When retelling a story, it is important to note the main and supporting characters as well as where they appear within the story. Good storytellers will often break down the story into three parts the beginning, middle, and end. The beginning usually establishes the setting and the main characters involved. The middle introduces the problem and supporting characters. The end is where the solution or outcome is reached. When you complete your recount, the audience should be able to clearly see the challenges or problems and how a solution was reached. These worksheets will help your students learn to share the things that they read. We present this in two parts there are twenty different reading passages that are followed by a question worksheet. Note that the answer keys for the question sheets are available write next to them. Also be aware that a number of open response questions are featured on the question worksheets. Open response questions have an unlimited number of answers, so you will not find those on your answer keys.
Printable Story Retelling Worksheets
Click the buttons to print each worksheet and answer key.
Morale of the Story
An ancient fable tells of a tortoise and a hare. A hare is a type of rabbit. In this story, the hare (who was the fastest animal in town) challenged all of the other animals to a race.
Hercules
You might have heard of the ancient story of Hercules. Hercules was the son of the Greek god Zeus. Zeus was king of all the gods, but his son Hercules was half god and half mortal.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
There was once as ant and a grasshopper. The grasshopper was relaxing, walking along a forest path when he came across his friend the ant. The ant was hard at work, carrying a heavy piece of food on his back toward his home.
The Ferocious Lion
One day an enormous and ferocious lion was sleeping beneath a large tree. A tiny little mouse ran by, running over the lion's paw as it slept and waking him up.
The Ferocious Lion Question Sheet
Furious, the lion slapped his paw down on the mouse ready to kill him. But the mouse begged him for mercy, telling the lion that if he let him go the mouse would repay the favor someday. Tell us all about this story and what it attempts to teach us.
The Field Mouse
A tiny little field mouse was scampering along in a field in search of food. From the trees above sat a little bird, watching the field mouse go.
The Field Mouse Question Sheet
Then the bird noticed something in the field behind the mouse. It was a snake, and the snake was slithering quickly toward the mouse behind its back.
Watch the Flock
There once was a young boy who was in charge of watching over the outside of a small village. This boy would spend all day out in the field alone with the sheep.
Watch the Flock Question Sheet
The townspeople came running as fast as they could, but when they came they realized that the boy had tricked them. Rell all that you can about this story.
Gepetto
Once there was a wood worker named Gepetto. Gepetto was sad and lonely because he didn’t have any children. So Gepetto decided to make a little boy out of wood. But one day, Gepetto found that the little wooden boy had come to life!
Gepetto Question Sheet
Eventually, Pinocchio went on many adventures and learned that lying is never a good idea, because it can hurt others and makes us feel bad.
Chicken Little
Once there was a chicken named Chicken Little. Chicken Little was walking along in the woods one day when an acorn fell from a tree and hit him on the head.
Chicken Little Question Sheet
The group of friends were scared, and they went looking for the king to tell him the terrible news.
Bill the Shoemaker
There once was a man named Bill whose job was to make shoes for all of the local people. He and his wife were very poor, and because he was the only person in his shop it took him a long time to work on all the shoes that were brought to him to fix.
Bill the Shoemaker Question Sheet
What is the moral of the story here? Retell the story and give a short summary about it.
Voice from the Swamp
A beautiful princess was walking along past a swamp one day on her way back to the castle. It was a disgusting swamp, and she wanted to escape it as fast as she could.
Voice from the Swamp Question Sheet
This will provide you with an opportunity to rell the story to others and share the story. The frog began to change, and before her eyes it became a handsome, kind prince. The two of them lived happily ever after, and the princess was happy that she had trusted the prince when he was just a frog!
The Geese Family
Once there was a family that had some very good luck. One of their geese had a baby, and the baby goose was made out of pure gold!
The Geese Family Question Sheet
As the golden goose grew up, the family learned that the goose lay golden eggs! The family would sell these golden eggs and make lots of money, and they didn’t have to be poor anymore. What else can you tell us about why this story was crafted?
The Ugly Duckling
There once was a very ugly duckling. His feathers were patchy and rough, his beak was not straight and his eyes looked off in different directions.
