Teaching "Retelling"

My students always have trouble retelling a story in summary form using beginning, middle and end. It's hard for young readers to decide what is important and not important. Some get confused and think they need to retell every word and for others writing anything at all is just to overwhelming. Let's be honest... it's hard to teach - at least for me - even after 19 years. Rather than just say ok... write the beginning, middle and end of the story, this year I created this foldable to help ease the process for the kids. We use and practice answering the "question words" (who, what, when, where, why, how) EVERY day in journal time (will detail in a different post) so I decided to use these question words as a guide for the kids to follow when writing a summary. The foldable is made using a 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of manila paper. I pre-folded about a 1/4 of the paper and then cut that flap into 3 equal sections. The kids label the first section with Who? When and/or Where? What? The students construct a sentence about how the story starts using the characters, setting, and what the problem is or what is initially going on. On the second flap, the students label up to 3 What? What? What? and choose up to 3 important events to write about the middle of the story. On the third flap, the students label How? and write about how the problem was solved or how the story ended. It's important to note that the question words can change depending on the story, but the basic framework still remains the same. Not all stories have a "problem" and a "solution." Some, like Hey Diddle Diddle (above) have something going on and a surprise ending. A Why? could also be added in any section depending on the story. The students can then illustrate a picture to go with the beginning, middle and end sentences as seen above.
We will of course be practicing this over and over until the students are able to do it alone, but even the first couple of times it seemed to help even the most struggling readers retell the story. This foldable could also be used in a reading work station after the kids have had lots of practice.

Thinking Maps and Guided Reading

In a whole group lesson, the students used a vertical sequencing flow map to order the events in the book How Apples Grow after we discussed the book and practiced orally with a partner several times. We made construction paper apples for a little fun and touch of Fall. After modeling and using this thinking map several times, the students will now begin to use this thinking map in small groups to order the events in their guided reading books. I keep copies of the thinking maps that have been used and modeled extensively in whole group lessons such as circle maps, flow maps (including beginning, middle and end) and the one pictured, bubble maps, etc. handy in my guided reading area. This is a fast and simple way to deliver powerful differentiated instruction because the books the kids use to complete the maps are on their own instructional level. Many kids like to work with a partner in their guided reading group and others like to work independently, but all of them have to think about and refer back to the text that is just right for them providing scaffolding and challenge at the same time. While I am reading with one group, other groups are working on their thinking maps and having great literacy discussions much like in literacy circles or book clubs.