Narration for Beginners
Friday 
just before lunchtime 
Mystie
I have always been slightly intrigued by the concept of narration, usually advocated in CM circles, but also utilized by SWB circles. Now that I’m reading Miss Mason herself, I am positively on-board and enthusiastic about it, with the enthusiasm of someone who has never attempted something and therefore sees no difficulties. Yup.
Well, actually, I have half-heartedly attempted narration and failed miserably. First, I thought it sounded simple and not like something I needed explained in detail to me, so I didn’t really know what I was doing. Second, I first tried starting when Hans was 5, and Charlotte Mason says not to begin making students narrate until they are 6. Third, Hans does not like to be wrong and he has a definite desire to sound mature and informed. So when I asked him to tell me what ___ was about, he felt put on the spot and since he was not sure what answer I was looking for, he didn’t want to say anything.
Now I intend to incorporate narration more intentionally in second grade, and do it as Charlotte Mason herself lays out. I’m not quite ready or prepared myself to put it into practice immediately, though. But I’ve found a few ways to do “narration light” that I think will smooth the way for practicing attention through narration next year, and these ways do not stress Hans out. However, I will qualify that both of these depend upon him reading the book himself.
Narration Light Method 1:
Read the book. Afterwards, draw a picture of something you thought was interesting. You can copy a picture from the book if you want (then this is also reinforcing observation and drawing skills). Write a few words about your picture, also; you may copy the words from the book if you want.
Narration Light Method 2:
Hand him the book and say, “This is your school reading today. Pay attention to what you read and when you’re done, come to me and tell me what you thought was interesting.”
This works only if I tell him beforehand that he has to tell me something interesting after he’s done. It also works without causing stress to him because it makes sense to him that I would want to know something interesting about whatever the book is about because I didn’t read it. When I read something aloud and then asked him something, he knows he’s being examined. When he reads something independently and then I ask him questions, he thinks he is imparting knowledge to me. Also, I don’t require him to tell me lots and lots; he’ll usually tell me 2 or 3 things, be able to answer a question or two I might ask (as an interested party, not an examiner), and I leave it at that. He rarely volunteers more, although facts or observations might pop up in other contexts later, so I know he’s paying attention and thinking.
I like it!
Narration was hard for me in the beginning, and I think it was because I, too, started at five! There was a huge difference when we hit six. I had read Mason’s works, but I thought because my child was an early reader that meant something, but in retrospect I should have waited.
Anyhow, the nice thing is that as the younger children watch, they will simply soak up the idea of narration. When A. tells me about her time with her grandparents, for instance, she tells me first that she is going to narrate to me! She is the child I would have predicted would be completely frightened of narration, but since she will have been around it for three years without it really being required of her, I think she will be fine. Of course, I am getting her a little used to it by having her remember one thing from the poems this term. A little practice never hurt anyone, right? :)
I like your “light” versions. I’ll probably use something like that with A. when the time comes…
I failed pretty badly at getting my older kids to narrate, but after reading Mason myself, and beginning to use Ambleside Online, I tried it again with my younger set. At first, the only thing I had them narrate was the Aesop story for the day, and I would read just a tiny bit — maybe the first sentence only, since it was usually packed with all the scene-setting and character-introducing. Then I’d ask a simple question like, “Who is this story going to be about?”
We worked up from there, and now they’re pretty good at it. :-)
I love your concept of “narration light.” Clever. Narrations can be very varied and obviously grow in depth as a child matures. It’s been fun to see this progression in my now 10 year old from the “tell me three things we read here” to “write a paragraph, narrating this chapter.”