1. Voice: How do you keep track of new information?
Image: papers and words falling on a student

2. Voice: Readers, In this lesson you will learn how to keep track of new information in an article by stopping at the end of each paragraph and retelling the main ideas in your own words.

3. Voice: Let’s Review: We know, in nonfiction articles, oftentimes we read to learn new facts. These articles could give us facts about a person, a place, or an important historical event.
Image: Show different types of nonfiction articles…child reading an article enters screen

4. Voice: Let’s also review two important words: paragraph and retell
Voice: Let’s also review two important words: paragraph and retell. A paragraph is a section of text. Take a look at the examples of paragraphs in this article.
Visual: article with a paragraph highlighted and an arrow pointing with the word: paragraph

5. Voice: the word RETELL means to “tell again”-
For this lesson, we will be retelling the main ideas and important facts from a paragraph- we will retell those maid ideas in our own words.

6. Voice: Let’s take a look at a common mistake
Voice: Let’s take a look at a common mistake. Sometimes when we read an article, we will read from start to finish, without stopping along the way. By doing this, readers have difficulty keeping track of or understanding the new information. We might remember one or two facts, but oftentimes, we miss many important details!

7. Voice: We’ve been reading the article, My name is Mengmeng
Voice: We’ve been reading the article, My name is Mengmeng. In order to keep track of new information about Mengmeng, we will practice stopping at the end of each paragraph and retelling the main ideas in our own words.
Visual: Show article and a stop sign at the end of a paragraph.

8. Voice: Retelling in our own words can sometimes be tricky
Voice: Retelling in our own words can sometimes be tricky. You might find yourself repeating the exact sentences from the article. To avoid this, it’s important to listen carefully to my examples, so you can see 1) What information I choose to retell and 2) How I retell using my own words
Process to teach students: How do we know what information to pull together and how do we “retell” in our own words?

9. Voice: Let’s begin by reading a paragraph from our article
Voice: Let’s begin by reading a paragraph from our article. After I read, you will hear me use the strategy of retelling the main ideas in my own words.
Voice: Song Mengmeng, 11 year years old, lives with his twin brother, Song Wenwen, and his mother and father in Beidiao Yutai, a village of farmers in the countryside of northeastern China.
Now it’s time to STOP and retell the main ideas in our own words.

10. Lives in a farming village
Mengmeng’s age: 11
Twin brother
Lives in a farming village
Voice: To retell in our own words, we must first decide what information to retell- then, we can form our own sentences using that information. In this first paragraph, we are being introduced to Mengmeng, so I chose 3 facts about Mengmeng- his age, a detail about his family, and where he lives.

11. Take a look at how I can now take those facts and retell the information in my own words. Here’s what you might say: “Mengmeng is 11 years old and lives in a farming village in China. He has a twin brother!

12. Voice: Let’s practice one more time
Voice: Let’s practice one more time!...The family would be considered poor in the United States. Mengmeng’s father does not have a lot of money. Mengmeng does not have a lot of new clothes or fancy toys.
Now it’s time to STOP and think about the main ideas of this paragraph. In this paragraph, we learn about how Mengmeng’s family lives- they do not have a lot of money and would be considered poor in the United States. Listen as I retell these main ideas, in my own words: Mengmeng’s family does not have a lot of money; he does not have new clothes or fancy toys.

13. Voice: So readers, It’s important to remember, as you read an article 1) Stop at the end of each paragraph 2) Ask, ‘what are the main ideas of this paragrah’? And 3) Retell the main ideas in your own words

14. Voice: In this lesson you have learned how to keep track of new information in an article by stopping at the end of each paragraph and retelling the main ideas in your own words.

15. Your turn to practice!

17. Buddy Retell!
Here’s how it works:
Pick a partner
Choose a nonfiction article
Practice reading, stopping and retelling
For example, one partner reads a paragraph: STOPS and RETELLS
Then switch!
Share your new learning after you finish reading

18. Retell in Writing
Using “My name is Mengmeng” or another non-fiction article (teacher approved), write a letter retelling the main ideas and new information.
**Follow the steps of stopping and retelling as you read…except this time, write as you retell.