Story Retelling
Definition and Purpose
Story retelling can be used as a way to monitor children’s comprehension. Teachers will sit one-on-one with individual children and ask them to retell a story they’ve just read or listened to read aloud. Through this process children organize the information they remember in order to provide a summary revealing their level of comprehension. Teachers will be required to explain and demonstrate the retelling procedure to ensure that children know what is expected of them. Retelling is also a skill that children will need lots of practice with.
Retelling is both an instructional tool and an assessment tool. Through story retelling children expand their oral language, enhance their use of comprehension strategies and deepen their knowledge of story structure.
Steps
1. Teachers introduce the story by reading the title, examining the book cover, or talking about a topic related to the story. They also explain to the children that they will be asked to retell the story after it has been read aloud.
2. Children read the story or listen to it read aloud. If the children are reading the story to themselves it is crucial that the story is appropriate for their reading level. After the story has been read they talk about the story, sharing ideas and clarifying confusions.
3. Children create a graphic organizer or a series of drawings to help guide their retelling. This step can be very helpful for students who have difficulty retelling stories as it provides visual cues.
4. Teachers will ask children to individually retell the story in their own words, asking questions to guide the discussion if necessary.
5. Teachers mark a scoring guide as the child retells the story. The scoring guide lists important information about characters and events in the story, and it is usually organized into beginning, middle and end sections. The teacher will listen to the student retell the story and place checkmarks by each piece of information that the child recalls.
Application and Examples
A small group of children in a grade one class have read the Frog and Toad story titled "Cookies". Following the story the teacher discusses the story with the students and clarifies any confusion the children may have. Individually each student is given a large whiteboard that they can create a graphic organizer of drawings in which to help them retell the story. The teacher will then meet with each student and allow him or her to retell the story in his or her own words. While listening the teacher completes a scoring guide to assess that student’s comprehension of the story.
Story retelling can be used as a way to monitor children’s comprehension. Teachers will sit one-on-one with individual children and ask them to retell a story they’ve just read or listened to read aloud. Through this process children organize the information they remember in order to provide a summary revealing their level of comprehension. Teachers will be required to explain and demonstrate the retelling procedure to ensure that children know what is expected of them. Retelling is also a skill that children will need lots of practice with.
Retelling is both an instructional tool and an assessment tool. Through story retelling children expand their oral language, enhance their use of comprehension strategies and deepen their knowledge of story structure.
Steps
1. Teachers introduce the story by reading the title, examining the book cover, or talking about a topic related to the story. They also explain to the children that they will be asked to retell the story after it has been read aloud.
2. Children read the story or listen to it read aloud. If the children are reading the story to themselves it is crucial that the story is appropriate for their reading level. After the story has been read they talk about the story, sharing ideas and clarifying confusions.
3. Children create a graphic organizer or a series of drawings to help guide their retelling. This step can be very helpful for students who have difficulty retelling stories as it provides visual cues.
4. Teachers will ask children to individually retell the story in their own words, asking questions to guide the discussion if necessary.
5. Teachers mark a scoring guide as the child retells the story. The scoring guide lists important information about characters and events in the story, and it is usually organized into beginning, middle and end sections. The teacher will listen to the student retell the story and place checkmarks by each piece of information that the child recalls.
Application and Examples
A small group of children in a grade one class have read the Frog and Toad story titled "Cookies". Following the story the teacher discusses the story with the students and clarifies any confusion the children may have. Individually each student is given a large whiteboard that they can create a graphic organizer of drawings in which to help them retell the story. The teacher will then meet with each student and allow him or her to retell the story in his or her own words. While listening the teacher completes a scoring guide to assess that student’s comprehension of the story.