The Truck Cat Settings: National Simultaneous Storytime Activity

Years
EY - 2
Pages
9
Resource, Worksheets & Activities
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Description
The Truck Cat Settings: National Simultaneous Storytime Activity is a visual and written comprehension task that invites students to explore the rich, quintessentially Australian settings featured in The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel. Through drawing and description, students develop their understanding of how settings shape a story and how place contributes to atmosphere and character experience. This resource is ideal for supporting narrative comprehension through a creative and meaningful lens.
Students will begin by selecting or being assigned a sentence strip that describes one of the story’s key settings—such as Yacoub’s truck or Mari’s bakery. They will glue or write this setting at the top of the page and then draw a detailed illustration to match. This combination of visual and written expression encourages students to closely attend to descriptive clues in both the text and illustrations while enhancing their ability to visualise and respond to story settings.
Two worksheet versions are provided to support differentiation in the classroom. The first includes drawing space and lined sections in three line widths (24mm, 18mm and 14mm), allowing students to describe the setting using sensory details—what they might see, hear or feel—or offer a personal reflection on the setting. The second version is drawing-only, ideal for younger learners or those who prefer visual response. Both versions help students connect more deeply with the world of the story.
This task not only builds comprehension, but also supports skills in visual literacy, descriptive writing and creative expression. It is easily adapted for group work, modelling, or cross-curricular integration with art and geography.
Key Learning Outcomes:
- ✅ Identify and describe key settings within a narrative text
- ✅ Use visual and written responses to interpret story details
- ✅ Understand how setting contributes to mood and story structure
- ✅ Build vocabulary and comprehension through creative description
What’s Included:
- Two template options:
- Drawing and writing version (24mm, 18mm, and 14mm lines)
- Drawing-only version
- Setting sentence strips (or option to write your own)
- Available in basic fun font and all Australian state fonts
Materials Needed:
- Printed templates
- Pencils, crayons, markers or paints
- Scissors and glue (if using sentence strips)
- Copy of The Truck Cat for class reading
How to Use:
- Read The Truck Cat with your class, pausing to explore how settings are described and illustrated.
- Provide students with a sentence strip or allow them to choose their favourite setting to write and illustrate.
- Students draw a detailed picture of the chosen setting and write a description (optional, depending on template).
- Support student understanding with videos or images of similar settings.
- Invite students to share and discuss their completed work to compare interpretations.
Ideas for Classroom Use:
- 💡 Use as a follow-up to reading The Truck Cat to deepen comprehension
- 💡 Pair with a geography or art activity on Australian landscapes
- 💡 Encourage oral sharing or gallery walks with finished pages
- 💡 Use in conjunction with the other resources in our The Truck Cat: Book PACKAGE
Top Teacher Tips:
- 💛 Model your own example first to demonstrate expectations
- 💛 Enlarge templates to A3 to give students more space for drawing and writing
- 💛 Extend with a creative writing task set in the chosen setting
The Truck Cat Settings: National Simultaneous Storytime Activity is a creative and thoughtful way to explore how setting shapes a story. Through drawing and description, students bring the story’s world to life while strengthening key comprehension skills.
Additional information
Number of Pages | 9 |
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File Format | |
Australian Curriculum Code | AC9E1LA08, AC9E1LE01, AC9E1LE02, AC9E1LE03, AC9E1LY06, AC9E2LA08, AC9E2LE01, AC9E2LE02, AC9E2LE03, AC9E2LY06, AC9EFLA07, AC9EFLE01, AC9EFLE02, AC9EFLE03, AC9EFLY06 |
Australian Curriculum V9
F - 6
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