The Very Cranky Bear: Oral Retell Booklet has been designed to accompany a whole class reading of the picture book The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland. This engaging and interactive resource will support your students in developing oral language skills and deepening comprehension of the story.

The adorable booklet includes 11 scenes from the story to guide and scaffold students as they orally retell the key events. This provides a wonderful opportunity to check students’ understanding of important narrative elements, including characters, setting, and plot.

The booklet is printed two to a page for easy assembly. Simply print all pages back to back (flip on the long edge), then slice down the middle to create two separate booklets. The compact design makes them perfect for individual use or small group practise.

This task is ideal for independent work, small group tasks, scribing, assessment evidence, or for your relief folder. It offers a fun and purposeful way to consolidate students’ comprehension while building confidence with oral storytelling.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Retell key events of a familiar narrative
• ✅ Develop oral storytelling skills
• ✅ Build understanding of story structure (characters, setting, plot)
• ✅ Strengthen sequencing and language fluency
• ✅ Promote independent and collaborative storytelling

What’s Included:

• 11 illustrated scene pages from The Very Cranky Bear story
• Printed two to a page for easy booklet assembly

Materials Needed:

• Printed The Very Cranky Bear: Oral Retell Booklet pages (print double-sided, flip on long edge)
• Scissors or paper trimmer (to slice booklet pages down the middle)
• Stapler to assemble booklets

How to Use:

1. Read The Very Cranky Bear with your class.
2. Print and assemble the oral retell booklets following the included instructions.
3. Introduce the booklets to students and model how to use them to orally retell the story.
4. Students use the booklets independently or in small groups to practise retelling the story using their own words.
5. Encourage students to add their own voice, expression, and detail as they retell the text.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use as an independent comprehension task after reading The Very Cranky Bear.
• 💡 Include in a literacy rotation to develop oral retell skills.
• 💡 Use for assessment evidence of comprehension and oral language development.
• 💡 Add to a relief folder as a no-prep literacy activity linked to a familiar text.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Model expressive retelling with voice and gestures to inspire student engagement.
• 💛 Use the booklets for paired reading and retell activities to promote collaborative learning.
• 💛 Laminate a set of booklets to create a durable classroom resource that can be used throughout the year.
• 💛 Encourage students to retell the story to a partner or family member at home using their booklet.

Check out more amazing resources related to The Very Cranky Bear in our The Very Cranky Bear PACKAGE.