The Ugly Duckling Question Sheet
This made the ugly duckling very sad. As he began to grow, he became sadder and sadder. He went away from the flock and lived on his own.
Ancient Africa
In ancient African stories, there is a character known as Anansi. Anansi was once a man but was turned into a spider. Why, you ask? See what this story means to you.
Ancient Africa Question Sheet
Well, Anansi was a trickster, and he was punished by magic for his tricks and lies by being turned into a spider.
The Warrior
In Greek mythology there is a story about a great warrior named Hero. This warrior was known all over the world for his amazing strength in battle.
The Warrior Question Sheet
Armies would put him at the very front and he would lead them into battle without fear. The warrior had become so strong through practice and training.
The Sun and the Wind
There was once a young girl named Jenny walking along with a coat pulled tightly around her. The wind and the sun saw the girl walking, and the wind decided to suggest a contest.
The Sun and the Wind Question Sheet
Then it was the sun's turn. The sun shone his brightest, warmest rays at the girl. Soon, the girl felt so nice and warm that she realized he no longer needed the jacket and took it off. The sun had won the contest.
How to Effectively Retell a Story
Retelling is a way of determining how a student understands a certain narrative. Retelling may be an excellent method for both enhancing and testing understanding.
Having the ability to share a story with another person or group is the core foundation of spreading knowledge. Being able to accurately retell a story is one of the easiest ways to display a highly level of comprehension. Getting in the habit of retelling what you just read is a great way to improve your comprehension and help make the story more concrete for yourself. As a teacher if you inform your class that they will need to recount the story they are about to read, you are sure to have them pay greater attention to detail throughout the read.
Teachers obtain insight into how students are piecing together the material presented in a book throughout a retelling. Teachers learn what information students retain and consider significant by seeing and analyzing their grasp of a book during the retelling.
Here are some ways on how to effectively retell a story.
Using Predictable Systems to Set Up Students for Success
Kids should try and mentally organize some components of any story. This can make it easier for pupils to retell the story. Encourage them to focus on the different elements like the beginning, middle, and end.
You can get them to draw a picture for every important part or write it down, in summary, to make retelling easier.
Allow For Individuality
Letting kids retell the story in their own unique way can be a great way to respect their preferences. Some kids like writing, while others may prefer drawing. Some may even partner up with a friend and make a conversation about it. As long as the students are arriving at the same skill –learning how to effectively retell a story-letting them choose how to get to the finish line can be a great option.
Giving students some options can greatly increase their enthusiasm for the activity too.
Using Finger Puppets
Finger puppets make everything fun!
Early readers and smaller kids can absolutely love playing around with finger puppets to retell their stories. The puppets can be a fun way to act out the different parts of the story. Kinesthetic learners will also greatly benefit from such an activity. It’s also an engaging and effective tool for a script.
Five-Finger Method
Students can hold up a hand while they are retelling their stories. Each finger on their hand represents one part of the story.
1. Who: Key figures or characters
2. What: Key events or main conflict
3. Where: The setting
4. When: The setting
5. Why: Motives and resolution
The students can successfully retell the story by focusing on the five main W’s of a story. They can point toward each finger to keep things organized.
If you want to offer additional prompts and help, you can create a simple chart that has a hand-drawn on it with every finger clearly labelled. Students will be able to refer to the chart during their presentation.
Using Props or Pictures
Offering students materials like props, printed pictures, or other nice props can really help. Lay out all the material and let them use whatever they like to assist them during the retelling.
You can also bring in stuffed animals that can be fun to use for the retelling. They can also use felt pieces or bring their printed pictures for the activity if they like. You can also print displays or images and put them up on your whiteboard, making it possible for them to be able to interact with it. This will allow them to put the pictures back into order and try retelling the story using the printed pictures.
Using Sticky Notes
Many kids absolutely love sticky notes, so use that love for a good cause during the retelling. Give each student three sticky notes and let them draw the beginning, middle, or end of their story. If students are reading larger chapter books, they can pen down some notes to help them.