Learning objective: Retell a story including its key details — characters, setting, and events — in a clear, complete way.
To retell a story means to tell it again in your own words, including the important parts. Retelling helps you (and other people) know that you really understood the story.
The diagram above shows three important things to include in a good retelling: the characters (who is in the story), the setting (where and when), and the events in order (what happened, first to last).
Retelling doesn't mean repeating the story word-for-word from the book — it means explaining it in YOUR OWN words, while still including all the important parts. This shows you truly understood the story, not just memorized it.
Try retelling a story you just read or heard to a friend or family member. Include the characters, the setting, and what happened in order. If you find yourself unsure about a part, that's a sign to go back and check that part of the story again.
This lesson brings together everything from the first two lessons in this unit: characters (Lesson 1) and setting and events in order (Lesson 2) are exactly the pieces you need to retell a story well.
A good retelling includes the characters, the setting, and the events in order — leaving out important parts makes a retelling incomplete.
What does it mean to retell a story?
Which three things should a good retelling include?
Does retelling mean repeating the story word-for-word?
Choose a story you know well. Retell it out loud or in writing, making sure to include the characters, setting, and events in order.