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E6 M - Retell a short story

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E6 M - Retell a short story

Retell a short story means: Tell a short story again in your own simple English. Use pictures and keywords to help you. Keep the important events in the right order.

Mini-Beschreibung: Gib eine kurze Geschichte mithilfe von Bildern und Stichwörtern in eigenen einfachen Sätzen wieder. Du arbeitest auf M-Niveau in Klasse 6: kurze zusammenhängende Texte, verständliche Sätze, Rückfragen und zunehmend selbstständiges Sprechen und Schreiben.

Media starter: Watch about one minute. What do you notice? A retell needs a beginning, a middle and an end.

I can ...

I can find the most important events in a short story.
I can use pictures and keywords as prompts.
I can retell a story with simple connected sentences.
I can use words such as first, next, then, after that, finally.
I can check whether my retell is clear and complete.

Quick check: What do you already know?

Try English first.

Say three things that happened yesterday.
Put these words in a useful story order: finally – first – then.
Name one character and one place from a story you know.

German help: Du musst noch nicht perfekt sein. Prüfe nur: Kannst Du einfache Ereignisse in einer Reihenfolge erzählen?

Notice: Look at the picture story

These four picture prompts from Wikimedia Commons show one small rainy-day adventure. Do not read a long text yet. Look, notice and predict.

Picture 1 keywords: girl – umbrella – door – curious

Picture 2 keywords: outside – rain – toy – umbrella

Picture 3 keywords: open – umbrella – problem – wet

Picture 4 keywords: rain – wet – toy – home

Think: What may happen from picture 1 to picture 4?

Picture language

Useful words in context:

English	Simple meaning	Example
umbrella	something that keeps rain off you	She takes an umbrella.
rain	water that falls from clouds	It starts to rain.
wet	not dry	Her shoes get wet.
toy	something you play with	She carries her toy.
outside	not inside a building	She goes outside.
home	the place where you live	She goes home.

German help: umbrella = Regenschirm, rain = Regen, wet = nass, toy = Spielzeug, outside = draußen, home = Zuhause. Nutze Deutsch nur, wenn die englische Erklärung noch nicht reicht.

Understand: Read and listen

The rainy-day adventure

On Saturday, Mia saw an umbrella by the door. She wanted to go outside. First, she took the umbrella and her toy. Next, she went into the rain. Then she tried to open the umbrella, but it was difficult. Finally, Mia went home because she was very wet.

Audio input: Ask your teacher or a partner to read the story twice. First listen only. Then listen again and point to the four pictures. No recording is needed.

Listening focus: Which picture matches each part of the story?

Hint: Listen for umbrella – outside – rain – open – wet – home.

Find the story parts

A useful retell answers simple questions:

Who? Mia.
Where? At home and outside in the rain.
What happened first? She took an umbrella and her toy.
What was the problem? The umbrella was difficult to open.
How did it end? Mia went home wet.

A storyboard helps you see a story as a sequence of important moments.

Practise: Put the story in order

Use these sequence words:

First → Next → Then → Finally

Watch a short part of the video. Listen for first, next, then, after that, finally.

Pronunciation: Make it clear

Say the words slowly, then in a sentence.

first – First, Mia took the umbrella.
next – Next, she went outside.
then – Then she tried to open it.
finally – Finally, she went home.

Tip: Clear words and a steady pace are more important than sounding like a native speaker.

Small speaking practice

Work with a partner. Student A points to a picture. Student B says one sentence. Then switch.

Useful starts: First ... / Next ... / Then ... / Finally ...

If you get stuck, ask: What happens next? or Can you say that again, please?

Use: Retell the story

Retell the rainy-day story in 4–6 simple sentences. Use the four pictures and only these keywords:

Mia – umbrella – toy – rain – difficult – wet – home

Do not copy the model story word for word.

Step-by-step help

Try English first: Say your first sentence without help.

Hint: Start with the character and situation: On Saturday, Mia ...

German help: Erzähle nur die wichtigsten Ereignisse. Nutze die Bilder als Reihenfolge. Vier bis sechs einfache Sätze reichen.

Example: First, Mia took an umbrella. Next, she went outside.

Solution example: On Saturday, Mia found an umbrella. First, she took it and her toy. Next, she went outside. Then she had a problem with the umbrella and got wet. Finally, she went home.

Reading: Is this a good retell?

Read:

Mia saw an umbrella. First, she took it. Next, she went into the rain with her toy. Then the umbrella was difficult to open. Finally, she went home wet.

Check:

Does it have the important events?
Is the order clear?
Are the sentences easy to understand?
Does it add strange new events?

A good retell keeps the important story. It does not invent a new story.

Short writing output

Write 5 sentences about the picture story. Use at least three sequence words.

Sentence frame: On Saturday, ... First, ... Next, ... Then, ... Finally, ...

German help: Schreibe fünf eigene einfache Sätze. Kleine Fehler sind okay, wenn der Ablauf verständlich bleibt. Prüfe besonders Satzanfänge, Verbformen und Reihenfolge.

Optional mediation

Your German-speaking classmate asks: “Worum geht die Geschichte?”

Answer in German in one or two short sentences. Do not translate every English sentence. Give only the main idea.

