Story Elements & Retelling Rope

In Reader's Workshop, we have been reviewing how to identify story elements in books and learning how to retell a story.

          

Reading buddies made their own retelling ropes and practiced retelling a previously read guided reading book.

And as always we met in guided reading groups, read to self, and read with a partner. 

Finally in Reader's Workshop, we are learning to identify the big idea of a book.  We learned how the theme or author's message is what the author is trying to teach us.  Now each time we finish a read aloud we have discussion to identify the theme of the book!