Stone Girl Retelling Lesson Plan Stone Girl, Bone Girl
The Story of Mary Anning - Retelling
Duration 30 Min
Why This Matters
Understanding how to retell a story's key events helps students improve their reading comprehension, organize their thoughts, and develop stronger writing skills. This lesson provides targeted support for students who need extra help in these areas.
Audience
Elementary School Students
(Tier 2 Small Group Intervention)
Teacher Preparation
Review "Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning" to re-familiarize with the plot.
Print and cut out the Retelling Activity Cards .
Make copies of the Retelling Graphic Organizer Worksheet for each student.
Prepare the Slide Deck and projector/whiteboard.
Review the Script and Discussion Prompts to anticipate student responses.
Learning Objective
Students will be able to identify and retell the beginning, middle, and end of the story "Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning" using a graphic organizer and supporting sentence starters and word banks.
Materials Checklist
Whiteboard or projector
Markers or pens
Stone Girl Slide Deck
Stone Girl Script
Storybook or printed text
Retelling Activity Cards
Discussion Prompts
Graphic Organizer Worksheet
Lesson Instructions
5 MIN
Intro
Introduction & Warm-Up
Greet students and introduce the mission: "Today, we're going to become expert storytellers by learning how to retell the beginning, middle, and end of a story!"
Use Slide Deck (Slide 1-2) to engage students.
Briefly review "beginning," "middle," and "end." Ask for examples from stories they know.
10 MIN
Read
Read Aloud & Initial Thoughts
Read the story aloud. Encourage them to listen for important events.
After reading, ask open-ended questions using Discussion Prompts .
Use Slide Deck (Slide 3) as a visual cue during the read-aloud.
Prompt: "What happened at the start? In the middle? At the end?"
10 MIN
Guided
Guided Retelling with Graphic Organizer
Distribute the Retelling Graphic Organizer Worksheet .
Use Slide Deck (Slide 4-6) to guide students through filling out each section.
Refer to the sentence starters and word bank on the worksheet as support.
Facilitate a discussion, encouraging sharing for each box.
5 MIN
Activity
Retelling Activity & Wrap-Up
Give each student a Retelling Activity Card .
Students share their card's event and place it in the correct sequence (B, M, E) on the board.
Conclude by summarizing the importance of retelling and praising efforts.
Final Wrap-up: Slide Deck (Slide 7) .
Stone Girl Retelling Slides Stone Girl, Bone Girl
Mary Anning's Fossil Adventures!
Story Retelling Workshop
Tier 2 Literacy Support
What is Retelling?
Telling a story in your own words.
Focusing on the most important parts.
Remembering the beginning, middle, and end!
Teacher Note: Retelling is like summarizing, focusing on the main events.
Listen Closely!
As I read the story of Mary Anning, try to remember these three parts:
First
Beginning
Next
Middle
Last
End
Teacher Note: Before reading, ask "What do you think Mary Anning discovered?"
1
The Beginning of Mary's Story
What happened first?
Who is Mary Anning?
Where does her story begin?
What was her life like before her big discoveries?
Use your Worksheet
Teacher Note: Guide students to recall Mary's early life. Who are the main characters?
2
The Middle of Mary's Story
What happened next?
What amazing fossils did Mary find?
What challenges did she face?
How did her discoveries impact her life?
Identify Mary's major fossil finds
Teacher Note: Focus on the Ichthyosaur and Plesiosaur finds.
3
The End of Mary's Story
How did the story conclude?
What was the final outcome?
How did her discoveries change science?
How is Mary Anning remembered?
Discuss Mary's legacy and
Teacher Note: Guide them to complete the end section of their graphic organizer.
You Are A Storytelling Star!
You now know how to find the Beginning, Middle, and End of a story!
Understand stories better
Tell stories clearly
Learn about amazing people
Keep practicing your storytelling skills!
Stone Girl Retelling Script Instructional Script
Stone Girl, Bone Girl
A step-by-step facilitator guide for Tier 2 retelling instruction.
1
Introduction & Warm-Up (5 min)
Teacher faces the small group, smiling warmly.
Say: "Hello, amazing learners! Welcome! Today, we have a super exciting mission. We're going to become expert storytellers by learning how to retell the beginning, middle, and end of a story! Our special story for today is 'Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning.' Isn't that an intriguing title? What do you think a story about a 'Stone Girl' named Mary Anning might be about?"
Pause for student responses, acknowledge their ideas.
Say: "That's right, we're going to break down stories into three main parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end. Think about your favorite movie or book. What usually happens first? What happens in the middle of the story, when things get exciting? And how does it all wrap up at the end?"
