A Lesson on Retelling Stories

Learning to Re-Tell Stories

Our Reading Class has been working hard on learning how to retell stories that we have heard or read.  One activity we did recently to illustrate and reinforce this concept was the retelling of the Native American tale Arrow To The Sun with our story telling bags.  Since many Native American tribes told stories using story telling bags filled with items to remind them of the tale that they were telling, the students did the same with their own paper bag version of a storytelling bag.

First, the book was read aloud to the group.

Using pictures of the characters from the story, I demonstrated how to sequence the events of the story. (We had a faux campfire burning to add to the ambience of campfire story telling.)

 We then helped each other retell the story.

The children were then given their own pictures of the story to color, cut out and put into their own story telling bags (paper bags decorated with Native American symbols).  They then retold the story of the Arrow To The Sun to a teacher while recording their retelling on their iPad using the Voice Memo app.

They then enjoyed listening to the recording of themselves on the iPad, retelling the story.

Please help your child practice this new skill at home by asking them to retell stories in their own words after they have read them to you.

One of our favorite Thanksgiving poems was Mr. Turkey (ask your child to sing it to you at home).

Each child had a copy of the poem while a large copy of the same poem was displayed on the Smartboard.  As each child highlighted rhyming words and underlined trick words on their individual poems, a student was chosen to highlight the words on the Smartboard poem. 

Fun Thanksgiving Writing:

The class finished the prompt, "If I were a turkey..." for some fun, creative writing.  They had some great ideas on what they would do if they were turkeys around Thanksgiving.  Below are some samples to enjoy:

An Article For You to Enjoy:

Below is an article I found on Huffington Post on why reading to your child is worthwhile and important:

Reasons Why Reading With Your Child Is a Habit Worth Keeping

I recently picked up a habit worth keeping -- reading a chapter book with my child every single day! Thanks to Mrs. O'Rourke, the extraordinary school librarian at my children's school, she introduced a program to our school called "one school, one book", which is a program that is designed to create a shared reading experience with your child. The idea is to choose a chapter book to read with your child over the course of a single month and gain some of the benefits featured below.

I have noticed that this experience has helped me to teach my children a love for reading at an early age through an interest and effort to read together. When this program was introduced we immediately began reading together at home and developed a new daily routine. It soon became a habit for us and turned into our daily ritual of togetherness with a love of reading and learning.

On a recent family trip to Boston, and over the course of our one hour flight back home, my 10-year old daughter and I read over five chapters of the classic tale,Charlotte's Web. For one, I must say, I will love every spider I meet and may even smile, rather than cringe, after I see one creeping up on my wall! What stood out at me the most was the storyline about Wilbur the pig and how he considered himself to be just an average pig. But, it was his spider friend, Charlotte, who believed in him to be absolutely wonderful, so, he too began to believe he was wonderful!

My favorite excerpt from the pages of Charlotte's Web is: "When Charlotte's web said SOME PIG, Wilbur had tried hard to look like some pig. When Charlotte's web said TERRIFIC, Wilbur had tried to look terrific. And now that the web said RADIANT, he did everything possible to make himself glow."

Reading these precious lines of love and admiration that Charlotte has for her friend Wilbur, made my efforts of reading with my child unprecedented! I enjoyed the radiant smile it brought to both of our faces when we read the thought provoking lines about how if someone believes you are outstanding, it gives you the confidence and ability to become outstanding!

The excerpt I mention above reminds me of scenes from my novel, S.W.A.K., a novel of ultimate betrayal. It is pretty clear that the main character, Lauren was raised in a dysfunctional family situation, and, her parents were not equipped to instill the confidence in her that she needed. In the novel, Lauren meets a mentor and a friend named Carl Hill. Carl was with Lauren what Charlotte was to Wilbur; he offers Lauren the encouragement and confidence she needs to believe in herself by telling her she too is radiant and wonderful! Carl instilled in Lauren the confidence and hope that Charlotte instills in Wilbur. I find this to be a powerful message to send to our young ones, to instill confidence in them and to praise who they are.

I have had great success with reading with my children and will continue the habit and routine of reading together daily, to promote and encourage literacy and confidence.

Here are five reasons why developing a habit of reading daily with your child can instill confidence, knowledge, and a love of reading:

1. Students who read 20 minutes per day score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests vs. students who read for 1 minute per day score in the 10th percentile on standardized tests.

2. Reading with your child, or alongside your child, models a love of reading for your child.

3. Students and children listen better and longer and develop a wider vocabulary.

4. Reading together promotes social and emotional interactions among family members.

5. Reading together engages children and parents in a 

nurturing way.