So today was Ds8’s first time to write his narration. The story was Jesus and the Woman at Jacob’s Well. I’m very, very proud of what he was able to do. He wrote so much more than I imagined. BUT, it was difficult for him to not focus on spelling words correctly. I told him I wasn’t going to be looking at spelling or punctuation, that I just wanted him to put his thoughts on paper. He was still very concerned, however. It took him about 20 minutes total, which I’m not sure how good or bad that is. Again, I really wasn’t expecting as much as he gave on his first try.
Here is his complete narration:
One day Jesus was walking to Galalee with his disipels and stopped at Samaria. And there was a very, very old well that Jacob built and Jesus and his disipels rested. Just then a Samaratan woman came to get water from the well. And then Jesus asked the woman, “Can you give me some water.” And then the woman said, “Why sould I give you water if I am a Samaratan woman, and you are a Jew.” The Jews did not like the Samaratans. Jesus said, “If you beleve in me I will give you liveing water.” And the Samaratan said, “Who are you.” He said, “I’m the long awated Savior.” She was so excited that she ran to Samaria and told everybody she saw and they begged Jesus to stay with them and Jesus stayed with them for two days.
That’s pretty great for his first time, right?
And how do I help him focus more on just writing his thoughts without getting so frustrated about the spelling, punctuation, and capitalization?
We did it today because it was suggested in Module 3’s lesson today for grades 4-6. Technically, he’d only be in 2nd or 3rd grade if he was in ps, but this is our fourth year of homeschooling, so I consider him Year 4. I just want him to feel free to write what’s in his thoughts without feeling pressure from himself to spell everything correctly or punctuate properly all the time. That, too, will come in time.
Lindsey, that narration is really *very* good. Wow!
One idea that has worked for my perfectionistic kids who are anxious about correct spelling is to work with their bent rather than against it. By that I mean, if spelling is important to him, maybe it would be best to just be available while he is working on his narration. If he gets to a word that worries him, you would be nearby and could write the troublesome word up on the white board for him to copy (or on a blank sheet of paper).
I know written narration isn’t a spelling exercise, but you do want him relaxed and able to focus on getting his thoughts on paper. Maybe this would ease his anxiety? Just a thought. I have done this with two of my kids and it seemed to help. 🙂
I am impressed too! My just turned ds10 has not done written narrations yet! 🙁 This yr, I hope to implement it. He does not like to write! Well in cursive anyways
JennNC, that is what I did. Just stayed in my chair nearby to spell whenever help was needed. It’s just that spelling (or rather, the fear of misspelling) a word was a distraction to him. That was why I kept telling him not to worry about it. I’m glad he wants to do everything correctly, but I have a bent toward perfectionism as well; and that characteristic not something I want for my children.
Thank you all for your compliments on ds! We were all pretty proud of him yesterday!
So impressive! My soon-to-be 8 y/o is nowhere near that in oral narration. No advice on the perfectionism, but I understand. Surprisingly, my DD who is the oldest is not as much of a perfectionist as my 5 y/o DS. It can be a challenge at times.
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