Retelling TV

When I was a kid, I would occupy myself by making up a story and creating my own "tv show".  I would pull the long strip of paper through my own "tv".  For some reason, I thought about this the other day and thought it would be a fun way to practice our comprehension skill of retelling.

This week our theme was the Gingerbread Man.  After reading The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth, the students divided a long strip of paper into thirds and illustrated an event from the beginning, middle and end of the story.  They then colored their own paper TV, made slits in the sides and pulled their retelling strip through to create a "show".  It took a good chunk of our morning but it was worth it.  They LOVED it and even asked to do it again!!  At one point, I heard one of my students humming.  When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was making up the song they play at the beginning of the show.  Gotta love it!