Anna Fenton

Observation #6

Mini-Lesson: 5-Finger Retell

Grade: 1

Time: 10 minutes

New Jersey Student Learning Standards:

● 1.RL.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their
central message or lesson.
● 1.RL.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

Objective:
● Students will demonstrate their understanding of the 5-finger retell model to summarize
events in a story through discussion and independent practice.

Materials:
● Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy
● Anchor chart “5 finger retell”

Lesson Sequence:

1. Lesson Introduction (Connection)

a. “Good afternoon readers! This week we have been talking about how we can
become better 1st grade readers. To be better readers, we try to understand the
details of a story, rather than just reading through the words. What are some
things we have been learning to be better readers? *Take 2-3 responses*
b. “We also have been talking about retelling, what is retelling? Retelling is so
important to understanding a story and how to identify the beginning, middle, and
end.

2. Teaching Point (Connection)

a. “Today, we are going to be learning how to use 5 fingers to retell a story. Good
readers use words like first, then, next, after that, and finally to describe the
events in a story. We are going to do this using the book we read yesterday,
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy.”

3. Teach and Model

a. “Who thinks they can retell this story that we read yesterday? Let’s do a retelling
around the room. What was this story about?” *Take responses until story is told*
 b. “Great memories! You all are so great at retelling already, now we are going to
go over a new, 1st grade retell technique.”
i. “Even though your retelling was great, we are going to use 5 fingers to tell
it in a more organized way.”
ii. I will go through each finger, explaining the importance of first, then, next,
after that, and finally. I will also read the blurbs on the anchor chart
c. “I am going to use the information you all told me from the book Spaghetti in a
Hot Dog Bun and turn it into a 5 finger retell. Give me a silent thumbs up if you
agree with my retelling.*I will hold my fingers up one at a time as I say each
step.”
i. “First, Lucy’s grandfather tells her how important it is to treat other people
with kindness. Then, A bully named Ralph starts to make fun of Lucy.
Next, Lucy stands up for herself and tells Ralph he is hurting her feelings.
After that, Lucy helps Ralph when he is stuck on the monkey bars.
Finally, Ralph apologizes and both children realize how important it is to
treat others the way you want to be treated.”
ii. “Did you see how much my fingers helped me retell the story little by
little? Because, readers can retell a story across their fingers by using
words such as first, then, next, after that, and finally.”

4. Guided Practice
a. I am going to open the book to the first page, I want you to get your finger ready,
say the word, “first”, and we are going to figure out what is happening at the
beginning. Looking at the picture and using my memory, it seems like first, the
grandfather tells Lucy how important it is to be kind. Thumbs up if that’s what you
were thinking too! Great job!”
b. “Now is your chance to do the exact same thing I just did. Now get your second
finger ready, say the word, “then”, and think about what happened. First, Lucy’s
grandfather tells her to always be kind, then, what?” *Take response from a
volunteer* (I will continue the same way, pausing throughout the book, showing
the pages and having the students answer for next).
c. “What about after that? Turn and talk with a partner, what happened after Lucy
stood up for herself to Ralph? What did you and your partner come up with?
*take response from a volunteer* Great! So now we have first, then, next, and
after that, all we have left is finally and we will have our whole hand complete.”

5. Independent Practice/Assessment
a. “Take a minute and think to yourselves what we can say for the last finger, finally.
What did you come up with?” *take volunteer*
b. As you are reading your independent books today, I want you to think about
everything you already know about the story and also remember to use your 5
fingers to retell the story. Today and every day, you will be good readers who can
 retell a story across their fingers by using words such as first, then, next, after
that, and finally.
c. Informal assessment will be given throughout the lesson as I ask questions for
understanding.
d. As students are independent reading for the remainder of the period, I will walk
around asking how they can use the 5-finger retell to explain the events in their
just-right books.

Differentiation:
● “Retelling is a difficult concept to pick up on the first time. If you don’t feel ready to do it
on your own, stay on the carpet with me! I will be doing another example with the book
we read last week, Crabby Cat at School by Joy Cowley.”
● Anchor chart will be displayed throughout the week for reference.

Source/Research:

Mini Lessons. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://clintonliteracyladies.weebly.com/mini-

lessons.html