I’m working on comprehension! My strategy is Retell the Story
Secret to Success
Think about what you are reading. Stop and reread if you can’t remember.
One way to teach students how to remember story sequence and character elements in the story is by using words such as first, next, then, last, and finally.
What you can say or model
Model this with children during read-alouds. In school we use the Retell Rope. This technique is commonly used by storytellers, and we use it to help students focus and remember the story. We hold a rope knotted 8 times. Each knot represents one thought from the story. We tell the class that when we come to each knot, it will remind us to state the next event from the story. At home you can also use a Retell Rope or ask some of the following questions:
Adapted from The Café Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser
Secret to Success
Think about what you are reading. Stop and reread if you can’t remember.
One way to teach students how to remember story sequence and character elements in the story is by using words such as first, next, then, last, and finally.
What you can say or model
Model this with children during read-alouds. In school we use the Retell Rope. This technique is commonly used by storytellers, and we use it to help students focus and remember the story. We hold a rope knotted 8 times. Each knot represents one thought from the story. We tell the class that when we come to each knot, it will remind us to state the next event from the story. At home you can also use a Retell Rope or ask some of the following questions:
- “Who were the main characters?”
- “What problem did the main characters experience?”
- “How was the problem solved?”
- “How did the story end?”
- “What happened first, next, and last?”
Adapted from The Café Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser
