Narration

Children Narrate by Nature.––Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there, in every child's mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the result of any process of disciplinary education. A creative fiat calls it forth. 'Let him narrate'; and the child narrates, fluently, copiously, in ordered sequence, with fit and graphic details, with a just choice of words, without verbosity or tautology, so soon as he can speak with ease. This amazing gift with which normal children are born is allowed to lie fallow in their education. Bobbie will come home with a heroic narrative of a fight he has seen between 'Duke' and a dog in the street. It is wonderful! He has seen everything, and he tells everything with splendid vigour in the true epic vein; but so ingrained is our contempt for children that we see nothing in this but Bobbie's foolish childish way! Whereas here, if we have eyes to see and grace to build, is the ground-plan of his education. Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series, vol 1 pg 231

Narration forms the basis of the Charlotte Mason method. These are my notes from Mason's Original Homeschooling Series and other sources on how we implement narration in our school work. You'll see why it is so important and why it is such a complex mental task. It takes the place of work books, written tests, and--for the younger child--written composition, all the while building the skills that will transition to written composition smoothly and with success. Try it yourself the next time you're reading. Read a section once. Close the book and tell back everything you can remember about the passage. I'd love to hear about how you did.

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Narration is the foundation of composition.

A lesson that isn't narrated may be a wasted lesson.

Purpose:

Train the habit of attention (in the early years this is the main goal).

Process, reflect, and communicate what they know.

Make the language, vocabulary and style of good literature their very own.

Method:

Read from children's classics that are deeply interesting. Use only the best literature.

There should only be one reading. Do not permit looking back.

Readings should not be diluted with talk or broken up with questions. Do not interrupt a reading to define words or clarify concepts or make connections for the child. Proceed with the full trust that a child's mind is able to deal with its proper food.

After a few pages or an episode (or a paragraph or a few sentences for the beginning, younger student), call upon the children to narrate. Ask the child to tell back all she can of what you just read.

Do not interrupt a narration. Do not tease with corrections.

When the narration is over, there can be a little talk in which moral points are brought out, pictures are shown to illustrate the lesson, diagrams drawn, or mark geographic locations. You may then help clarify, share your own insight, express disappointment that he was not attentive, ask for clarification, or give needed corrections. Your other students may add their own points after the first child's narration.

Before your begin a reading you may:

Talk a little (and get the child to talk) about the last lesson.

Offer a few words on what is to be read. But beware of explanation or forestalling the narrative.

Write down a couple of names or a large word that might give trouble. Pronounce them together before you begin reading. You may leave this list out for reference when the child narrates.

Written Narrations:

Narrations should be oral until ages 9-11.

Give an older student that is new to narrations two year to develop oral narrations before beginning written narrations.

Begin written narrations slowly, about one per week.

Initially, it is normal for the length of the written narrations to be shorter than oral narrations.

Do not correct written narrations at first.


Tips:

Narration is a very complex task. It requires the higher level mental activities of processing, sorting, sequencing, sifting, and articulating information. Start slow and give your student lots of time to improve. When starting out, let the child narrate even just after a few sentences and then gradually increase. The length of the narration is not the point--the mental labor, the internal action is what matters.

Practice narrations in other lessons such as picture study and nature study.

Narrate a passage for your student to give an example of what you are asking.

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Read more on Charlotte Mason's thoughts on narration here.

There are many variations to oral narrations that make things interesting if need be. Some ideas and lots of tips here and here.

Narrations for the older students can take a few days or a week or even longer to complete which are then corrected. The variations are limitless and can even venture off into creative writing. Read how narrations change as the student gets older here.