Handy Retell Lesson Plan ✋
Primary Literacy Instructional Plan
Handy Story Retell
Grades K–2 | 45–50 Mins
Narrative Comprehension & Speaking
Focus Strategy
5-Finger Retell
Target Standard
CCSS.ELA RL.1.2 / RL.1.3
Grouping
Whole + Tiered Pairs
Modality
Visual, Kinesthetic, Oral
Learning Objectives
• Content: Identify & orally recount 5 core narrative elements (Characters, Setting, Beginning, Middle, End) in sequential order.
• Language: Use sequential sentence starters ("First...", "Next...", "Finally..." ) to summarize a familiar read-aloud.
Lesson Materials
• Handy Story Retell Slide Deck (for modeling & whole-group)
• Visual Anchor Chart (classroom wall & small-group table)
• Tactile Hand Cue Cards & color-coded sentence frame strips
• Mentor text: Goldilocks and the Three Bears (or class favorite)
The Five-Finger Kinesthetic Key Pairs color, finger, element & physical gesture
👍
Thumb
Characters
"Who is in it?"
☝️
Pointer
Setting
"Where & when?"
🖕
Middle
Beginning
"First / Problem"
💍
Ring
Middle
"Next / Events"
🖐️
Pinky
Ending
"Finally / Solution"
1 Warm-Up & Hook: High-Five Story Power (7 mins)
Whole Group
Display Slide 2. Have students raise one open hand. Guide them through tapping each finger while chanting: "Thumb is who, pointer where, middle starts the story there! Ring finger tells what happens next, pinky wraps up the whole text!" Practice tactile hand squeeze for each finger.
2 Direct Instruction (I Do): Explicit Visual Modeling (12 mins)
Slides 3–7
Introduce the mentor story Goldilocks and the Three Bears . Model holding up the left hand: Thumb: "Goldilocks, Mama, Papa, Baby Bear." Pointer: "Cottage in the deep woods." Middle: "First, Goldilocks wandered into the empty house and tasted the porridge." Ring: "Next, she broke Baby Bear's chair and fell asleep in his bed." Pinky: "Finally, the bears came home, and Goldilocks escaped out the window!"
Handy Story Retell • Teacher Instructional Plan Page 1 of 2
Instructional Progression & Targeted Differentiation
Part II: Practice & Supports
3 Guided Practice (We Do): Partner Story Pass (15 mins)
Partner Pairs / Small Group
Assign Partner A (Finger Tracker) and Partner B (Storyteller). Partner A holds up their hand and points to fingers in order while Partner B speaks using the color-coded sentence frames. Switch roles for a second short story vignette. Circulate with the Formative Observation Tracker.
4 Independent / Differentiated Application (You Do) (12 mins)
Tiered Workstations
Students use their individual tactile cue cards or desktop strips to retell a leveled reader or independent storybook. Students may choose to orally record their retell, draw 5 pictorial scenes on the finger strip, or write sequential sentences into their literacy logs.
SPED & ELL Tiered Differentiation Matrix
SPED / IEP Accommodations
• Tactile Rings / Glove: Provide a cotton sensory glove with colored felt rings on each finger tip to reinforce touch-to-concept memory.
• Picture Card Manipulation: Provide pre-printed icon cards for the mentor story so non-verbal or dysgraphic students can physically sequence cards onto the hand mat.
• Chunked Pacing: Master Thumb (Who) & Pointer (Where) first before adding sequential plot fingers (Middle, Ring, Pinky).
• Reduced Language Load: Allow 1-2 word verbal labels or gesture-only verification for early milestones.
ELL / Multilingual Supports (WIDA 1–4)
• Level 1–2 (Entering/Emerging): Visual sentence starters with pictorial word banks (e.g., [Person Icon] "The story is about..." ). Allow native language keywords during retell.
• Level 3–4 (Developing/Expanding): Complex transition frames (e.g., "After Goldilocks discovered the beds, then..." ).
• Total Physical Response (TPR): Pair each element with iconic gestures (Thumb = point to self/people; Pointer = binoculars for setting).
• Bilingual Cognate Anchors: Personaje (Character), Escenario (Setting), Principio, Medio, Final.
Quick 5-Point Formative Check Rate 1–3 (Emerging, Approaching, Proficient)
1. Characters
Names key figures accurately
2. Setting
Identifies place and/or time
3. Beginning
States opening problem/event
4. Middle
Explains key actions/attempts
5. Ending
States how problem is resolved
Handy Story Retell • Teacher Instructional Plan Page 2 of 2
Visual Retell Slide Deck Primary Literacy Strategy
📖 ✨ 🖐️
✋ High-Five Story Power!
The Five-Finger
Story Retell
Use your hand to remember, retell, and share every exciting part of any story!
Hold up your hand and get ready!
