finishing line. Only then did he notice what the commotion was about. There was Tortoise. Illustration 8
Before reading aloud ask pupils to look at the pictures and say what the story is about. Who are the main characters? As you read the title, ask pupils to point to each word. Illustration 1 Once upon a time, on an island not far from here, there was a lively hare and a steady old tortoise. One day Hare was boasting about how fast he could run. “I’m the fastest animal on the island,” he boasted. “No one can beat me.” Tortoise was fed up listening to Hare boast so he said, calmly, “Let’s have a race, then.” Hare laughed and laughed but he agreed and the other animals organised a race. Pause and ask pupils to recap what has happened so far. Illustration 2 “ On your marks. Get set. Go!” called Crow and the race began. Quick as flash, Hare sped away. Slowly and steadily, Tortoise followed. Pause and ask pupils how they think the story will end. (If some students already know the story, ask them not to say what happens as this will spoil it for others.) Illustration 3 Soon Hare was out of sight. “I’m so far from here,” Hare said to himself. “I might as well sit down and rest for a while.” Illustration 4 The day was warm and Hare was pleased with himself. Soon he was fast asleep. Illustrations 5 Meanwhile Tortoise plodded along slowly, enjoying the smell of the flowers and the songs of the birds. Pause and ask pupils to recap. What do they think will happen next? Illustration 6 Tortoise paused from time to time to nibble a leaf then he plodded on: round the houses, over the bridge and past Hare who was still fast asleep under the tree. Pause and ask pupils what they think will happen next. Illustration 7 Slowly, slowly, he plodded on until he neared the finishing line. All the other animals were there and they clapped and cheered and jumped up and down in excitement as he crossed over the line. “Hooray for Tortoise!” they shouted and they presented him with a garland of flowers. All the noise woke Hare who looked around, startled. He stood up, lazily and started trotting toward the
Hare raced up but realised that he was too late. He had lost the race. Tortoise, the slowest animal he knew, had beaten him. Crow (who had flown from the Start to the Finish) wagged a wing at Hare. “From now on, Hare, I hope you won’t boast so much. And, remember: slow and steady wins the race.” See suggested activities in the Teacher’s note on page 17. Unit 6: The Cakes, pages 19–23 Before reading aloud ask pupils to look at the picture on page 19 and predict what the story will be about. Who are the characters? Read the story aloud while pupils look at the pictures on the relevant page. Page 19 One day, Mom and Kim decided to make cupcakes. Kim weighed the flour and Mom put in the butter. Page 20 “I will put the cakes in the oven,” said Mom. “We have
to be careful because it’s very hot,” she said. “When will the cakes be ready?” asked Kim. “Not long,” said Mom.
When the cakes had risen and were golden brown on top, Mom took them out of the oven. When they were cool, Kim decorated each one with a cherry. Page 21 Kim put the plate of cakes on the table and went to play in the yard. As she went out, Dad came in. He took a deep breath. ”My, those cakes smell good.” He went a bit closer and said, “And they look good too.” Dad picked up a cake and took a bite. “They sure do taste as good as they look!” he said. As Dad went out, Tom came in. “Ahah!” he said. “Cake! Yum!” and he picked one up and gobbled it down. Page 22 As soon as Tom left, Grandma and Grandad came into the kitchen. They each took a cake. “It tastes good!” said Grandpa. “Dee…licious!” said Grandma. Pause and ask pupils to tell you what has happened so far in the story. Page 23 Kim came back into the kitchen and saw the plate with only two cakes. “Mommy! Mommy!” she cried. “Someone’s been eating my cakes. There are only two left!”
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