keeping only the most important ideas.
4. Distribute the worksheet version that suits your students’ needs.
5. Have students complete the drawing and/or written summary independently or with support.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use after a shared reading session to consolidate comprehension
• 💡 Include in a literacy rotation as a summary task
• 💡 Display summaries alongside the book in a reading corner or hallway
• 💡 Use as a scribing task for students who are developing writing skills
• 💡 Pair with oral retelling for extra speaking and listening practice

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Enlarge to A3 for students who need extra space or writing support
• 💛 Use sentence starters to help guide reluctant writers
• 💛 Encourage students to work with a partner to discuss their summary before writing
• 💛 Collect as assessment evidence for comprehension and writing development

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.