Routine · Comprehension
Story map and retell
Fill a simple map of a story's characters, setting, problem, main events and ending, then retell from it.
- Time
- 8 to 12 minutes
- Skill
- Comprehension
- In a session plan
- Library only
When to use it
For students whose retells are a jumble of details, or who forget the beginning by the end.
Materials
- A story map sheet
- A story the student has read or heard
Steps
Get ready
Show the map and name each part: who, where, problem, events, ending.
I do
Fill the map for a story you both know well, thinking aloud about what counts as the problem.
We do
For the new story, fill the who and where boxes together.
You do
The student fills the problem, events and ending, then retells the story using the map.
Student: Completes the map and retells in order.
Check
Cover the map. The student retells the story again in a few sentences.
If the student...
Lists small details as main events.
Ask whether the story would change if that part were left out. Model picking a main event, then have the student find the next one.
Tips
- Use linking words in the retell: first, next, then, at the end.
- One to one, let the student draw quick sketches in the boxes instead of writing.
Original routines written by Literacy Trail. In the app, every routine is filled with your student's lesson.
Related routines
- Picture-book read-aloud with promptsRead a picture book aloud, stopping at planned points for open questions that get the student thinking and talking.10 to 15 minutes · Library only
- Main idea in a short summaryName who or what a paragraph is about and the most important thing about it, then say it in about ten words.6 to 10 minutes · Library only
- Where is the answer?Sort questions by where the answer comes from: right there in one place, spread across the text, or from the reader's own thinking.8 to 12 minutes · Library only
- Predict, clarify, question, summarizeWork through a text in chunks using four thinking moves, with the student gradually taking the teacher's role.15 to 20 minutes · Library only
Have this routine filled in for every lesson
In Literacy Trail, the session plan picks a routine for each block and fills it with the words, sounds and sentence from your student's lesson. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.