 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Ideas
for Action: Putting Story Retelling Into Practice
Story retelling, the technique highlighted in this issue's In the Classroom, is an effective technique that educators can use to boost a child's reading comprehension. The following is a list of activities that educators can use to incorporate story retelling into their curriculum: Five-finger retelling: This technique is especially effective for younger children who are not familiar with story retelling. Each finger represents a certain general question about the plot: who, what, where, why, and when. This helps children organize their ideas and figure out what questions they may have missed. Props: Finger puppets and felt boards are good props that give children a backdrop upon which to form their retelling. As a visual helper, props allow children to better organize their retelling of a story. Props can also be used as a group activity. Dramatizations: In the context of story retelling, a dramatization is a good way to practice retelling with a group of children, instead of individually. Simpler stories with a small number of characters are good for young children. If the story is complicated, students can choose a particular scene to act out. This activity increases the child's understanding of character emotions, which helps develop stronger cause and effect relationships within stories. Story webs and flow charts: This involves using diagrams to outline a story. With story webs, the child starts with the title of the story and each branch leads to a section of the plot, i.e. setting, characters, and events. By contrast, a flow chart describes the whole story, moving from one box to another in a linear fashion. Flow charts are more appropriate for older children who are more experienced with story retelling. They can write short sentences in each box to describe key parts of the plot. These two techniques allow children to segment the information, which makes it easier to understand the story as a whole. For more information, look online at: www.nwrel.org/learns or email learns@nwrel.org Facts in Action, July/August 2003 |
|
