When a young reader finishes a book, what’s the easiest way to measure comprehension? In my opinion, asking a reader to recount or retell is a great first step. Recounting and retelling, are both great skills that readers should be able to accomplish. Standard #2 of the Common Core Standards says to determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

The main verb in this standard for grades K-1 is to retell. For grades 2-3, the main verb is to recount. The purpose of retelling or recounting is to determine the theme. Well, why didn’t the author of the Common Core use the same verb for ALL grades? For me, the answer is simple… the expectation for each grade level to meet the main goal is different. Hence the terms retell and recount. In grades 4-5, the main verb is to summarize, but we aren’t even going to try to go there because I’m a primary girl. 🙂

Retelling

First, we have to acknowledge that the purpose of this standard is for students to determine central ideas or themes. After a story has been read several times, students in Kindergarten and First Grade should be able to retell the story, including key details that lead to the central message or theme.

Retelling is an informal way of telling the events that happened in the story. This can and should be done orally. When retelling a story, students should be able to answer these questions.

  • What is the story mostly about?
  • What problem is the character facing?
  • How did the character resolve their problem?
  • What events lead to the resolution of the character’s problem?
  • How did the character change in the story?

If students can answer these questions, then they are well on their way to determining the central message, lesson, moral, or theme of a story.

Recounting

On the other hand, recounting is a bit more structured. It is important that students recount the main events in chronological order. We do not want students to recount every detail, just the most important information that may lead to the lesson, moral, or central idea of the story.

When recounting a story, students should be able to answer these questions.

  • What lesson does the author want me to take away from this story?
  • What details led me to determine this?
  • Did I include the important details from the beginning, middle, and end?

In conclusion, recounting and retelling are two very important skills that will lead to success in determining the theme in stories. It is very important for educators to connect retelling and recounting to finding the central message, lesson, moral, or theme so readers can be successful in upper grades.

What are the best stories to recount or retell?

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Books for Understanding the Common Core Standards

I hope this blog post was helpful. Leave a comment down below if this will change how you teach Standard #2 of the Common Core.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Rebecca Jeanette