Retell and Draw: First, Next, Last
Narrative retell scaffolded by drawing. Each mini-story is read aloud, then drawn in order and retold.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Read the story once and do not repeat it before the drawing. The drawing is the memory support, and repeating the story removes the reason for it. Draw all three parts before asking for any narration — a child who tells you each part as they draw it has produced three sentences rather than a story. The final card asks for a retell from the drawings alone, which is the target.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- Question promptAsk a story-grammar question: who, where, what was the problem, what happened next?Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two possible next parts of the story and let the student pick and say it.Log as cued
- ModelTell that part yourself; the student tells it back in their own words.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer parts, and keep a first-next-last visual on the table.
Ask for the retell without the pictures, with a feeling or a reason added to each part.
Matching IEP goal
Given a picture or story prompt, Student will put events in order and retell them using first, next, then and last in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than one question prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Three mini-stories to hear, draw and retell: Sam poured cereal, the milk was all gone, he ate toast instead; Mia lost her hat at the park, her dog sniffed around and found it in a bush; it started to rain at recess, everyone ran inside, we played games in the classroom. Each is drawn in three parts and then told back, ending with a retell using first, then and last.
What to listen for
Watch whether the problem survives. Every one of these stories has a complication — no milk, a lost hat, rain — and it is the element children skip when retelling, because it is not an action. Listen for the connectives in the final retell; first, then and last are what a teacher will ask for and they are the part that has to be prompted at this age.
Carrying it home
Any three-part story works. Telling one, having the child draw three quick pictures, and then asking for it back takes five minutes and is a bedtime routine rather than homework.
What's in this activity
- Listen: 'Sam poured cereal. The milk was all gone. He ate toast instead.' Draw what happened FIRST.
- Same story. Draw what happened NEXT.
- Same story. Draw what happened LAST. Now tell me the whole story.
- Listen: 'Mia lost her hat at the park. Her dog sniffed around and found it in a bush.' Draw the BEGINNING.
- Same story. Draw the MIDDLE.
- Same story. Draw the END, then retell it in three sentences.
- Listen: 'It started to rain at recess. Everyone ran inside. We played games in the classroom.' Draw all three parts, left to right.
- Retell your favorite of today's stories using only your drawings. Use 'first', 'then' and 'last'.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Kindergarten through second grade, for early narrative retelling.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all three stories and their retells play with no account.
- Why draw rather than just retell?
- Because the drawing holds the sequence while the child finds the words. It separates remembering the story from telling it, which lets you see which of the two is actually difficult.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.