You will learn
- Find the key ideas in what you heard.
- Retell in order.
- Use your own words.
- Include who, what, where and when.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- Listen for who, what, where, when.
- Remember key ideas, not every word.
- Use your own words.
- Tell it in order.
Words to know
tell again in your own words
an important point
not copied exactly
tell what happened
1. Discover: The school fair
Ms. Bello says, “The school fair is on Saturday at nine in the morning. There will be games, food and a book sale. Please bring a small bag.” Tolu retells it to his mum: “There is a fair at school on Saturday morning with games, food and books. We need to bring a bag.”
Think: What key ideas did Tolu keep?
2. Understand: How to retell
Idea 1: Find key ideas
Listen for who, what, where and when. These are the key ideas.
Idea 2: Own words
You do not need every word. Retell in your own words with the main points.
Idea 3: In order
Tell the parts in the order they happened. Use first, next, last.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Key ideas
“The fair is on Saturday at school.” What are the key ideas?
- Who, what, where, when.
Answer: fair, Saturday, school
Example 2 (We do it together): Own words
Retell: “Please bring a small bag.”
- Use different words.
Answer: We should bring a bag.
Example 3 (You try): Order
Put in order: ate, woke, walked.
Show the steps and answer
- Think of a morning.
Answer: woke, walked, ate
Did you know?
Storytellers have passed on tales by retelling them for thousands of years.
Why this matters
Retelling shows you understood, and helps you remember.
4. Explore: Retell it
Retell a short message.
- Listen to the message.
- Think of key ideas.
- Retell in your own words.
- Check with your partner.
Think about it: what did you notice?
You retold the message.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- First, ___.
- Next, ___.
- The important part was ___.
- In my own words, ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Who/what/where/when: Fair, Saturday, school. Which is where?
school
Question 2. Retell: We need a bag.
Bring a bag.
Question 3. Why not repeat every word?
key ideas are enough
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- To ___ is to tell again in your own words.
- A key ___ is an important point.
- We use our ___ words.
- We tell it in ___.
- Who, what, where and ___ are key.
Level 2: Grow
- Retell: The cat sat on the mat and slept.
- Find the where: The class went to the park.
- Put in order: ate breakfast, woke up, went to school.
Level 3: Stretch
- Why use your own words?
- Why keep order?
- What if you forget a detail?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: English in everyday life
Listen to a news item and retell it to a family member.
Show a sample answer
There was a storm last night and…
Another one. Retell your favourite story in five sentences.
Show a sample answer
Once there was…
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Use key ideas.
Fix: Use first, next, last.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can find key ideas.
- I can use my own words.
- I can retell in order.
- I can include who, what, where and when.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Find key ideas.
- Use your own words.
- Tell in order.
- Include who, what, where, when.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Short presentations. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- What does retell mean? [1 mark]
- Name two key questions. [2 marks]
- Retell: The dog ran to the park and played. [1 mark]
- Why use order? [1 mark]
- Explain how to retell information. [3 marks]
Total: 8 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- tell again in your own words [1]
- who [1]; what/where/when [1]
- a fitting retelling [1]
- so events make sense [1]
- find key ideas [1]; use own words [1]; tell in order [1]
Score guide: 7 to 8 = secure. 5 to 6 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 5 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- To ___ is to tell again.
- A key ___ is important.
- We use our ___ words.
- We tell it in ___.
- Name a key question word.
- True or false: repeat every word.
- True or false: retell in order.
- Retell: The bird flew home.
- Find the where: We went to the shop.
- Retell a story you know.
Homework
Listen to a short story and retell it to your family.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. To ___ is to tell again. | retell | 1 |
| 2. A key ___ is important. | idea | 1 |
| 3. We use our ___ words. | own | 1 |
| 4. We tell it in ___. | order | 1 |
| 5. Name a key question word. | who | 1 |
| 6. True or false: repeat every word. | false | 1 |
| 7. True or false: retell in order. | true | 1 |
| 8. Retell: The bird flew home. | The bird went home. | 1 |
| 9. Find the where: We went to the shop. | the shop | 1 |
| 10. Retell a story you know. | a short retelling | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 retell; 2 idea; 3 own; 4 order; 5 when. Level 2: 1 The cat slept on the mat.; 2 the park; 3 woke up, ate breakfast, went to school. Level 3: 1 shows understanding; 2 events make sense; 3 say so and give what you remember.
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Find the key ideas in what you heard | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Retell in order | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Use your own words | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Include who, what, where and when | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: Repeating every word. Use key ideas.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Retell with picture cards.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child practises retelling what they hear. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Tell a short story.
- Ask them to retell it.
- Praise own-word retelling.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: find the key ideas in what you heard; retell in order; use your own words; include who, what, where and when.
Prerequisite knowledge. Expressing opinions.
Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Model retelling.
Explanation (10 min). Teach key ideas, own words and order.
Guided activity (10 min). Practise in pairs.
Independent activity (10 min). Share retellings.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Who? What? Where? When? In order?
Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures. Extension. Retell with details.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. Repeating every word. Use key ideas.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 8-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Retell with picture cards. Enrichment. Retell a longer story. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 2 » Speaking & Listening. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.
Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core SL.2.2 and SL.2.4; RL.2.2 (recount stories); Cambridge Primary English Stage 2 (speaking and listening). These sources informed the lesson.