Tips and Ideas
Retell Step
Increasing Comprehension by Timing the Retell
Set a time limit (five minutes works well) for students to write everything they can remember from the story. Then have them graph the total number of words they wrote. As students move from story to story within their current level, they should see their numbers increase, a visual motivation to keep progressing.
To make the retell more challenging, have the student write an organized summary of the story, copying the main idea statement from question one and writing details to support it. Points can be awarded for complete sentences, correct spelling, correct use of periods and capitals, and descriptive words.
Reinforcing Vocabulary During the Retell Step
Ask students to use the vocabulary words from the story in their retell to ensure the students can commit new vocabulary words and their meanings to memory. Add another dimension to the retell step by having students copy the main idea statement and write three supporting statements.
– From Barbara Reed [Hayward, CA]
Personalizing the Retell Step
Every second story, instead of writing the retell, students divide a clean piece of paper into two columns, labeling one Text and the other My Reaction. The students then go back through the story and highlight two sentences that either remind them of something they had already learned or that generate a question. Students copy the highlighted sentences into the Text column, and in the other column, describe their reaction to the sentence.
– From Lise Narath [Santa Rosa, CA]
Building Comprehension With Oral Retells
After passing a story, the student retells it orally while you or an assistant take notes about the student’s progress on an adhesive label. You can then attach the label to the student's folder as a record of the student’s progress in comprehension, sequencing, and recall skills. This approach maximizes limited time and provides useful information for report cards.
– From Gwen Koehler [Divide, CO]
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Predictions and Retells
To ensure that predictions and retells truly reflect a student's topic knowledge, fold the paper to cover the story so it is not visible as the student writes the prediction; similarly, fold the paper to cover the questions during the retell.
– From Jean Albrightson [Minneapolis, MN]
