Model retelling the story: Say

One spring day a girl named Kim decides to make a birdhouse in her workshop. Kim wants to make a safe place for birds to build their nest. First, she gets wood, nails, and, a hammer. She starts to put the birdhouse together. 

Next, Kim makes a hole for the bird to get in and out and a stick to be a perch outside the house for the bird to sit on. Kim decides to paint the birdhouse yellow because she thinks yellow is a very vivid color and the birds will see it.  

Then, Kim fixes a wire hanger to the birdhouse. She hangs the birdhouse on the branch of a tree. Kim is so happy the birdhouse is finished. She feels proud that she made something that will help the birds find shelter. Days go by as Kim waits and waits for a bird to move into her birdhouse. 

One morning Kim hears the sound, “Tweet, tweet. Tweet.” She runs to the window. 

Kim looks outside and sees a red bird sitting on the wooden perch. She is so excited. Finally, a bird lives in her birdhouse. But what is that peeking out of the birdhouse? It’s a tiny baby bird.

Have readers take turns retelling the events of the story in details following your model. They will be prompted with the language cue words and the picture. You can also Prompt them with the questions below.

Language Cue Words
Mental verb: decides
Connecting word: because
Sequence word: first

Prompts
What is the set-up of the story?
What does Kim decide to do? Why?
What does Kim do first?

Language Cue Words
Sequence word: next
Connecting word: so

Prompts
What does Kim do next?
Why does she paint the birdhouse yellow?

Language Cue Words
Sequence word: then
Feeling word: proud
Feeling word: disappointed

Prompts
What does Kim do then?
How does Kim feel when the birdhouse is ready?
How does Kim feel after no bird comes?

Language Cue Words
Sequence word: last
Feeling word: happy

Prompts
Finally what happens last?
How does Kim feel when she sees the red bird in the birdhouse?