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How to keep written narrations from taking
- This topic has 11 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 4 months ago by
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our entire day!!! Please help! My 12 and 9 yo like to write very long narrations! There is a lot of spelling help. Then they must draw pictures. A written narration will take an hour.
If history is scheduled for 30 minutes and we read for 15, how then, do I get them to write a narration in 15 minutes?
If you really must stick to a schedule then what about putting history last so their extra time spills over into personal time? It won’t mess with the school schedule if they run over. Another option is to set a timer and let them know they can/will finish after the rest of school is done.
That is a problem I’m sure many would like to have, Missy 🙂 One thought is to not worry about spelling during this time as the ability to relay ideas is what is most important in the written narration in the beginning stages. You might also consider upping the time slot to 45 minutes for history so they are given 30 minutes to express their thoughts. Any additional ideas, tying up of thoughts, corrections to spelling or drawings could take place in the afternoon when regular lessons have finished for the day.
R
I do normally have them do the drawings after lessons are done so those are not counted in the time it takes to write.
I think I need to let the spelling go. I have such a hard time with this and make my just turning 12yod correct every word and then study a few. I do correct some of my 9yod’s work but not as much. Richele, do you think I should tell them to quit after 30 minutes even if they are still writing? I would not want to have a half finished narration, because I doubt they will want to come back finish writing it after school. They do not mind doing their pictures after school time, though.
I wish I could get my children to write a narration longer than a couple of sentences. When time is limited I have them pick a favorite or specific event or occurence in their reading to narrate. When I have a reluctant writer I do set the timer so that they feel like there is an end but they must put out their best effort. I’ve let spelling go except for words that I know they have studied.
” When time is limited I have them pick a favorite or specific event or occurence in their reading to narrate. “
I’m going to give this try! Thank you. They are trying to narrate the whole chapter we’ve read.
We don’t correct spelling during written narrations at all! If we decide to polish the piece up at a later time we will, but not right then.
Just out of curiosity, Missy, what are you using for history that is inspiring so much narration? That’s awesome! You’ve been given great advice! For history, I made a comic strip page of narration with a page divided into three sections horizontally with a box on the left and lines on the right. They would draw a picture or comic and narrate the main points of what we read on the right. It kept is pretty short but we all treasure their creations!
Right now it’s Ancient Egypt and Their Neighbors and the Bible. We aren’t doing the SCM module but just trying to finish up this time period and plan to do SCM Joshua through Malachi in a couple of weeks. We are probably reading too much information at a time as I don’t know how SCM schedules it, but both of my girls are really enjoying the Ancient Egypt book. We had this same issue w/ A Child’s History of the World last year and really just about anything.
My oldest dc are boys (one graduate and two high schoolers), and always had to be prodded to write a little more or say a little more. LOL> These girls like to talk.
Anabetica, I would like to see your comic strip pages. I’m trying to picture it w/ the lines and can’t quite get it in my mind. It sounds like something my girlies would enjoy.
Tristan, I think I might be discouraging them with all of my corrections. I will scale it way back before I squelch their joy of writing the narrations.
I agree w/ Tristan and others about not correcting their spelling/punctuation/grammar in written narrations. It’s difficult enough to write thoughts out, chronologically, and remember characters, places, and such without having to also worry about every comma and letter. If your children were high school age, having correct spelling and grammar in a written narration would be something I would require, but not at the ages of your children, especially the 9yo. In fact, you might want to wait another few months or year before you require written narrations from the 9yo. (But again, I’m a “better late than early” momma.)
With your 12yo, you could begin pointing some of those things out very occasionally and GENTLY after he’s finished a narration, but not pressure him to make it perfect during the writing. If he’s doing prepared dictation weekly, you’ll likely see that his spelling, grammar, and punctuation improve naturally.
Well ladies since we are on the subject of spelling……..
My 12dd (6th grade) has been doing dictation about 2x’s a weeks since 4th grade, plus RS spelling through 5th grade, and doing Spelling Power this year; her spelling is awful. I went back to review the words she has been studying in SP this year and she missed over 60% of them and I didn’t even finish testing her. I decided to forget the spelling program for now. We do the whole visualizing the spelling word thing but she still doesn’t “see” it. I have two older children that are good spellers and one older child that is very grateful for spell check (I did not do dictation on a regular basis w/ them). Do you have any suggestions for me in this regard?
I am convinced to back off on the corrections w/ their narrations for now. I will still point out a few things w/ my 12 ydd but I’m going to let my 9dd be for now. I know she is a bit young from a CM viewpoint to write narrations but she really wants to.
Thanks for being so encouraging, ladies.
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