Story Skills Interactive Notebook — Grade 3: SWBST Retelling, Theme & Text Evidence

Hands-on interactive notebook pages that teach Grade 3 English learners to retell a story with Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then — and to find the theme and prove it with evidence from the text.

I do, we do, you do. Each skill uses three original passages: you model with the first, students practice with you on the second, and students work on their own with the third. Students read one numbered paragraph at a time, highlight helpful clues, and record short notes.

What students make

• SWBST retelling organizers with a separate setting box (3 passages)
• Six-piece flipbooks: Problem, Response, Solution, Theme, Evidence 1, Evidence 2 (3 passages)
• “How did I do?” self-checks on the independent pages

The passages

• “The New Reading Corner,” “The Class Plant,” and “The Hallway Map” (SWBST retelling)
• “A Welcome Without Words,” “The Torn Banner,” and “The Extra Chair” (theme and text evidence)

Learning Target: I can retell a story with Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then, and find the theme with text evidence.

Language Objective: I can say, then write, the theme of a story and two details from the text that prove it.

What’s included:

• Start Here guide (2 pages): how to print, a three-round teaching plan, learning target and language objective
• Notebook PDF (26 pages): teacher instructions, Terms of Use, 6 passages, 3 SWBST organizers, 3 flipbooks
• Black-and-white pages sized for a composition notebook. Students need scissors, glue or a stapler, and a highlighter.

Great for ESL/ELD small groups, reading intervention, and multilingual learners. Simple language and generous writing space support students with disabilities too.

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Terms of Use: single-teacher license. Please don’t share, post publicly, resell, or use these materials to train an AI system.

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