Image of a cheetah running and a sloth on a branch
slowmotiongli/Shutterstock.com (Cheetah); worldswildlifewonders/Shutterstock.com (Sloth)
Paired Texts,

The Speedy and The Slow

Fascinating facts about the fastest and slowest land animals

By Eric Ode
From the October/November 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will compare and contrast information from two articles about the cheetah and the sloth.

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose & Levels of Meaning
  • Structure
    Each text is set up as an interview with the animal consisting of four brief informational sections. Each section begins with a question.
  • Language
    The articles contain some challenging domain-specific words that are defined on the page.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required. Some familiarity with cheetahs and sloths will aid comprehension.
Lexiles: 500L-600L
Guided Reading Level: N
DRA Level: 28-30
Featured Skill: Compare and Contrast,
Other Key Skills: compare and contrast, vocabulary, text features, main idea, sequencing, key details, summarizing, connecting to the text, narrative writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RI.1, RI.2, RI.3, RI.4, RI.5, RI.6, RI.7, RI.9, W.3, SL.1, L.1
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 6a, 6c, 6e, 6g, 6h, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7f, 7g, 9d, 10c, 12a

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Lexile® measure

  • On Level
  • Easier Level
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Think and Read: Compare and Contrast

As you read about the cheetah and the sloth, think about how the two animals are alike and how they are different.

Racing with the Cheetah

Efimova Anna/Shutterstock.com

I don’t roar like a lion. I chirp, hiss, and meow!

Where do you live?

Where do you live?

Jim McMahon/Mapman ® 

My home is in the hot, dry grasslands of Africa and Asia. I love open areas where I can run superfast.

I live in Africa and Asia. My home is the hot, dry grasslands there. I love open areas where I can run superfast. 

How fast are you anyway?

How fast are you anyway?

I’m the world’s fastest land animal. In just 3 seconds, I can go from standing still to running as fast as a car on the highway! My speed helps me catch my next meal. I hunt animals like wild goats and rabbits. When I see an animal I want to eat, I take off after it like a rocket! 

I’m the world’s fastest land animal. I can go from standing still to running as fast as a car on the highway! It only takes me 3 seconds. My speed helps me catch my next meal. I hunt animals like wild goats and rabbits. I see an animal I want to eat. Then I take off after it like a rocket! 

What makes you so speedy? 

What makes you so speedy? 

My strong legs give me power. And my claws grip the ground like cleats on a soccer field. Even my tail helps. I use it to balance when I need to turn quickly. 

My strong legs give me power. And my claws grab the ground like cleats on a soccer field. Even my tail helps. I use it to balance when I need to turn. 

Do you have a secret power? 

Do you have a secret power? 

I sure do! My yellow fur helps me to camouflage in the tall yellow grass where I live. My black spots help too. On a cloudy day, they let me blend in with shady spots in the grass. 

Yes! My yellow fur helps me to camouflage. I blend in with the tall yellow grass where I live. My black spots help too. They look like shady spots in the grass on a cloudy day.

Hanging With the Sloth 

Lukas Kovarik/Shutterstock.com 

 I eat and sleep hanging upside down! 

Where is your home?

Where is your home?

Jim McMahon/Mapman ®

Look up here! You can find me hanging in the rainforest trees of Central America and South America. I love my hot, wet habitat. 

Look up here! I live in rainforest trees. They are in Central America and South America. I love my hot, wet habitat. 

Why do you live in the trees? 

Why do you live in the trees? 

My favorite foods are here—fresh leaves and yummy fruit. And it’s hard for me to walk on the ground. My long, curved claws get in the way. But they’re perfect for hanging on to branches. 

My favorite foods are here. I eat fresh leaves and yummy fruit. And it’s hard for me to walk on the ground. My long, curved claws get in the way. But they’re perfect for hanging on to branches. 

How slow are you? 

How slow are you? 

I’m Earth’s slowest mammal. It can take me three days to travel the length of a football field! Moving slowly keeps me safe. If animals like jaguars don’t see me move, they won’t try to eat me! 

I’m the slowest mammal on Earth. It can take me three days to travel the length of a football field! Moving slowly keeps me safe. If animals like jaguars don’t see me move, they won’t try to eat me! 

Do you have a secret power? 

Do you have a secret power? 

Absolutely! Tiny green plants grow in my brown fur. This helps me camouflage. I blend right into my treetop home. 

Yes! Tiny green plants grow in my brown fur. This helps me camouflage. I blend right into the trees where I live.

THINK AND WRITE

Think about what you just learned about the cheetah and the sloth. Which animal would you rather be? Why? Answer in a well-organized paragraph.

