Leaving Out the Little Stuff

Skip small details so your retelling stays short and clear.

A good retell is short and clear. That means leaving out little details that do not change the story. Read: 'Jada went to the park. She wore a pink hat. She saw a duck that could not find the pond. Jada walked the duck to the water.

The duck quacked happily. ' A short retell is: 'Jada helped a lost duck get back to the pond. ' The pink hat is a little detail. It does not change what happened, so you can skip it. If your retell is as long as the book, it is too long.

• 1Skip details that do not change the story.
• 2A retell should be shorter than the story.
• 3Keep what happened; skip extras like colors and clothes.