Retelling with detail worksheets
Aligned with Common Core SL.4.4
Printable fourth-grade retelling worksheets for speech and language: a retelling chart, story maps, putting events in order, adding details, a retelling rope, short stories to retell, a book or movie retell planner and a partner retell checklist.
The worksheets
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Retelling Chart
The parts of a retell (beginning, middle and end), order words, three kinds of details with examples, and tips for telling it well.
Story Map
A short story with a story map for who, where, the problem, five events, the ending and a detail. New sheet changes the story, and the answer key shows example answers.
Order the Events, Then Retell
A short story, five mixed-up events to number in order and a quick checklist for retelling it out loud. Includes an answer key.
Add a Detail
Plain sentences to build up with a feeling, something someone said or a sense detail. Fewer has 3, Standard has 4 and More has 5. The answer key shows one example for each.
Retelling Rope
A rope with five knots for characters, setting, the problem, the events and the ending, plus a detail to add. Works with any story.
Stories to Retell
Two short stories per page, each with a checklist for a partner to mark while you retell. New sheet changes the stories.
Retell a Book or Movie
A planner for retelling any book, movie or show, with lines for the beginning, middle and end and three details to add.
Partner Retell Checklist
A listener's checklist for the beginning, middle, end, details and how the story was told, with two columns for a first and second try.
Print the whole packet
One copy of every sheet above, in order. Tap + for more copies (up to 10).
For the parent or teacher
What it is
Retelling means telling the important parts of a story in order, in your own words. By 4th grade, a good retell does more than list what happened. It names who the story is about, where it happens and the problem, tells the important events in order and explains how it ended. It also adds a few details, like how a character felt, something someone said or what they could see or hear, so the listener can picture it. These sheets are about telling a story out loud, clearly and in order.
What comes next
The Theme and summary topic in 4th grade Reading takes retelling further, into writing short summaries and finding a story's theme.
How to teach it
- Teach in order or jump to whatever your student needs. A student may tell every event in order and still be building the habit of adding details.
- Have your student retell out loud before writing anything. Talking first makes the writing easier.
- Use the chart as a guide while your student retells, and point to the part they skipped.
- Ask "What did that sound like?" or "How did she feel?" to coax out a detail.
- Retell things from everyday life too, like a movie, a game or something that happened at the park.
Common mistakes
- Telling every little thing instead of the important parts.
- Leaving out the problem or the ending.
- Telling events out of order, or jumping back with "Oh, and before that..."
- Retelling in a flat list with no details, so the listener can't picture it.
- Reading the story word for word instead of using their own words.