| Retellings |
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Reading Skills
- Summarizing
- Identifying literature elements
- Analyzing chronological order
- Identifying the main idea
- Recalling facts
Overview of the "Retellings"
Strategy
This strategy should be modeled for
students before they are asked to try it. Once they
understand the process, ask students to retell specific
events from the novel or retell the plot in its entirety.
The teacher should decide if this assignment should
be written or presented orally. Students should be given
a copy of the rubric that will be used for evaluation
(see below). To incorporate
retellings in the classroom effectively, the teacher
should model this strategy often. Remember that students
need to be provided with a rubric that can be used to
plan and assess retellings.
Activity for the "Retellings"
Strategy
- Have each student retell one of the following:
- the entire plot of the novel Wish You Well
- Lou and Oz's journey from New York City to the
mountain in Virginia
- events of the story that they consider to be
humorous, including exact quotes and explaining
their meaning
- Lou, Oz, and Diamond's trip into the town of
Dickens
- what happened at the mines when Eugene went
to get a bucket of coal
- the resolution of the conflict in the novel
- an event from the novel that they consider relevant
to society today
- events that support George Davis as the antagonist
of the novel
- events that portray Diamond Skinner as a smart
boy without book learning
- events in the novel that brought tears to their
eyes, including specific quotes and diction (word
choice) that prompted this emotion
- settings in the novel that the author describes
by using sensory language.
- Evaluate the students according to the rubric (below).
Blackline
Master
Retellings
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Retellings Rubric
Name _____________________________
Date ____________________________
Text ______________________________
Selected by _______________________
Directions: Use the following checklist
to rate the retelling. For each item below, circle a
number from 0 to 3. (On this scale, 0 means the retelling
did not include the item at all, and 3 means the retelling
completely and successfully included the item.)
| Does the retelling... |
Rating |
| have an introduction that includes
the novel's title and setting of Dickens, Virginia? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| list the main characters and explain
their relationship to one another? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| explain the roles of Louisa Mae Cardinal
and the Southern Valley Coal and Gas Company as
well as of the other antagonists and protagonists? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| list the main events as they occur
from New York City to Dickens, Virginia? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| discuss the internal and external
conflicts faced by Lou Cardinal? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| explain how Lou's conflicts were resolved? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| mention the reader's personal response
to the novel? |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Total Score
______
Comments from listener about the
retelling:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Suggestions for the next retelling:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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