Retell the Story–Parent Pipeline

Retelling the story is a comprehension strategy used to help readers recall what is happening in the story. It involves telling what is important in the story without telling too much. The most effective way to teach retelling is through modeling and practice. Model this strategy for your students and then allow them to practice. There are many ways to enhance learning for the strategy of retelling, here are a few:

1. Introduce the Retell Rope described on the ready reference guide in the back of the CAFE book. This strategy provides a visual and kinesthetic reminder for children to help them focus on the strategy being learned.

2. After a brief reminder on what it means to be a good listener, allow students to practice this strategy by sharing a retelling of a story with a partner. Partners should listen to the retelling carefully, prompting with questions about the characters, setting, problem, events, or solution if needed.

3. Make this strategy fun by allowing children to use small props or puppets when retelling their story.

4. Fold a piece of paper into thirds. Have the children use these columns to write beginning, middle, and end. Then, have the children draw a picture that retells what happened in the beginning of the story, in the middle of the story, and at the end of the story. The space is small so children must weed out the minor details of the story and only draw the most important details for their retelling. Then, using the pictures, have the children explain what they drew as they retell the story.