The Truck Cat Trash or Treasure: National Simultaneous Storytime Activity is a fun and interactive comprehension task that supports students in recalling key events, characters and settings from The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel. Through this engaging cut-and-paste activity, students will practise distinguishing between true and false information using clues from the text—developing critical thinking, memory recall and text evidence skills in the process.

Students are provided with a collection of statement strips that include a mix of correct (treasure) and incorrect (trash) facts related to the book. Their job is to carefully read each statement, decide whether it’s accurate or inaccurate, and then glue it into the correct column on the worksheet. This task encourages close reading and helps consolidate comprehension through active engagement.

The statements cover a range of text elements, including plot events, character traits and relationships, and key settings. Students are encouraged to refer back to the book to verify their answers, reinforcing the practice of finding and using evidence in the text to support their reasoning.

This activity is a great follow-up to a whole-class reading of The Truck Cat and is suitable for independent work, small groups or literacy rotations. It also lends itself to peer discussion, as students can justify their choices and reflect on any misunderstandings or assumptions.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Recall key events, characters and settings from a narrative
• ✅ Distinguish between accurate and inaccurate information
• ✅ Support answers with text-based evidence
• ✅ Develop critical thinking and decision-making skills

What’s Included:

• Cut-and-paste worksheet templates
• Mix of true and false statement strips based on:
• Character details
• Plot events
• Setting descriptions
• Available in our basic fun font and all Australian state fonts

Materials Needed:

• Printed worksheets and statement strips
• Scissors and glue
• Pencils or markers
• Copy of The Truck Cat for reference

How to Use:

• Read The Truck Cat as a class, prompting students to listen for key facts and details.
• Distribute the worksheet and statement strips to students.
• Guide students in reading each statement and deciding if it is “trash” or “treasure.”
• Encourage students to return to the text to find evidence before gluing each strip.
• Use finished sheets as a discussion tool or formative assessment.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use as a literacy rotation for comprehension practice
• 💡 Turn into a partner activity for collaborative thinking and discussion
• 💡 Challenge students to write their own statements as a peer quiz
• 💡 Use in conjunction with the other resources in our The Truck Cat: Book PACKAGE

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Model a few example statements before students begin sorting
• 💛 Encourage students to explain their reasoning aloud or in writing
• 💛 Display student-created “trash or treasure” questions as a classroom quiz

The Truck Cat Trash or Treasure: National Simultaneous Storytime Activity is a fun, hands-on way to reinforce comprehension and help students become more attentive, critical readers.