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Common Core ELA1st GradeReading: Literature

RL.1.2: Retell Stories and Find the Lesson

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2 · Cluster: Key Ideas and Details.

All 41 1st Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 1, Reading: Literature · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What RL.1.2 Means in Plain English

First graders retell a whole story in order, beginning, middle and end, keeping the details that matter, and then say what it teaches. A moose who eats all the berries alone, goes hungry, then gets fed by a friend teaches that friends share, so you should too.

The lesson is rarely written down; children find it in what the character learns by the end. Kindergartners retold familiar stories with support (RL.K.2) and stopped there. In 2nd grade the stories widen to fables and folktales from many cultures (RL.2.2).

RL.1.2 I Can Statements

  • I can retell a story from beginning to end.
  • I can keep the important parts when I retell.
  • I can say what lesson the story teaches.

RL.1.2 Worked Example

A five-line fable, then two retellings that each try to name its lesson.

Read the Story
Moose found a bush full of red berries.“All mine,” he said, and he ate every one by himself.A week later the bush was bare, and Moose was hungry.His friend Chipmunk shared her clover with him.“Thank you,” said Moose. “Next time, I will share too.”
A short passage written for this page.
Question: Retell the story of Moose. What lesson does it teach?
Not Yet“Moose ate berries and they were red. The lesson is berries are good.”It stops at the beginning, keeps a detail that doesn’t matter, and names something from the story instead of a lesson.
Meets the Standard“Moose ate all the berries by himself. Then the bush was bare and he was hungry. Chipmunk shared with him, so he said he would share next time. The lesson is to share, because friends share with you.”Beginning, middle and end in order, with the hungry part that makes the lesson matter, and a lesson that fits what Moose learned.
Question Stems to Use
At the beginning…Then…At the end…Moose learned…The lesson is…I know because…

Common Mistakes with RL.1.2

Naming the topic instead of the lesson

“The lesson is about berries.”

Try this: Ask “What did Moose learn?” first, then “What should we learn?” and have the child start the answer with We should.

Retelling only the beginning

“Moose found berries and ate them all.” Then nothing.

Try this: Fold a paper into three, beginning, middle and end, and have the child sketch one picture per part before telling it.

A lesson that doesn’t fit the story

“The lesson is eat your vegetables.”

Try this: Test the lesson against the ending: ask “Does that explain why Moose changed?” and if not, look at what he said last.

Where RL.1.2 Fits

Comes BeforeRL.K.2Retell familiar stories with key details, with prompting and support.
AlongsideRL.1.3Describe the characters, setting and big events a retelling is built from.RI.1.2Name the main topic of an informational book and retell its key facts.
Comes NextRL.2.2Recount fables and folktales from many cultures and find the central message, lesson or moral.

Practice RL.1.2

Quick Check

  1. What did Moose do with the berries?
  2. Why was Moose hungry a week later?
  3. What lesson does the story teach?

RL.1.2: Other Names

RL.1.2CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.