THINK AND WRITE

Think about what you just learned about the cheetah and the sloth. Which animal would you rather be? Why? Answer in a well-organized paragraph.

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Can't-Miss Teaching Extras

Our paired texts feature from October/November 2020 explores another fascinating pair of animals. “The Biggest and Smallest Birds in the World” provides your students with incredible facts about the ostrich and the bee hummingbird.

For more practice comparing and contrasting two extremes, share the Paired Texts feature “Hottest/Coldest Places.” Your students will learn about life in Dallol, Ethiopia, and Oymyakon, Russia.

Wild fact: Sloths eat, drink, and sleep hanging in trees, but they poop on the ground! This is one of the most vulnerable times in a sloth’s life, and many predators will try to attack them while they poop.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading/Preview Text Features/Build Background Knowledge

  • Instruct students to study the title, subtitle, and illustration on pages 16-17. Ask them to describe the illustration and predict what the story will be about. Review the predictions after reading.
  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 16 and the Think and Write box on page 19.

Introduce Vocabulary

  • Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words. Then assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading.

2. Close Reading

  • Read the story as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the Read-Aloud. 
  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. (Alternatively, use all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck.)

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read the first section of “Racing With the Cheetah.” What are grasslands, and why are they a good place for the cheetah to live? (main idea, vocabulary) Grasslands are large, open areas covered with grass. They are a good place for the cheetah to live because it loves open areas where it can run superfast.
  • Read “How fast are you anyway?” What words and phrases does the author use to help you understand how fast a cheetah can run? (text evidence, author’s craft) The author helps you understand how fast the cheetah runs by telling you it’s “the world’s fastest land animal.” He writes that it takes a cheetah only three seconds to “go from standing still to running as fast as a car on the highway.” He also compares the cheetah to a rocket. 
  • Read “What makes you so speedy?” Which parts of the cheetah’s body help it run so fast? Explain your answer. (supporting details) The cheetah’s legs, claws, and tail help it run fast. Its strong legs give it power. Its claws grip the ground. And its tail helps the cheetah balance when the animal has to turn quickly.
  • Read the first section of “Hanging With the Sloth.” How is the sloth’s home different from the cheetah’s? (compare and contrast) The sloth lives up in the rainforest trees. The cheetah’s home is on the ground in the grasslands. Both animals live in hot places, but the rainforest is wet and the grasslands are dry. Each animal lives in a different part of the world. The sloth’s home is in Central America and South America. The cheetah’s home is in Africa and Asia.
  • Read “Why do you live in the trees?” Why is it hard for sloths to walk on the ground the way cheetahs do? (key details, compare and contrast) The sloth’s long, curved claws are good for hanging on to tree limbs but get in the way when it walks on the ground. A cheetah’s claws grip the ground and help it run quickly.
  • Read “How slow are you?” How does being Earth’s slowest animal help keep the sloth safe? (cause and effect) Because the sloth moves so slowly, its enemies don’t see it. This helps keep the sloth safe.
  • Read “Do you have a secret power?” in both articles. How are the animals’ “secret powers” similar? How are they different? (compare and contrast, vocabulary) The cheetah’s and sloth’s secret powers are similar because their furs help them camouflage. They’re different because their furs use different colors to blend into their surroundings. Tiny green plants grow in the sloth’s brown fur and help it blend into its treetop home. A cheetah’s yellow fur and black spots help it blend into the tall yellow  grass where it lives.

Critical-Thinking Question

  • Would you rather be a sloth or a cheetah? Explain your answer using details from the selection. (connecting to the text) Answers will vary but should include supporting details from the articles.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Compare and Contrast

  • Distribute or digitally assign the Compare and Contrast Skill Builder.  
  • Ask students to write a response to the prompt in the Think and Write box on page 19. 

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

Read the lower-Lexile version of the articles while students follow along. As they read, students should look for and highlight the ways in which cheetahs and sloths are similar and different. Then work with students to complete the Compare and Contrast Skill Builder as a group. Tip: When students read the articles online in Presentation View, they can use the highlighter tool to mark the text.

For Multilingual Learners

Before having students read the articles, go over the domain-specific vocabulary words in bold. You can also show the vocabulary slideshow to reinforce the meanings of these words. Point out that two of these terms (grasslands and rainforest) are examples of another term (habitat). Then ask students to think of other animals they know about, and together discuss the habitats where those animals live. Invite students to share the words for grasslands, rainforest, and other habitats in the other languages they know.

For Advanced Readers

Invite students to research another animal that is particularly fast or slow. Once they have selected their animal, ask them to answer the questions from either text with one or two sentences about the new animal.

Text-to-Speech