Discussing Fiction without Formal Narration

Narration is such a fabulous learning tool! So many wonderful things are happening when your student listens to or reads a passage and then tells it back in his own words. As we listen to that retelling, we can assess how well a student understood what he read, we can discover which ideas stood out to him, and we can enjoy regular peeks into his thought process and emerging use of language. Couple all of those benefits with the fact that narration helps to cement the ideas and material from the book into that student’s mind, and you can readily see how important it is for him to narrate books that present factual events and people and places.

But what about fiction? Is it important for your student to narrate the fiction books he’s reading? Some home educators do require narration for fiction books, I never did. I figured it wasn’t as important for my students to cement in their minds imaginary people and places and events. However, it is still important to assess how well that student understands what he’s reading and to discover what ideas stood out to him in that fiction book, and to continue to peek into his thought process and emerging use of language. All of that can be done through shared discussion. Let’s take a look at what that is and how to do it.

Think of shared discussion as a type of informal narration. I like to use it for family read-alouds, or literature, and for historical fiction. The purpose of historical fiction is different from non-fiction history books. When I assign a historical fiction book, the purpose is to help my student get the flavor of living in that time period. I want him to form a deeper relation with what it was like to live in that era. Historical fiction helps us to think of historical figures as fellow human beings with feelings, hopes, fears, and more.

Now, because a fictional story is usually full of those types of emotions, it tends to stick in our minds anyway. The scenes deeply touch our emotions and fire our imaginations, and that’s what forms and strengthens our personal relation with the ideas in that book. Those ideas, then, shape who the reader is becoming, so we definitely want to be aware of the ideas that our students are receiving from a fictional book. And that’s where shared discussion can come in.

With shared discussion, you invite your student to share his thoughts and opinions on what he read more than retell exactly what happened. That’s the difference between discussion and narration. In this discussion, you put yourself in the role of a curious bystander. You’re not quizzing or testing your student; you’re simply eager to find out more about what he related to in the story.

Think in terms of life principles and broad ideas that touched his emotions and fired his imagination. Of course, he will need to include some of the facts of the story—the plot and the characters, for example—in order to set the stage for the ideas and principles that stood out to him. But your main focus will be on discovering his opinions and the principles on which he based those opinions.

Let me give you some questions that you can use to encourage shared discussions when your student is reading a fiction book. Spread these questions out; pick one or two for each reading in order to keep a good variety to your discussion times. And remember, this is not a test! You might recognize some of these questions from a literature class you had in high school or one of those dreaded book reports that were assigned in grade school. That’s not what you’re trying to do here. 

Instead, think relationally. You are encouraging your student to form relations with the ideas and characters in the work of fiction, and then you are encouraging him to strengthen his relation with you as you invite him to share his thoughts and ideas about what he read. The way that you listen and respond will shape his willingness to share what he’s really thinking. 

Choose a time when neither of you is distracted with other tasks or time pressures. Ask one discussion question, then shut your mouth and listen. When you think he’s done talking about that thought, pause and see if he has more to say. You can even ask, “Anything else?” Then be quiet and listen. You want to give him the respect he deserves as a fellow human being who is thinking and growing.

You will notice that a lot of the discussion questions I’m going to give you lend themselves well to the follow-up question of “Why?” You ask for an opinion, and then you encourage the student to share the principle behind that opinion. He probably won’t word it exactly as you would, but when you ask Why? or Tell me more that’s what you’re asking: How did you come to that conclusion; what assumptions about life did you make? 

Some of the questions are just for fun, others are more serious; but all of them will invite your student to share with you the ideas that he is getting out of the fictional story.

You can ask…

• Tell me about the main character(s) in this book.
• What happened in the story today?
• What was your favorite part?
• How did the reading end?
• What do you think will happen next?
• What did __ do in this chapter? 
• Did you learn anything new about him or her?
• What do you think about that choice?
• On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, what rating would you give the chapter you read today? Why?
• What character do you like the most? Why?
• What character do you dislike or find frustrating? Tell me about him or her.
• If you could give a piece of advice to any character, what would it be?
• If you could insert yourself into the book, what character would you be? Why?
• Do you think the story is predictable or surprising? Explain.
• If you could change one thing about this book/chapter, what would it be?
• Would you like to visit any of the places mentioned? Tell me more.
• What would you like about living in that time and place? What would you dislike?
• Were there any parts (or words) that confused you? Describe that part and why it was confusing.
• Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why?
• Are there any other stories that the book reminds you of? Explain.

As with any discussion, the atmosphere that you create with your attitude is going to play a big role in how profitable the conversation turns out to be. Keeping that “curious bystander” state of mind can help you stay open to hearing what your student is thinking. We all know how difficult it is to share our personal opinions with someone who shoots them down as soon as the words come out of our mouths. That’s not the atmosphere we want to create for these discussions. Rather, we want to approach this time with a heart of love and a desire to nurture the relationship that is growing between us and our children. We want to view these discussions as invitations for that child to safely open his heart and allow us to peek inside, secure in the certainty that we will not take a sledgehammer to what we find there. Yes, these will be opportunities for him to practice and hone his skills of communication and even logic, but that practicing will be much easier if he attempts it in what he perceives to be a safe space. And if you discover an idea that needs to be corrected, it can be helpful to recall Charlotte’s advice:

State your theory and practice, but attack nothing. Be indignant at nothing. When people’s minds are put on the defensive they have no room to receive new ideas.

(The Story of Charlotte Mason, p. 106)

That’s true no matter what the age of the other person in the conversation. Atmosphere is key.

The next time you assign a historical fiction or literature book, remember that you can use shared discussion in the place of formal narration if you want to. Simply ask one or two of those questions, or use a couple of your own, and invite your student to share the ideas that he is getting out of that story. You may be surprised at the discernment he shows or you may wonder how he ever got to a certain conclusion, but either way, you are gaining valuable insight into that individual, that unique person, who is living and growing in your home. And that kind of knowledge is priceless.

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