FREE unit of work for National Simultaneous Storytime 2025
4 min
Classroom Activities
Sarah Bakker
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Can you believe it? National Simultaneous Storytime is turning 25! And this year, Seven Steps is celebrating in true storytelling style – with a FREE unit of work exploring the techniques used in The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell.
On Wednesday 21 May at 12:00 pm AEST, thousands of kids across Australia will all pause to read this beautiful picture book at the exact same time. It’s a colourful, vibrant, fun event that brings books to life in classrooms, libraries, homes – anywhere there’s a story to be told!
And what a story it is!
“Some cats are house cats.
Some are apartment cats.
Some cats live on farms.
Some live in the city.
But Tinka was a truck cat.
Tinka lived everywhere.”
Tinka is ready to take your students on a journey – and we’ve created the perfect Seven Steps resource to make it even more exciting. 👇
FREE unit of work for National Simultaneous Storytime 2025
We’ve created a jam-packed read to write unit based on The Truck Cat, and it’s ready to download. Here’s what’s inside:
🗺️ Explore story structure
Start your journey by exploring the book’s structure with our easy-to-use story graph. We’ve even plotted The Truck Cat on the graph for you!
🔍 Identify key techniques
Take a closer look at the Sizzling Start, the build-up of tension, and the Exciting Ending. Students will learn how the author hooks us in and keeps us turning the pages.
✍️ Write a sequel
Then, it’s your students’ turn! Using what they’ve learnt, your students will plan, draft and edit their very own sequel to Tinka’s adventure using real author techniques.
This unit is all about making the reading–writing connection visible and helping students read like writers and write like readers.
Watch this short video to take a sneak peek inside.
Already a Seven Steps member? Log into Teacher Hub to access the unit!
This is just the beginning! You’ll find many more units like this one in our new Read to Write course – available now in Teacher Hub (included as part of a membership).
New to Seven Steps? View subscription options.
Ready to hit the road with Tinka and Yacoub?
Let’s make this National Simultaneous Storytime the most memorable one yet!
SEVEN STEPS MEMBERSHIP
Make the reading–writing connection visible
Integrate reading and writing instruction with our new Read to Write course available with a Seven Steps membership.
