Strategy Focus: Retelling

2nd Grade
Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to
demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CC.1.3.2.G Use information from illustrations and words in print or digital
text to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, or plot.

Objective

Students will be able to understand the concept of retelling a

story
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the story by
completing a graphic organizer
Students will understand how to apply this strategy to other
stories
Good readers are able to recall important events in the story.
When readers try to teach someone what the book is about,
they do not read word for word, they say the important events.
That is the strategy we are going to work on today. It is called
Retelling.
Activate prior knowledge -I want you to think of a time when
you were very hungry. Lets visualize a time when you thought
you could eat everything in front of you. (Remember visualizing
is getting a mental picture in your mind, like a movie.) - Turn and
Talk
Call on 1 or 2 students to share
Relate their stories to the caterpillar When Jimmy said he
went to a buffet with his family and he ate so much food he
had a stomach ache, reminds me of the book we are going to
read today! We call that a Text- to Self connection.
Introduction
Introduce the story to students- Today we are going to read a
book about a very hungry caterpillar. We have a job to do as
we read about this caterpillar. Our job is to remember the
important parts about this book.

Anticipatory Set

Procedures

Refer to Anchor Chart-When we retell a story, there are 5 key

things we need to remember. This is called a 5 Finger Retell.
When we look at this anchor chart, it tells me that we need to
remember the characters, setting, problem, events and
solution.
Model Stop and Jot- While I am reading this story, you will
have 5 sticky notes. You can stop and jot quick notes during
the story to remind you of the important parts.

Read the story The Very Hungry Caterpillar stop every couple
of pages to think aloud.
Modeling
After the story is over, refer back the anchor chart
Now that I look back at the story, I am going to think aloud and
retell this story to you using my 5 fingers. The character was
the caterpillar. The setting was outside. The problem was he
was hungry and he ate too much. In the beginning the
caterpillar was just a tiny egg. In the middle the caterpillar
was eating everything, even things he should not be eating, and
he got a stomach ache. At the end of the book the caterpillar
turned into a beautiful butterfly. The solution was he ate a leaf
which made him feel better.
Did you see how I thought about the important parts of the
story using my 5 Finger Retell?
Guided Practice
Now that I have retold this story, I would like to hear you
retell this story. Before we go back to our graphic organizer, I
would like you to turn and talk to your partner. Using your 5
Finger Retell Strategy. Retell this story to your partner .
Teacher walks around and listens to student conversations.
Teacher signals students attention
When I was walking around I really liked the conversations I
heard. I saw __________ using her fingers and referring
back to the anchor chart as she talked to her partner. I also
liked how _____________ retold this story using his Stop-and
Jot papers.
Independent Practice
Show students the graphic organizer- read each section
You will complete this graphic organizer in order to show me
that you are able to retell this story using our 5 finger
strategy.
Send students off to complete their graphic organizer
During the Turn and Talk portion of the lesson, walk around and
discuss different aspects of the book with each student. Students
who are struggling to grasp the concept, simplify it using objects (like
beads) or picture cards. For students who have a full understanding
of retelling, ask them higher level thinking questions such as, What
do you think the butterfly will do next? If you were to write the
next page of this story, what would it be? Can you include this on
your graphic organizer? How can you apply this strategy to the
book we read for guided reading?

Differentiation

Closure

Formative/
Summative
Assessment

Materials/Resource
s

Bring students back to the meeting area to discuss what we

learned today. (Refer to the anchor chart)
Tomorrow we will read another story, If You Give a Mouse a
Cookie. We will practice our new reading strategy, Retelling.
We will also practice retelling during guided reading. I will
leave this anchor chart on the wall for you to refer back to
during your independent reading.
Formative: Teacher will listen to students conversations during
Turn and Talk and determine whether or not the students grasp the
concept of retelling.
Summative: Teacher will collect the students graphic organizers to
determine whether or not they understood this strategy. This will
drive instruction for the following day.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle

Carle E. (1969). The Very Hungry Caterpillar. United States: Penguin Putnam
Publishing

Sticky Notes
Graphic Organizers- See below for link to blog
Markers
Anchor Chart- See below for link to blog
Pencils