S.C.O.O.P. Activity Page for Retelling a Story for Kids! Retelling a story is one of the most powerful ways for kids to build reading comprehension and storytelling skills. When children can explain what happened in their own words—who the story was about, what went wrong, and how it was resolved—they’re not just remembering details; they’re showing true understanding. That’s where the S.C.O.O.P. activity comes in!
S.C.O.O.P. stands for:
- S – Setting: Where and when the story takes place.
- C – Characters: Who the story is about.
- O – Oh no! (the problem): What goes wrong or what challenge the characters face.
- O – Order of Events: The steps the characters take to solve the problem.
- P – Problem Solved: How everything works out in the end.
To make retelling even more fun, the S.C.O.O.P. activity page uses ice cream scoops to help kids organize their thoughts. Each scoop represents one part of the story—starting with the setting at the bottom and ending with the “problem solved” scoop on top. As kids write or draw their answers on each scoop, they’re literally building an ice cream cone of understanding!
This hands-on approach makes literacy practice feel like play. Younger children can draw pictures on their scoops—perhaps a castle for the setting or a crying face for the “oh no” moment—while older kids can write short sentences that summarize each part. When the scoops are stacked and coloured, they create a cheerful, personalized ice cream cone that retells the story from start to finish.
The S.C.O.O.P. method encourages kids to slow down, think about what happened first, next, and last, and identify the key parts of the plot. These are foundational literacy skills that support both reading and writing development. Best of all, kids feel a sense of pride when they can share their “story cone” with you or post it on the fridge.
So next time you finish a bedtime story or chapter book together, grab the S.C.O.O.P. activity page and build an ice cream cone retelling! It’s a sweet way to blend creativity, comprehension, and fun—one scoop at a time.
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