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narration too "creative"?
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My dd who will be 9 at midsummer has just begun narration “offiicially” however it is hard to get a word in edgewise with her as she is almost always talking about something whe has read.
Her school time narrations tend to be about her reactions to the reading or her interpretations rather than any sort of plot or info contained therein.
for example we read the first chapter of “My Father’s Dragon” and when i asked her to re-tell the plot
she said ” I bet the boy was unhappy when the his mother whipped him, people really shouldn’t hurt children. I bet the boy knew the cat was special because it talked and there just are not a lot of talking cats around. What do you think the mom would have done if the cat talked to her? I bet she would have been freaked out. And do you think the island was called Tangerina because tangerines grew there? I suppose there are lots of tasty kinds of tangerines and oranges and lemons there…”
and so on and on 🙂 i tried several times to have tell me the story but she never actually did though she talked for a LONG time .
Am i missing the point- isnt she supposed to be giving me a factual re-telling of the story or is what she is doing ok?
A little guidance would be helpful
thanks
This is our first year doing narration with our 7 & 4 year old so there will be wiser words for you after this I am sure, but it sounds like she is getting a good start but may need a bit more direction. Does she narrate after your Bible or science readings as well? These would probably be shorter passages and could maybe be more directed. Like when my 4 year old goes off on a tangent (7 yo seems to get what I am asking for better) I try to ask a directing question to get back on track, “Yes, but can you tell me what Pharoah was doing to the Hebrew people?” “Okay, tell me what happened next”. Maybe a whole chapter includes so much interest for her, that it leaves a lot of room for her brain to expand on. I do love what she is saying, the kind of stuff you need to record! It shows a lovely gift for thinking outside her own self and shows she is really digesting what you read instead of just hearing it. Maybe this reading could be a prompt for creative writing and drawing. It would make a neat book if she wrote (or dictated while you wrote) her ideas about each chapter with a drawing and you edited the title to reflect that it was your daughter’s version of the same book.
Wow, that’s the other end of the spectrum from where we are. My 11 year old is new to narration, and she is very factual. She never says anything like what your daughter is saying. I wish she would. I guess what she says shows she is listening and understands the story, but so does your daughter.
They are who they are.
I love that! You need to get that printed in some newsletter. It does show a special gift for application, creativity, and critique. I do understand your question, though, too. You want her to be able to summarize what she has read and retain the facts. Perhaps sometimes, after listening to her version, you could ask some specific questions, like, what happened first, next…that would build sequencing. Get her to ask you some questions about the reading and see if you are right. You could even start working on drawing conclusions and discovering the main idea. I think she will be an awesome writer!
Blessings,
Cindy
Another thought would be to look at the list of narration ideas. I imagine your daughter would really enjoy some of them. http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/narration/
Sounds to me she IS remembering the story and just expressing it in a question and answer format. If that even makes sense. It does sound like she is remembering facts if it is true that the cat really did talk and the island really was called Tangerina.
I agree with the other’s about guiding her, as well, but I love the creativity and excitement she has for the story. I have all boys and they don’t talk that way at all, it sounds fun. My middle boy does point out the errors or differences in a movie vs the same book and he really loves to read but it still doesn’t sound like what you are experiencing with your daughter. Enjoy!
I need to re-read some of Mason’s writings, but I believe that your daughters narration is great. I think that initially an early narrator mostly parrots back phrases that they hear. As they get older and more advanced in thier narrations they begin to interalize the story, relate, and apply what they hear to life. Narration is a tool to remeber what was read. It sounds as though she is doing an excellent job. However, it is good for children to learn to decifer plot, character, setting…… and most of all to listen to instructions. If I were you I would: 1) Record some of her free narations 2) If you are asking a question and her answers are too broad for your liking; I would encourage her and then redirect her. “Wow! __(NAME)__ you really remember that story well you must have enjoyed it. Could you please tell me just ______.” 3) Maybe have some days that you set up with her where she first does a specific narraction exercise. Then give her the opportunity to freely narrate afterward. I would not stifle this gift at all. If it becomes to long for a school schdule or such. You could encourage her to tell the family at dinner, write it out or illustrate after class time, or let her record it later.
Another idea might be to say something like, “Pretend I’ve never read this book and I want to know the story. Can you tell me the story?” Or maybe she can narrate to another member in the family who doesn’t know the story, with you listening in. This might help her to see that her editorial comments are only helpful once someone already knows what has happened.
Her comments are great because it shows that she is interacting with the material and really thinking about it. She probably is thinking you already know the story because you read it with her, so telling it back would be redundant in her mind. Having her tell someone who doesn’t know, or pretend that you don’t know, might help her get the idea of a “telling it back” style of narration.
I would say that what your daughter is doing is not strict narration. Narration is telling back. She’s offering her own responses. I certainly think there is a place for that. However, she also needs to learn the skill of strict narration. I’d try to get her to identify the difference between her response and the factual narration. If she can see the difference, then she can focus on one at a time. I’d ask for the narration first and then the reaction.
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