The Easy Ways to Retell

Retelling is a way to help learning that can be used with listening or reading. By developing this literacy skill you will do the following:
1. learn more about text structure and word meanings
2. improve your comprehension
3. be more confident with listening and reading tasks
4. gain more ideas for expressing your response.


Steps for retelling
The steps for retelling using a written text are:
1. Check the vocabulary of your topic before you begin. Which words might be part of your topic? (The vocabulary of 'Dramatic texts' would include characters, structure, dialogue, suspense, rising action, theme, and so on).
2. Draw up a record sheet as follows.

Topic
Words that I might read:	Words my partner thinks might be found:
My predictions:	My partner's predictions:
What I think the text is about now that I have read it:	What my partner thinks the text is about now he/she has read it:
We agree on:	We disagree on:

3. Look only at the heading of the text. Spend five or ten minutes guessing what words you might find in the text, what the text might be about, whose point of view will be given and some possible sentences. Write these predictions on your record sheet.
4. With a partner, share your predictions. Did you agree on some points? What ideas did you have that your partner didn't? what ideas did your partner have that you didn't?
5. Try to have your teacher or your partner read the text to you. Listen carefully. If this can't be done, read the whole text to yourself.
6. Read the text as many times as is needed to help you understand its meaning.
7. On your record sheet in the box 'What I think the text is about now that I have read it', write in your own words what the text is about. Don't worry at this stage about neatness and spelling.
8. Using the notes that you wrote in step 7, retell the text to your partner. Have your partner retell you his/her account of the text.
9. On your record sheet, write down where you and your partner agree and disagree on the meaning of the text.
10. Decide on words and phrases that best express your ideas about the text. You can borrow from your partner.
11. You can now finalise your retelling of the text.


Source: Anderson, Mark and Kathy Anderson. 1997. Text Types in English 1. South Yarra: Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd.