1. Retelling Nonfiction
Content area text presents a challenge for young readers.
Often, students think that simply reading the words equals
success. They may not understand that they have to remember
important ideas from what they read.
Retelling can be a great tool to help students understand
nonfiction. When students retell, they have to transform the
printed words of the text into their own spoken words. Retelling
allows readers to see if they understood the text, connect new
ideas with existing information, and make inferences.
Simply directing kids to retell does not always lead to good
results, though! In my experience, students need careful modeling
and support as they work on retelling. Pictures or figures can help
them to retell. The pictures can be cues to help them remember
important information, and can also help students to show how
ideas relate to each other.
This packet includes a reading selection and materials to
support retelling expository text.
Item Explanation
Before Reading This Before Reading activity is a variation of
Probable Sentences. Students read words
from the text, rate their knowledge of them,
and then use the words to write predictions
for the text. This helps them to form
expectations for what they will read.
“Surviving the I was so fascinated by accounts of how these
Winter: The tiny turtles survive the winter! In this article,
Painted Turtle” written at a third/fourth grade level, students
will learn about how tiny painted turtles live
through freezing temperatures. As you read
this with students, be sure to draw their
attention to the headings and italicized
words.
Retelling This is a generic set of directions to guide
Nonfiction students as they retell nonfiction. If your
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2. students are retelling nonfiction for the first
time, be sure to model how to do it. Show
students how to use headings as a guide for
recalling information.
Painted Turtle As students retell, it is helpful for them to
Retelling Figures have pictures or manipulatives to move
around. These pictures can help students to
recall important ideas and show how they
relate to one another.
After Reading This page asks students to reflect on their
predictions and answer some questions about
the article.
Postcard from a In this brief writing assignment, students
painted turtle will create a postcard from a painted turtle.
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3. “Surviving the Winter”: Before Reading
Read the vocabulary words from the passage. Put a star beside the words
that you know. Put a question mark beside the words that you are not sure
of.
winter temperature scarce
survive painted turtles supercooled
chemicals ice crystals hatchlings
Use the words from above to write two predictions for the article.
1.
2.
Draw a picture to show something that you expect to read about in this
article.
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4. Surviving the Winter:
The Painted Turtle
An amazing survivor
For most animals, winter is a difficult time. Winter brings
cold days. The temperature drops below freezing. Food can be
scarce.
Baby painted turtles
don’t migrate to a warmer
place. They can survive
through cold, cold weather.
They can survive in
temperatures that are below
freezing. They can even
survive being frozen!
How can an animal
freeze, and still be alive?
Painted turtles have special
adaptations that help them
survive.
Turtle hatchlings
Painted turtles are common reptiles. They live in ponds and
streams all over the United States. Painted turtles spend a great
deal of time in the water. They can only swallow while they are
underwater, so they mostly eat water creatures and plants.
Female painted turtles come out of the water to lay their
eggs in the summer time. If the summer temperatures are warm,
baby female turtles will hatch. If the summer temperatures are
cold, baby male turtles will hatch.
Something surprising happens when the baby turtles come
out of their eggs in late summer. Instead of swimming away into
streams and ponds, the hatchlings stay in their nests. Even as the
weather grows colder and the days grow shorter, the baby painted
turtles stay in their nests, about 5 inches underground.
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5. Two ways to survive
When the temperature drops, baby painted turtles go into a
very deep sleep. Their heart beats only a few times each minute.
They don’t even need to breathe.
Baby turtles survive cold winter temperatures with two
special physical adaptations. Sometimes, the baby turtle’s blood
becomes supercooled. This means that their blood actually goes
below the freezing point of water. But it doesn’t freeze. Special
chemicals in the baby turtles’ blood make this happen. The special
chemicals act like antifreeze. They keep the baby turtles’ blood
from freezing.
Supercooling isn’t the only way that baby painted turtles
survive the winter. These amazing animals can actually live
through being frozen!
Most animals die if they are frozen. Jagged ice crystals tear
the living cells of their bodies. But when baby painted turtles
freeze, the ice does not form in their cells. It forms in spaces
between the cells. This way, the baby turtle does not die. When
the weather gets warmer, the baby turtles thaw and crawl away.
So, on a cold January day, think about the baby painted
turtles in their nests. Their blood can be supercooled. They can
even survive freezing. Painted turtles may be small, but they have
amazing adaptations.
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6. Retelling Nonfiction: Things to Remember
1. Your job is to retell the main ideas from the
text in your own words. Don’t just read the text
aloud.
2. Have a copy of the text beside you to look at as
you retell.
3. Think about the text structure. Make sure that
you retell the ideas in a way that matches the
text structure. (For example, don’t tell a text
written as main idea and details in
chronological order.)
4. Use the headings to help you retell one section
at a time.
5. Use important vocabulary words from the text.
If you have been given a list of words to
remember, try to put these words into your
retelling.
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7. Painted Turtle Retelling Figures
Directions: Cut out the pictures below. Use them to help you retell the main
ideas from “Surviving the Winter” with a partner.
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8. “Surviving the Winter”: After Reading
Reflecting on your predictions
Look back to the predictions that you made before reading. How was the text
similar to or different from your predictions?
Thinking about the text
1. What adaptations help a baby painted turtle to survive the cold
winter?
2. How is the blood of a baby painted turtle special?
3. What is an adaptation?
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9. Postcard from a painted turtle
Pretend that you are a baby painted turtle. Create a postcard
from your winter home.
On one side, draw a picture of what your winter home looks
like.
On the other side, write a few sentences to tell what your
winter experiences are like. Be sure to include specific details
from the text as well as your own ideas. You may address your
postcard to anyone (or any animal!) that you like.
I can’t wait for
winter to be over!
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