Retelling What You Read

Every time I see a student, I start off by talking to him or her about what book he or she is reading! I love to hear what kids are reading and to be able to share with them what book I am reading. Being able to retell what you have read so far or recently means you are a good reader. Good readers use reading strategies and retelling the story is a reading strategy!

When a student retells he or she should include:

character or characters

setting

problem

the solution or a prediction

Jodie and Ms. Brennan with our Retell Rewind rubric!

Some of the students use my Retell Rewind rubric to guide them and sometimes we use the rubric to score each other and see if we are able to include with all the important elements of a retell. On the rubric I also include use of a loud clear voice and good expression. I know that I love to talk to friends about what I am reading and get ideas about what to read next from talking to friends. It's important that I can tell a friend about a book I am reading and make it exciting if I really think they would like the book. Also, if a friend is telling me about a book, I hope that it's interesting to listen to them otherwise I'll be bored talking to them and not excited at all to read the book. 

I hope that kids and parents and friends and family and sometimes even strangers, can talk about books.  I love to ask people what they are reading and to find out if they have read books I have read. By doing this you are also practicing a retell! Try it, ask the next person you see what he or she is reading. How about asking the first person you see when you get to school what he or she is reading? Come back and tell us if you learned of any new books! Go Team Read!