Narration with SCM History Curriculum

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  • meesh
    Participant

    I am using Early Modern and Epistles this year with my high schoolers.  At the end of each lesson it says for the student to give an oral or written narration, but gives no narration prompt.  If I require a written narration should I come up with a prompt question? I am assuming when it says to give a written narration it does not mean to just “tell all you know” about what was read.   I like the narration prompts at the end of each term and wish there was something like this for the daily narrations.  I am so bad at coming up with narration ideas. How do you all handle this?

    sarah2106
    Participant

    Have you looked through the blog series for narration posts

    https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/category/narration-2/

    I actually do usually ask the kids “Tell me what you remember” with reminders of “tell me in order, not the last page” 🙂

    Sometimes I will ask my DD to narrate a letter to her Grandma. Since Grandma doesn’t know what is going on, make sure you are clear and concise. She really likes this exercise. My oldest in only just starting 6th grade, but as she gets older prompts will come, but right now we keep it pretty simple and usually it is “tell me in your own words what you remember” 🙂

    KeriJ
    Participant

    I ask this question often. We are starting 9th grade this year and using SCM Middle Ages.

    If you look at the exam questions at the end of each term, they have a few prompts. I plan to use some of these for written narrations. But I wish there were more. I keep hoping that a mom who has gone through these guides with high schoolers already will give some more specifics. Or I would love the SCM team to include them in future guides for the high school portions..

    totheskydear
    Participant

    Buildyourlibrary.com has narration cardswith different prompts.

    SCM also has free bookmarks and a free ebook on narration.

    KeriJ
    Participant

    But none of the above examples have specific questions.  They are still general.

    KeriJ
    Participant

    Oops, my phone cut me off.

    For instance, I love this article by SCM: https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/raising-bar-narration-q-part-15/

    Sonya reminds us that narrations aren’t simply retellings when you get to the high school years and gives suggestions of other types of narration to be used.  But that still involves me reading the material in order to come up with the specific narration question.  It seems like it would be a really helpful feature to have a page somewhere with high school narration questions for each specific history guide.

    meesh
    Participant

    Yes, to get these very specific narration questions one needs to read the book themselves.  I know this is what Charlotte Mason suggested, that the mom read the book too, but for some of us that is just impossible.  I am battling a chronic illness and it is impossible some weeks for me to even think about reading what my high schoolers are reading.  It would be so nice to have ready to go narration questions for those weeks.

    KeriJ
    Participant

    meesh, I agree.  ( and I’m so sorry to hear you are battling an illness. )

    For me it is the fact that I have 5 children to homeschool and cannot imagine reading each of their books thoroughly enough to come up with specific topics.  I would love some “ready to go” questions!

    For now, I’m just having her do narrative type writing. (still basically retellling what was read)

    Jamie
    Participant

    I agree.  Love the idea of reading along with them but not always able to make that happen.  I would love some “book specific” narration prompts and key words to be included with the guides.

    totheskydear
    Participant

    Try Googling the title with “discussion questions”.

    Tristan
    Participant

    A few general ideas that work for many books:

    Compare this person to that person. I would use this with people on same or opposite sides, or to people in different times (ex: Hitler to Stalin, Cleopatra to Napoleon or Beowulf to George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln to Stonewall Jackson). It can be interesting to see how the goals that drive a person, or their values, or their times, impact what they do in the world.

    Decide which side you would be on in this issue and explain your reasoning. This could be a war, a hot button issue, etc.

    Do you agree with the decisions/choices this person made? Why or why not? What would you do in this person’s situation hypothetically?

    How did this invention/discovery/technology impact the people or events of it’s time? For example, how did the airplane impact trade or war? How did steam engines impact shipping and travel? What changed from times past because of this? Was this a positive or negative change?

    meesh
    Participant

    Tristan, those are great ideas! Thank you.

    caedmyn
    Participant

    I need to use some of those ideas…I have a hard time making narration happen.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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