The teacher asked the students to retell the story in their own words.

retell 由前缀 re-（表示"再次"）和动词 tell（"讲述"）组成，字面意思是"再次讲述"，即"复述"。这个词强调用自己的语言重新表达故事内容，而不是简单背诵原文。