A study examined the retelling performance of the novice compared with that of the expert and the effect of retelling practice on comprehension for both proficient and less proficient readers. Thirty-six fourth graders (20 proficient and 16 less proficient readers) were randomly assigned to one of four story sessions. Across the four sessions all subjects read four stories (proficient readers read fourth-grade-level stories, while less proficient readers read second-grade-level stories) and practiced retelling them into a tape recorder. At the conclusion of sessions one and four, subjects responded to eight comprehension questions--four text-explicit and four text-implicit--about the story they had read (questions were not used during sessions two and three so that the emphasis was solely upon retelling). After the fourth session subjects also answered an attitude and strategy awareness questionnaire. The four practice sessions resulted in improved reading comprehension performance for both proficient and less proficient readers. This supports the hypothesis that by engaging in verbal rehearsal of silently read discourse, the reader learns something about the organization and retention of text information. (Tables of data and references are appended.) (AEW)