Revising the Retell

Grade 5 ELA – 60 Minutes

Unit: Retelling Percy Jackson Adventures (Lesson 7 of 8)
Ontario Curriculum Expectations:

• Language, Oral Communication (oral): 1.4, 1.5
• Language, Reading: Understanding Content (reading): 2.1
• Language, Writing (writing): 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
• Language, Media Literacy: 4.1

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Use peer feedback to revise a retelling draft for clarity and vividness (Writing 3.3)
• Add descriptive details to enhance their retelling (Writing 3.2)
• Identify and correct grammatical errors (Writing 3.3)
• Demonstrate self-assessment and set goals for future writing (Writing 3.1)

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Success Criteria

I can…

• read and understand feedback from my peers clearly
• use feedback to make my writing clearer and more detailed
• find and fix mistakes in my grammar and punctuation
• explain what I improved in my retelling after revising

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Materials Needed

• Students’ draft retellings of Percy Jackson adventures
• Peer feedback checklists from previous lesson
• Revision checklist handout (focusing on clarity, detail, grammar)
• Writing tools (pens, pencils, erasers)
• Whiteboard/Smartboard for examples
• Optional: Visual prompts related to Percy Jackson (e.g., images of scenes)

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-up: Reflection and Goal Setting (10 minutes)

• Begin by asking students to quietly reread their retelling drafts and peer feedback notes from the previous lesson.
• Prompt: “What is one thing you learned from your partner’s feedback?”
• Share a clear, positive example on the board demonstrating how feedback can lead to revision:
  Example: “My friend said I could add more about Percy’s feelings in the forest scene.”
• Students write a brief “I can” goal for their revision (e.g., “I can add more details about Percy’s actions”).

2. Mini-Lesson: Revising for Clarity, Detail, and Grammar (10 minutes)

• Explicitly teach revision strategies aligned with Ontario Writing expectations:
  • Clarifying unclear sentences ("What do I want my reader to imagine?")
  • Adding descriptive details (adjectives, similes, action verbs)
  • Spotting and fixing common grammar errors (subject-verb agreement, punctuation, capitalization)
• Display quick examples using Percy Jackson text fragments to model revision.

3. Guided Practice: Peer Revision Stations (20 minutes)

• Set up 5 stations with focused revision tasks:

  1. Clarity check – Does the writing make sense?
  2. Adding detail – Can this part be more vivid?
  3. Grammar scan – Find and correct mistakes
  4. Transition words – Improve flow between events
  5. Voice and style – Is Percy’s personality shown?

• Students circulate in small groups (4-5) to work on each station with their draft, using the revision checklist and peer suggestions.

• Teacher circulates, conferring with students, modelling revision for those requiring support.

4. Independent Revision Time (15 minutes)

• Students return to their seats to work independently on revising their retelling draft using insights gained from the stations.
• Teacher offers targeted support and extension prompts:
  • For emerging writers: Provide sentence starters or graphic organizers for detail addition
  • For advanced writers: Challenge to vary sentence length or experiment with dialogue

5. Sharing and Self-Assessment (5 minutes)

• Students share one revision they made with a partner or small group, explaining why it improved their story.
• Complete a brief self-assessment: “I improved my retell by...” using a 3-point scale (I did this well / I am improving / I need more practice).

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Differentiation Strategies

• For Diverse Learners:
  • Provide sentence frames and vocabulary banks to support rewriting
  • Use audio recordings of their original draft for students who struggle with reading or writing
  • Allow use of speech-to-text tools if available
  • Pair with supportive peer buddies for one-on-one conferencing
• For English Language Learners (ELL):
  • Pre-teach and review key vocabulary from the text and feedback language
  • Use visual aids and graphic organizers
• For Advanced Learners:
  • Encourage use of figurative language and more complex sentence structures
  • Extend with a creative writing challenge: Add a new scene to Percy’s adventure using the voice of another character

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Assessment/Evaluation

• Observation of student peer feedback discussions and participation at stations
• Review of revised retelling drafts for evidence of improved clarity, detail, and grammar
• Student self-assessment reflections on their revision process
• Anecdotal notes on individual student growth in writing skills

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Extension Activities

• Create an illustrated storybook page based on the revised retell using digital tools or art supplies
• Write a letter to Percy Jackson giving advice based on their retelling experience
• Record an audiobook-style reading of their story, focusing on expression and clarity

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This lesson plan aligns with the Ontario Curriculum by fostering the expectations for oral, reading, and writing skills, engaging students in meaningful peer interactions, promoting clear and detailed communication, and encouraging metacognitive reflection consistent with the grade 5 language strands.