Length of written narrations

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  • December 13, 2019 at 7:05 am
    Grace
    Participant

    Hi everyone,

    I am wondering how long I should expect written narrations to be from 4th grade and up? My son is in 5th grade. He will only write two sentences unless I ask for a certain amount. He will do what I ask, but is not motivated on his own. So I am wondering how long should I expect his narrations to be?

    Thanks,

    Grace

    December 13, 2019 at 7:40 am
    Tamara Bell
    Moderator

    Hi Grace,

    Written narrations is a whole new level of expectation and work for children.  Frequently students who give wonderful oral narrations will struggle with written narrations and give 2-3 sentence narrations initially.  My oldest struggled to put thought to paper so much that I opted to type his narration as he dictated to me and when I knew he was winding down, I handed the computer over to him to finish his narration.  This provided him with the opportunity of being able to see just how much he had retained.

    If you know your son is able to write more than 2 sentences, it is perfectly acceptable to ask for 3-5 sentences.  As he becomes proficient over the next year or so you can begin to discuss what makes a good paragraph.  We continue to raise the bar on expectations as children age.  If you are using Using Language Well you will find writing rubrics in the back for both teacher and student.  Make sure to utilize them and hold him accountable for editing his narration.

    We have an article on written narrations that may be helpful.

    December 13, 2019 at 3:24 pm
    ErinD
    Participant

    My goal for that age is 4-5 sentences – a nice paragraph. In 6th or 7th, I begin encouraging more than one paragraph. That said, if he needs help writing it down, that is absolutely okay. I don’t expect my boys to write the whole thing until at least 5th grade. Also, learning to type really helped some of mine to write longer and better narrations. The act of using a pencil was hard for them. Also, you could maybe ask some questions to help him expand his narration. So, remember that it’s a process. Don’t get discouraged! He is still young.

    December 16, 2019 at 6:17 am
    Grace
    Participant

    Thank you! That is helpful.

    Grace

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