Somebody-Wanted-But-So
One of the hardest things for young children to
understand is the difference between
retelling
and
summarizing
. While a
retell
is a detailed “play by
play” of all the events in a story, told in sequence, a
summary
is a brief overview of the story as a whole.
The Somebody-Wanted-But-So format is a great way to
guide students to give a summary and NOT a retell.
Almost ALL fiction stories can be summarized with
Somebody-Wanted-But-So
(This format is often ended with a “then” statement.)
Example:
Cinderella wanted to go to the ball, but her evil
stepmother wouldn’t allow her to go, so her fairy
godmother showed up and used magic to give her
a dress, shoes, and a carriage so she could go.
Then…she met the Prince, they fell in love,
and lived happily ever after.
Created by Beth Banco of Simply SWEET TEAching
