Retelling Stories with Structure · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Retelling a Story in Order

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 6-8
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. A retell tells what happened in the same order the story happened.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. Sam's balloon floated up into the apple tree. Dad brought a ladder and reached it down. Which one happened first?

    • Dad brought a ladder
    • The balloon floated into the tree
    • Sam ate an apple

  3. A story has a beginning, a __, and an end.

    Beginning?End
    • problem
    • middle
    • title

  4. The ending of a story wraps up what happened.

    Circle one:   True   False

  5. In a story, a girl plants a seed, waters it every day, and then a tall flower blooms. Which detail belongs in the middle of the retelling?

    • She plants the seed
    • She waters it every day
    • A tall flower blooms

  6. Nia found a lost kitten by the gate. She made it a warm box and gave it milk. In the evening the owner came and took the kitten home. Which part belongs at the beginning of a retell?

    • Nia finds a lost kitten by the gate
    • She makes the kitten a warm box
    • The owner takes the kitten home

  7. Ben left his hat on the bus. The driver kept it safe in a box. On Monday Ben got his hat back. Which retell tells the story in the right order?

    • Ben left his hat on the bus, the driver kept it safe, then Ben got it back
    • Ben got his hat back, and then he left it on the bus
    • The driver kept the hat safe, and then Ben left it on the bus

  8. Sara retells a story by saying her three favorite bits in any order she likes. True or false: that is a full retell.

    Circle one:   True   False

  9. Kai learned a story by heart. He says it word for word, exactly like the book, without looking. Is Kai retelling the story?

    • Yes, saying it word for word is the only way to retell
    • No, because a retell has to leave out the end
    • No. A retell tells the important things in your own words

  10. A story tells about a dog called Bo who lives on a farm. One day Bo runs off after a rabbit. A girl called Ana finds him asleep in the hay. Ellie retells the story to a friend who has not read it, and she starts with 'and then Bo ran off'. What should Ellie do instead?

    • Start where the story starts, so her friend can follow it
    • Start at the end so her friend hears the best part
    • Say the same story again but faster
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Retelling a Story in Order W1-mt_zlSoIKPyId-s1

  1. True · A retell follows the story's real order: beginning, then middle, then end.
  2. The balloon floated into the tree · The balloon floats up in the first sentence, and Dad brings the ladder after that.
  3. middle · Every story moves through three parts, in order: beginning, middle, and end.
  4. True · The ending shows how the story's action comes to a close.
  5. She waters it every day · Watering the seed happens after planting and before the flower blooms, so it belongs in the middle.
  6. Nia finds a lost kitten by the gate · Finding the kitten happens before anything else, so it is the beginning.
  7. Ben left his hat on the bus, the driver kept it safe, then Ben got it back · The story goes from losing the hat, to the driver keeping it, to Ben getting it back.
  8. False · A full retell needs the beginning, the middle, and the end, told in the order they happened.
  9. No. A retell tells the important things in your own words · Saying the book's words back is reciting. Retelling means using your own words.
  10. Start where the story starts, so her friend can follow it · Her friend was not there, so the retell has to start where the story starts.
Worksheet · LightMySky