Movenote to Help English Language Learners Retell Stories

Do your EL first graders struggle with comprehension quizzes?  This year I came up with an interactive digital solution that not only has improved comprehension but has improved English language development and raised reading levels.

How did I do it? 

I repurposed the "retelling story rope" that educators have been using for years and "digitized it" by employing two tech tools: Google Slides and Movenote.  You can too. 

Here's how:

First, I created a slide for each component of the retelling rope.  On each slide I included a sentence frame to provide scaffolded support for my EL learners.

Click here to view my Google Slides presentation

Next, I uploaded my Google Slides presentation onto the Movenote for education app. The Movenote app lets you record video alongside documents or pictures to create an integrated video presentation with slides.

Then, I recorded a video of myself inviting my students to go on a storywalk with me.  I narrated each slide to provide support as they write down their answers on the "storywalk" form.  Students can also pause the video and utilize the sentence frame to write a complete sentence.

My Movenote Presentation

Story Walk Form

Last, I created a QR code to directly link my students to my Movenote "Story Walk" presentation. My students use the QR scanner app on their tablets and instantly they are taking a digital storywalk with me.