The Hare and the Tortoise

The Hare and the Tortoise

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Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about adding words to a text so that it makes sense.
The following piece of writing has some spaces where words are missing.
 
First, read the whole piece of writing through to get an idea of what it is about. Then fill each space with ONE word so that the whole piece of writing makes sense. You are able to change answers as you go.

When you have filled in all the spaces, re-read the text to check that the whole piece of writing makes sense.

Question 1Change answer

The Hare and the Tortoise
 
Hare was very proud of how swiftly he could run and boasted that he could beat any other animal in a race. But no one chose to accept 1 challenge.
 
Then Tortoise quietly said, "I'll 2 against you." Laughing loudly, Hare agreed, 3 how foolish Tortoise was even to 4 to beat someone like him.
 
The 5 began, and Hare darted off. He 6 soon out of sight.
"I'm so 7 ahead", he thought, "I'll take a 8 nap just to show poor old 9 I'm not taking this race at 10 seriously." And so he lay down 11 a tree, confident that he would 12 without even trying.
 
Slowly Tortoise plodded 13. He passed the sleeping Hare barely 14 in his direction. He looked straight 15, eyes on the finish line, and continued his slow, steady progress. When Hare 16 from his nap, he saw Tortoise 17 the finish line. Leaping to his 18 he raced like the wind, but 19 was too late. Tortoise crossed the 20 line ahead of him. Which just 21 to show that 'slow and steady 22 the race'.
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online (without auto-marking).
Copyright: 

Text: Aesop fable
Source: Unknown

Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Reading
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
cloze, comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, text features
Description of task: 
The traditional fable of 'Hare and Tortoise' is presented as a cloze article in this resource. Students draw on their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary to create well-formed sentences.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:

  • use comprehension strategies
  • monitor their reading for accuracy and sense

as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Reading at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.

Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Making sense of text: processing system, set 4
Making sense of text: vocabulary knowledge, sets 4-5
within the Reading Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

 
1.     Hare's/his/the/that
2.     race/run/compete
3.     thinking/saying
4.     try/attempt/endeavour
5.     race/contest/challenge
6.     was
7.     far/much
8.     little/quick/short/brief/small
9.     Tortoise
10.   all
11.   under/beside/beneath/against/by/behind
12.   win/triumph/succeed
13.   on/forward/along/ahead/closer/by
14.   looking/glancing
15.   ahead/forward/on
16.   woke/awoke
17.   approaching/nearing/at/near/reaching/by/at
18.   feet
19.   it/he/Hare
20.   finish/finishing
21.   goes
22.   wins

Click here for more information on Interpreting Cloze Results