Grade 1 · English language arts · 20 minutes
Retell a story
Read the Ava-and-Ben story aloud. Retell key events and explain the story’s lesson.
Mr. S Teaches · Starter mini-lesson · elem-1-retell-a-storyLearning objective
Explain and practice retell a story using the activity and evidence, then show the reasoning behind an answer.
Gather your materials
- Paper and pencil or dictation support
- The short text provided in this lesson
- Optional drawing supplies
Use the items named in the teaching steps; paper models or adult-prepared photographs can replace physical equipment.
Common Core skill focus
RL.1.2Retell key story details and explain the story’s message.
Read the official standard ↗Code and grade verified 2026-11-03. This mini-lesson addresses a selected skill, not the entire standard.
Teach it step by step
- Read the Ava-and-Ben story aloud.
- Identify the beginning, middle and ending with three pictures.
- Retell events in order.
- Infer the lesson and connect it to both helpful actions.
Watch, notice, discuss
Video choices for this lesson
Preview a video, then choose what fits your learners. “Show to class” opens a larger view; use the player’s play and full-screen controls when you’re ready.
Teacher preview needed. Check the language, level and length before showing. YouTube may show ads or related videos.
How to Retell a Story for Kids | Sequencing Beginning, Middle and End
By GRASPhopper
Connect this video to the lesson on retell a story. Pause to try an example together.
Open on YouTube: How to Retell a Story for Kids | Sequencing Beginning, Middle and End (opens a new tab) ↗Beginning, middle and end (retelling a story)
By JCE First Grade
Connect this video to the lesson on retell a story. Pause to try an example together.
Open on YouTube: Beginning, middle and end (retelling a story) (opens a new tab) ↗Retell a story in order. Include the characters, important events and a possible message.
An external player loads only after you choose Preview or Show to class. Playback connects to YouTube. Videos belong to their creators; availability and embedding can change.
Make the thinking visible
Example to work through together
Ava drops crayons; Ben helps; later Ava helps him. Their actions suggest that helping others is kind.
Try the starter activity
Read: Ava dropped her crayons. Ben helped collect them. Later Ava helped Ben. Retell it.
Student practice
Retell the story to a partner, then give one detail supporting its lesson.
Quick check for understanding
What lesson does it suggest?
Sample answer and teacher guidance
Sample answer: Helping others is kind; retell the events as evidence.
Listen or look for: Look for the three events and a lesson tied to the help, not an unrelated opinion.
Invite the learner to explain, demonstrate, draw or dictate their reasoning. Revisit a teaching step when the explanation is unclear.
Make it work for your learner
A little more support
Provide first, next and last sentence frames.
An additional challenge
Create a different story with the same lesson and compare its key events.