Retelling key events with beginning, middle and end for Primary 1

Class: Primary 1
Term: Second Term
Week: 7
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Listening and Speaking
Focal competence: Telling and retelling stories
Key competencies/values: Communication; Environmental Literacy; Critical Thinking; Creativity and Innovation; ICT and Digital Competencies
Skills:

• Storytelling skills

Previous Lesson: Making and Checking Predictions in Reading Comprehension
Topic: Retelling Stories
Subject Matter: Retelling key events with beginning, middle and end

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify the beginning, middle, and end of a simple story.
• State the main events of a story in the correct order.

Affective Domain

• Show interest in listening to and retelling stories.
• Appreciate the importance of clear communication.

Psychomotor Domain

• Retell the main events of a suitable short story in simple English.
• Use complete simple sentences when retelling a story.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• Macmillan Primary English for Primary 1
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• A simple storybook (e.g., “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” or “The Tortoise and the Hare” simplified version)
• Picture cards depicting key events from the story
• Exercise books and pencils

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it helps pupils develop strong communication and comprehension skills. By learning to retell stories, they improve their ability to understand sequences of events, organise their thoughts, and express themselves clearly in English. This skill is foundational for both academic success and everyday communication.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have listened to simple stories before and can form basic sentences in English.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Retelling Stories

What is Retelling a Story?

Retelling a story means telling it again in your own words. When you retell a story, you share the most important things that happened from the beginning to the end.

Parts of a Story to Retell

Every story has three main parts:

1. Beginning: This part tells us who the story is about (the characters) and where it happens. It sets the scene.
2. Middle: This part tells us what happened next. It has all the main events and actions in the correct order.
3. End: This part tells us how the story finishes. It shows what happened at the very end.

How to Retell a Story

To retell a story well, you should:

1. Think about the main characters.
2. Remember what happened first (the beginning).
3. Remember what happened in the middle, step by step.
4. Remember how the story ended.
5. Tell the story using complete, simple sentences.
6. Make sure you tell the events in the correct order.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Explanation, Storytelling, Pair Work

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them if they like listening to stories. The teacher tells a very short, simple story (e.g., about a cat chasing a mouse) and asks pupils to mention one thing they remember from the story.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the greeting, express their love for stories, and mention one thing they remember from the short story.

Learning Point: Activating prior knowledge

Step 2: Modelling the Beginning of a Story

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces a new, slightly longer story (e.g., “The Tortoise and the Hare”). The teacher reads or tells only the beginning of the story and then models how to retell just that part using simple sentences. For example, “Once upon a time, there was a fast hare and a slow tortoise. They lived in a forest.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively to the beginning of the story and the teacher’s retelling.

Learning Point: Understanding story beginning

Step 3: Modelling the Middle of a Story

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Sequencing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher continues to read or tell the middle part of the story, highlighting the main events. The teacher then models retelling these middle events in order. For example, “The hare challenged the tortoise to a race. The hare ran very fast and decided to sleep. The tortoise kept walking slowly.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the middle part of the story and observe the teacher’s retelling of the events.

Learning Point: Understanding story middle

Step 4: Modelling the End of a Story

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Conclusion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher reads or tells the end of the story. The teacher then models retelling the ending. For example, “The tortoise reached the finish line first. The hare woke up and saw the tortoise win. The tortoise won the race.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the end of the story and observe the teacher’s retelling.

Learning Point: Understanding story end

Step 5: Guided Practice – Retelling the Beginning

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils to work in pairs and tell each other what happened at the beginning of “The Tortoise and the Hare” story. The teacher walks around, listening and providing support.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils work in pairs to retell the beginning of the story to each other.

Learning Point: Practising story beginning

Step 6: Guided Practice – Retelling the Middle and End

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Collaboration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher encourages pupils to continue in their pairs and retell the middle and end parts of the story, ensuring they use simple sentences and the correct order. The teacher provides prompts if needed.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils continue in pairs, retelling the middle and end of the story, focusing on sequence and simple sentences.

Learning Point: Practising full story retelling

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What happened at the beginning of “The Tortoise and the Hare” story?
2. What happened in the middle of the story?
3. How did the story end?
4. Can you retell the whole story in your own words?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Assessing story retelling

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to copy the essential Board Summary notes on “Parts of a Story to Retell” and “How to Retell a Story” into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording story notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher reminds pupils that retelling stories helps them speak better and understand what they hear. The teacher praises their effort and encourages them to practice retelling stories at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and acknowledge the importance of retelling stories.

Learning Point: Consolidating story retelling

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Listen to a short story from your parents or guardians at home. Then, try to retell the story to them, remembering the beginning, middle, and end. Ask them to check if you told it correctly.

1. Ask your parent/guardian to tell you a short story.
2. Listen carefully to the story.
3. Tell the story back to your parent/guardian in your own words.
4. Remember to tell what happened first, next, and last.

Lesson Keywords

• Retell – To tell a story again in your own words.
• Beginning – The start of a story.
• Middle – The main events that happen in a story.
• End – How a story finishes.
• Events – Things that happen in a story.

Differentiation

For weaker learners: Provide picture cards for each main event of the story and guide them to arrange the cards in order before retelling. Focus on retelling just the beginning or the end first. Use very short sentences for retelling.

For faster learners: Encourage them to retell the story with more details or to use slightly more descriptive words. They can also try to retell a different short story they know.

Suggested Lesson Videos

Search YouTube for: “Primary 1 retelling stories beginning middle end”

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, select a very simple, short story suitable for Primary 1 pupils, such as a simplified fable or a short folk tale. Prepare any visual aids like picture cards that illustrate the key events of your chosen story. During the lesson, model each part of the retelling process clearly, using clear and simple language. Encourage pupils to speak in complete sentences even if they are very short. Provide plenty of opportunities for pair work and individual practice. Observe pupils carefully during activities to identify those who need more support in sequencing events or forming sentences. The Board Summary should be copied by pupils after the main teaching and practice activities, during the note-taking step, to consolidate their learning. Ensure all pupils understand the concept of beginning, middle, and end before moving to independent retelling.