Feedback: Check and improve

Use this short partner checklist:

Story order: I can follow the events.
Key events: The important parts are there.
Language: The sentences are simple and understandable.
Sequence words: There are useful links such as first, then or finally.
One next step: Choose one sentence to improve.

Feedback sentence: “I understand your story. One sentence you can improve is ...”

Use again: A new mini-story

Look at this picture and make a new 3–4 sentence story. The picture is only a prompt; your story can be fictional.

Keywords: park – children – dog – ball – suddenly – finally

Try English first. Keep the event order clear. Do not use real names or personal data.

Safe and fair media use

Use images that your teacher provides, your own drawings, or reusable media such as Wikimedia Commons files. If you make an audio recording, it is voluntary and should stay private unless your school has a clear rule and permission for sharing. Do not upload classmates' voices, photos or names without permission. Do not send school work to an external AI service unless your teacher and school allow it. If AI helps with ideas, check the result and write the final sentences yourself.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Diesen aiMOOC als Battle spielen

What is the main goal of a retell? (Tell the important events again in your own words) (!Invent a completely new story) (!Translate every word into German) (!Learn every sentence by heart)

Which word is useful for the first event? (First) (!Finally) (!Yesterday) (!Because)

What should you use as help in this course? (Pictures and keywords) (!Long grammar tables) (!Private online profiles) (!Random new characters)

What happened after Mia took the umbrella? (She went into the rain) (!She went to school) (!She found a dog) (!She cooked dinner)

What was Mia's problem? (The umbrella was difficult to open) (!She lost her school) (!Her toy could speak) (!The sun was too bright)

Which sentence is a useful ending? (Finally, Mia went home) (!First, Mia went home) (!Blue umbrella quickly) (!Mia because outside)

Which question helps you retell a story? (What happened next?) (!What is your password?) (!How many pages can I copy?) (!Which new event can I invent?)

What is more important than a perfect accent? (Clear and understandable speech) (!Speaking as fast as possible) (!Using very difficult words) (!Never making a small mistake)

What should a short written retell include? (The important events in a clear order) (!Every tiny detail) (!Only German sentences) (!A different ending every time)

What should you do with AI suggestions? (Check them and write the final sentences yourself) (!Copy them without reading) (!Upload private class data) (!Let AI choose personal information)

Memory

First	the first event
Next	the following event
Finally	the last event
character	a person in a story
setting	where and when a story happens
retell	tell a story again in your own words

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Beginning	Mia sees the umbrella.
First event	Mia takes the umbrella and her toy.
Next event	Mia goes into the rain.
Problem	The umbrella is difficult to open.
Ending	Mia goes home wet.

Kreuzworträtsel

umbrella	What does Mia take because of the rain?
character	What do we call a person in a story?
setting	What word means the place and time of a story?
finally	Which sequence word often introduces the last event?
retell	What verb means to tell a story again in your own words?
picture	What can help you remember an event without a long text?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Picture words: Choose one picture and write five useful English keywords.
Story order: Draw four boxes and sketch the beginning, two middle events and the end.
Speaking practice: Retell the rainy-day story to a partner in four sentences.
Sequence words: Make four new sentences with first, next, then and finally.

Standard

Picture retell: Use the dog-in-the-park picture and create a 4–6 sentence fictional story.
Audio retell: If you want, record a private 30-second retell and listen once for clarity. Do not upload it.
Peer feedback: Exchange retells and give one positive comment plus one clear improvement idea.
Mini email: Write a short email to a friend and retell what happened in the rainy-day story.

Schwer

Alternative viewpoint: Retell the rainy-day story from the toy's point of view in 6–8 simple sentences.
Story reduction: Read a short story chosen by your teacher and reduce it to six key events.
Live retell: Give a one-minute retell from picture prompts without reading full sentences.
Quality check: Compare your first and second retell. Explain in simple English which version is clearer and why.

Lernkontrolle

Transfer retell: You receive four new pictures. Retell the story in 5–7 connected sentences without a model text.
Choose key events: From ten short event cards, select the five that are essential for a clear retell and explain your choice.
Repair a retell: Improve a mixed-up retell so that the event order becomes clear.
Audience check: Retell a story to a partner who has not seen the pictures. Ask what was unclear and revise one sentence.
Mediation transfer: Give the main idea of a short English story in one or two German sentences without translating line by line.
Self-editing: Check your own text for sequence words, understandable verb forms and missing key events; improve two places.

Wiederholung

Remember the retell route:

Who? → Where? → What first? → What next? → Problem? → Ending?

And use:

First → Next → Then → Finally

Can-do-Check

Tick what is true for you:

I can understand the main events in a short story.
I can use pictures and keywords instead of a full script.
I can retell a story in 4–6 simple connected sentences.
I can ask for help with “What happens next?” or “Can you say that again?”
I can improve my retell after feedback.

If you tick 4 or 5 points, try the follow-up course: E6 M - Tell a short story from pictures.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show that you can:

identify the main characters, setting, problem and ending;
put key events in a clear order;
retell with simple connected English sentences;
use a few sequence words correctly;
speak clearly enough to be understood;
revise one part after feedback;
work with fictional or permitted material and protect private data.

The learning record can be a short live retell, a written retell, or a private recording agreed with your teacher.

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E6 M - Retell a short story

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