Guide a brief discussion, using Slide Deck Slide 1-2 to introduce the concept of retelling.
2
Read Aloud & Initial Thoughts (10 min)
Say: "Alright, gather around and get comfortable. I'm going to read our story, 'Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning.' As I read, I want you to listen very carefully. Try to think about what happens at the beginning , what happens in the middle , and what happens at the end . Don't worry about remembering every single detail, just try to get the big picture of each part."
Read clearly and expressively. Use Slide 3 as a visual reminder.
Say: "Wow, what an amazing story about Mary Anning! Now that we've heard it, let's just chat for a moment about what you remember. No right or wrong answers, just your initial thoughts."
Use the Discussion Prompts material to facilitate conversation.
3
Guided Retelling (10 min)
Say: "To help us become even better storytellers, we're going to use a special tool called a graphic organizer. It's like a map for Mary Anning's story! On your worksheet, you'll see three boxes: 'Beginning,' 'Middle,' and 'End.' We're going to fill these out together!"
Beginning (Slide 4)
"Let's think about the beginning... Who is Mary? Where does she live? What was her life like when she was young, before her big discoveries? Look at your word bank and sentence starters."
Provide examples: "In the beginning, Mary Anning lived...", "The story starts when she helped her family..."
Middle (Slide 5)
"Now, what happened in the middle? This is where she made her amazing discoveries! What big fossils did she find? What challenges did she face while searching on the cliffs?"
Stone Girl Retelling Cards Retelling Activity Cards
Print and cut along the dashed lines. Use with small groups to practice sequencing Mary Anning's life.
Beginning 01
Mary Anning is born in Lyme Regis, a small town on the coast of England, known for its dangerous cliffs and ancient fossils.
Beginning 02
Mary and her brother Joseph help their father collect fossils from the crumbling cliffs to sell to tourists, often facing harsh weather.
Beginning 03
After her father's death, Mary continues to search for fossils to help her family, developing a keen eye for finding hidden treasures in the rocks.
Middle 04
Joseph discovers a large skull embedded in the cliff, and later Mary painstakingly uncovers the rest of the skeleton, revealing the first complete Ichthyosaur.
Middle 05
Mary makes another incredible discovery: the skeleton of a Plesiosaur, a long-necked marine reptile, which brings her widespread fame but also skepticism.
Middle 06
Despite her groundbreaking discoveries, Mary often struggles with poverty and is not always given credit for her work by male scientists.
Middle 07
Mary continues her dangerous work on the cliffs, uncovering thousands of fossils, including pterosaurs and fossilized ink sacs from ancient squid.
End 08
Mary Anning becomes known as the greatest fossil hunter of her time, with her discoveries significantly contributing to the new science of paleontology.
End 09
Scientists and collectors from all over the world seek out Mary's knowledge and expertise, and her finds are displayed in museums globally.
End 10
Though she faced many hardships, Mary's legacy lives on, inspiring future generations to explore and understand the ancient world through fossils.
Stone Girl Discussion Prompts Discussion Prompts
Stone Girl, Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning
Oral Language
Teacher Instructions
Use these prompts after reading the story aloud to encourage initial comprehension and guide students to think about the story's structure. Listen actively to gauge their understanding of Mary's journey.
1
Mary's Early Life
"What was one thing you remember happening at the very beginning of Mary Anning's story? Who did we meet first, and what was her life like by the sea?"
2
Her Amazing Discoveries
"As Mary's story continued, what were some of the important things she discovered in the middle of the book? What challenges did she face while collecting fossils?"
3
Mary's Legacy
"How did the story of Mary Anning finally end? What was the outcome of all her hard work, and how did her discoveries change the world?"
4
Courage and Curiosity
"Mary Anning was very brave and curious. What was a time in the story when she showed great courage or curiosity? What can we learn from her?"
5
Why are fossils important?
"Why do you think Mary Anning's fossil discoveries were so important? What do fossils teach us about the past?"
Retelling Graphic Organizer Worksheet Stone Girl, Bone Girl: Retelling
Map out the beginning, middle, and end of Mary Anning's story.
Name:
Date:
Word Bank
Mary Anning fossils cliffs Lyme Regis Ichthyosaur Plesiosaur Ammonites poor scientist discoveries brother Joseph stormy weather
1
Beginning of the Story
Sentence Starters
• In the beginning...
• The story starts when...
• We meet...
2
Middle of the Story
Sentence Starters
• Then, a problem arose...
• Next,...
• During the middle,...
• Mary felt...
3
End of the Story
Sentence Starters
• Finally,...
• In the end,...
• This is how...
• Mary learned...
