CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2
The Standard
Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literature
What This Standard Means
Students need to retell a story in order, naming the main characters, setting, problem, key events, and ending. They also need to say what the story teaches, not just what happened. Fables and folktales work well because the lesson is usually clear.
Mastery looks like a student saying, “First, next, then, finally,” and linking the ending to a lesson, such as “Don’t lie” or “Be kind to others.” Students often confuse the topic with the message. “It is about a fox” is not enough. They also may pick a lesson that sounds nice but is not supported by the story.
Ways to Teach It
- Use picture cards from a short fable and have partners place them in order, then retell the story aloud using sequence words.
- Ask students to write: What did the main character learn, and which part of the story proves it?
- Give students a four-box retell sheet, characters, problem, events, lesson, and check for one clear detail in each box.
- Connect to classroom life by asking when a story lesson, like sharing or honesty, could help during recess or group work.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.2
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.9
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, ...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed th...