Year 1 · English · Literature
Retelling familiar stories
Listening to stories and retelling the beginning, middle and end in order, using pictures and props for support.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to UK year groups by age (Year 1 is the year a child turns 6 in England). They are not mapped to the National Curriculum in England or the curricula of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so check them against your own plans.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Listen to a short story and remember the main events.
- Retell a story's beginning, middle and end in the right order.
- Use pictures, props and time words such as 'first', 'next' and 'at the end' to support a retelling.
Success looks like
- I can tell what happened at the beginning of the story.
- I can tell the problem in the middle and how it ended.
- I can put three story pictures in the right order.
The big idea
Retelling a story means telling it again in your own words. It shows that your child has listened, understood and remembered what happened. It also builds the language they will later use for writing their own stories.
Most stories have three parts. At the beginning we meet the characters. In the middle something happens, often a problem. At the end the problem is fixed.
Here is a short story to read aloud. Beginning: Pip the puppy had a shiny red ball. He loved to chase it around the garden. Middle: One day the ball bounced high and rolled under the fence into the garden next door. Pip barked and barked, but he could not reach it. End: Lily, the girl next door, found the ball and threw it back over the fence. Pip wagged his tail and ran to fetch it.
Time words help us retell in order:
- First or at the beginning…
- Next or then…
- At the end or finally…
Pictures and props make retelling easier. Your child can draw one picture for each part, hold up a toy for each character, or act the story out. Children can usually retell far more with props than without them.
Worked examples
Retelling with time words
Retell the story of Pip the puppy in three parts.
- First: Pip the puppy had a red ball that he loved to chase.
- Next: The ball rolled under the fence, and Pip could not reach it.
- At the end: Lily found the ball and threw it back, and Pip was happy.
Answer: First Pip had a red ball; next it rolled under the fence; at the end Lily threw it back.
Putting pictures in order
Three pictures show: Lily throwing the ball, Pip playing with his ball, and the ball under the fence. Put them in order.
- Ask: what happened at the beginning? Pip playing with his ball.
- Ask: what was the problem in the middle? The ball under the fence.
- Ask: how did it end? Lily throwing the ball back.
Answer: Pip playing, ball under the fence, Lily throwing it back.
Retelling a familiar tale
Retell 'The Three Little Pigs' in three parts.
- Beginning: three little pigs each built a house, one of straw, one of sticks and one of bricks.
- Middle: a wolf blew down the straw house and the stick house.
- End: the wolf could not blow down the brick house, so all three pigs were safe inside.
Answer: Three houses are built; the wolf blows two down; the brick house keeps the pigs safe.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
In the Pip story, what did Pip have at the beginning?
a red ball — At the beginning, Pip the puppy had a shiny red ball.
Where did the ball go?
under the fence — The ball rolled under the fence into the garden next door.
What happened at the end of the Pip story?
Lily threw the ball back. — Lily found the ball and threw it back over the fence.
Which part of a story comes first?
the beginning — A story starts at the beginning, then the middle, then the end.
Which word helps you tell the first thing that happened?
first — 'First' tells the listener this is the first thing that happened.
What colour was Pip's ball? Type the colour.
red — Pip had a shiny red ball.
Who threw the ball back to Pip? Type the name.
Lily — Lily, the girl next door, threw the ball back.
Type the missing word: a story has a beginning, a middle and an ___.
end — Stories have a beginning, a middle and an end.
Watch out for
- Retelling only the last thing heard. Use three pictures or three fingers to remind your child there are three parts.
- Listing every small detail without the main events. Ask, 'What was the problem? How was it fixed?'
- Mixing up the order. Let your child put drawings in order and check by 'reading' the pictures aloud.
Tips for parents
- Read the same story several times over a few days. Retelling is much easier with a story your child knows well.
- Ask your child to retell a story to another family member or to a favourite toy.
- Accept their own words. A retelling does not need to match the book exactly.
Go further
- Make a simple three-page book: one drawing each for the beginning, middle and end.
- Act out a story with soft toys and let your child be the narrator.
- Retell a story with a small change, such as a new ending, and talk about how it is different.
About 20 minutes
You'll need
- Three sheets of paper and crayons for drawing story pictures
- Soft toys or small props to act out a story
- A favourite picture book
Key words
- story
- Something told or written about characters and the things that happen to them.
- retell
- To tell a story again in your own words.
- beginning
- The first part of a story, where we meet the characters.
- middle
- The part of a story where something happens, often a problem.
- end
- The last part of a story, where the problem is fixed.
Still tricky?
For parents
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Next steps (Year 2)