Retelling

Students have begun to bring home a "book in a bag" each night. In each bag is a book that the student has taken out of his individual book bin to bring home. For students who are not yet reading conventionally, they choose a good story book from their book bin. Each child is expected to "read" the book by looking at the pictures. When the child brings home the book, an adult should read the book to the child first and then let the child "read" by retelling each page. As your child gets better and better at this you will notice that he uses much of the same language that you use as you read the story. If you use a deep voice for the big bad bear, he will begin to use a deep voice for the bear. Before long your child will sound like he is reading the story even though he doesn't really know how to read the words.

At school the children hear the same good story books over and over. We call these good story books, "Star Books." The children practice reading these books to themselves and to partners during Independent Reading every day. Later they make props and practice retelling these books using the props. In the pictures below you can see students practicing one of the class favorite books, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, with stick puppets of the troll and each of the three billy goats.

Make sure to take out that "book in the bag" every single night. That is the way that children learn to read!