1 2 3 4 5
Strategy Overview
Meet Your 5 Story Fingers
🖐️ 5 Clues to Every Story
👍
1. Thumb Characters
Who?
☝️
2. Pointer Setting
Where?
🖕
3. Middle Beginning
Problem
💍
4. Ring Middle
Events
🖐️
5. Pinky Ending
Solved!
👉 Let's explore each finger step-by-step!
👍
Finger #1 • Thumbs Up!
Characters (Who?)
People & Animals
Ask Yourself:
"Who is this story about?"
Look for the main people, creatures, or talking animals who do things in the book!
👧 Person 🐻 Animal
💬 Speaking Frames
Level 1:
"The characters are _______."
Level 2:
"The main character is _______ because _______."
🖐️ TPR Gesture: Point both thumbs to yourself!
Give a thumbs up when you can name the characters!
☝️
Finger #2 • Point to Where!
Setting (Where & When?)
Place & Time
Ask Yourself:
"Where and when does it happen?"
Is it in a cozy cottage, deep forest, school, space, daytime, or a stormy night?
🌲 Forest 🏠 House ☀️ Daytime
💬 Speaking Frames
Level 1:
"The story takes place in/at _______."
Level 2:
"The setting is _______ during the _______."
🖐️ TPR Gesture: Put pointer fingers to eyes like binoculars!
Point your finger to show where the story lives!
🌱
Finger #3 • The Story Starts!
Beginning (First / Problem)
The Big Start
Ask Yourself:
"What happened first? What went wrong?"
Every great story begins with an action and usually a problem that needs to be fixed!
⚡ Keyword: FIRST / AL PRINCIPIO
Visual Retell Anchor Chart 🖐️ Reading & Speaking Strategy 🖐️
FIVE-FINGER STORY RETELL
Hold up your hand to tell what happens in every story!
👍 Thumb
1. CHARACTERS (Personajes)
WHO?
Who is in the story? Look for people, animals, and magical creatures.
💬 "The story is about ________."
☝️ Pointer
2. SETTING (Escenario)
WHERE & WHEN?
Where and when does the story take place? (Forest, castle, house, day, night).
💬 "The story takes place in ________ during the ________."
🌱 Middle
3. BEGINNING (Principio / Problema)
FIRST!
How does the adventure start? What problem or big goal appears?
💬 "First, the main problem was ________."
⚡ Ring
4. MIDDLE (Medio / Eventos)
NEXT & THEN
What happens in the middle? What do the characters try to do?
💬 "Next, the character tried to ________."
🎉 Pinky
5. ENDING (Final / Solución)
FINALLY!
How is the problem solved? How does the whole story end?
💬 "Finally, the problem was fixed when ________."
💡
The Palm: Central Story Idea
Put all 5 fingers together to tell what the whole book was about!
Touch & Tell!
Handy Retell Cue Cards ✂️
Tactile Retell Desktop Mat
Small-Group & Individual Scaffolding Tool for SPED & ELL
Laminate for Dry-Erase or Token Placement
👉 Student Directions: Touch each finger in order as you retell the story. You can place the cut-out picture tokens directly on the matching finger box!
🖐️ Desktop Five-Finger Retell Strip (Keep on Desk)
👍
1. CHARACTERS
"Who?"
Draw / Place Token
☝️
2. SETTING
"Where & When?"
Draw / Place Token
🌱
3. BEGINNING
"Problem"
Draw / Place Token
⚡
4. MIDDLE
"Events / Next"
Draw / Place Token
🎉
5. ENDING
"Solution"
Draw / Place Token
✂️ Cut-Out Story Manipulative Tokens (For Non-Verbal & Fine Motor Support) Cut along dashed lines
👧🐻
Characters
Who is in it?
🌲🏠
Setting
Where & When?
⚠️🥣
Problem / Start
First action
🪑🛏️
Middle Events
What happened next?
🚪🏃♀️
Ending Solution
Problem resolved
Five-Finger Retell • Desktop Manipulative Mat Page 1 of 2
🗣️
Tiered Sentence Frame Prompt Cards
Cut into 5 Individual Scaffolding Cards for Lanyards or Rings
Tier 1: Emerging Tier 2: Expanding
👍
1. Characters (Thumb) Who is in it?
Level 1 (Emerging):
"The characters are _______."
Level 2 (Expanding):
"The main character is _______ because _______."
☝️
2. Setting (Pointer) Where & When?
Level 1 (Emerging):
"The story is in / at _______."
Level 2 (Expanding):
"The story takes place in _______ during _______."
🌱
3. Beginning (Middle) First / Problem
Level 1 (Emerging):
"First, the character _______."
Level 2 (Expanding):
"In the beginning, the problem started when _______."
⚡
4. Middle (Ring) Next / Events
Level 1 (Emerging):
"Next, they tried to _______."
