Response to Literature

Although kindergartners have responded to literature all year including drawings and writing connections and favorite parts, by the end of the year they are ready to write a complete retelling. Their retellings include a beginning, a middle with several events, and an ending of the story. In many cases they also include an introduction to the book and a concluding thought. The following is one example of a rubric that is used this time of year for response to literature. You will notice that the class used the cow, milk in a pail and then a milk carton to represent the different stages of a complete retelling. These symbols relate to the Science unit the students are studying about where food comes from.We are always impressed with the fluency and stamina that our students produce this time of year, especially when they write retellings. One of the reasons that we think we get retellings with such depth is because we spend so much of the early part of the year encouraging our children to "read" by orally retelling familiar stories and fairy tales. We believe that successful reading and writing is built on oral language. The lessons early in the school year focusing on oral retelling teach our children to hold an entire story in their head; to think about the sequence of the story such as what happens in the beginning, the middle, and the end of the book; and to think about and practice story language (such as "once upon a time," "happily every after," "TRIP. TRAP. TRIP. TRAP.") When the children have spent so much time practicing retelling the story orally, writing the story doesn't seem so difficult! Below is one of the many, many examples we have of kindergarten written retellings this time of year. This retelling certainly exceeds the kindergarten standard for response to literature! In this retelling Madison retells the story that she has heard and "read" so many times before, The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

I love the story the Three Billy Goats Gruff because the Three Billy Goats Gruff tried to trick the troll.

Once upon a time the Three Billy Goats Gruff wasn't fat. They wanted daisies and grass to eat so they looked up and they saw a bridge,

and a big troll lived under the bridge and he was mean and scary. Really. The first Billy Goat Gruff wanted to get over the bridge to make theirself fat.

Trip. Trap. Trip. "Who's that tripping over my bridge?" said the troll. "It's only me, the littlest Billy Goat Gruff." "Well be off with me (you)," said the troll.

The middle Billy Goat Gruff came . "Who's that tripping over my bridge?" said the troll. "It's only me the middle Billy Goat Gruff."

"You're not tripping over my bridge," said the troll. "But I am going to make myself fat," said the Billy Goat.

"There's another Billy Goat Gruff coming here - much bigger," said the billy goat. "Well go along," said the troll.

Trip. Trap. Trip. "Who's that tripping over my bridge," said the troll. "It's only me," said the billy goat. "I am the biggest billy goat."

"Well, I am coming to gobble you up." "Come along. I have a big horn and big hooves too and I can push you into

the water." "I don't care," said the troll. SPLASH!!! go-ed the troll so the billy goats got to go to the meadow.

And they got to be a family and make themselves fat.

So they all got to be very good.

Have you ever read The Three Billy Goats Gruff?

Notice how Madison even draws three faces so the reader can rate the book by circling his choice!