Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: comprehension, narration, summarizing

This topic has 5 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 8 months ago by Alicia Hart.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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September 19, 2013 at 6:29 pm
mrsmccardell
Participant
Hi,
I’ve read all the narration info I can get my hands on and I can’t seem to wrap my head around a few things.
1-Are they kind of summarizing what they’ve heard? If no, what is the difference between narration and summarizing?
2-If they struggle with comprehension should I ask comprehension questions and then have them attempt a narration? We would be working towards eliminating the comp questions as comprehension improves.
3-Does narration show comprehension?
The comprehension piece is for my dd with special needs. We are using Aesop’s Fables as our introductory…mommy showing how to do it the first few times. She’s just showing a hard time comprehending a lot of what is read to her. Thanks for your help with the questions.

September 19, 2013 at 9:06 pm
ServingwithJoy
Participant
I am sure there are others who will chime in with Charlotte’s ‘chapter and verse’ on narration. Here is my understanding of it:
1. Narration builds the habit of attention by training the child to form a mental picture of what is being read.
2. Narration is the beginning of composition (writing) because in the process of re-telling the story, the child must organize his thoughts and craft them into a meaningful tale.
3. When we ask a child to narrate, we are asking him to tell back, in his own words, as much as he can remember about the reading, along with any opinions he would like to share. I generally ask the kids, for example, “Tell me everything you know and everything you think about *blank*”.
4. Narration is a learned skill and takes time to develop. Once your child gets the hang of it you will see great improvement. Just keep asking for it.
I don’t think it is wrong to occasionally prod with a question or two – but I wait until I am certain the child has told me everything he remembers first. The problem with ‘comprehension questions’ is that you are doing the recall work for the child instead of training them to work that habit of attention and mental recall for themselves.
An example of a prodding question I might ask occasionally (for Aesop) would be:
“What do you think would have happened if…”
“How did you feel about *certain character*”
“What can we learn from this *character* or *story*”
Personally, I think narration comes more easily to a child when it becomes more like discussion and less like performing. We discuss a lot around here ;0).
September 20, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
A couple of specific things that have been working well with my daughter who has auditory processing issues:
1. I choose a short story; only a couple of paragraphs. (Aesop’s fables fit well in that parameter.)
2. I show her a picture of some aspect of what we will be reading about. If there is a picture in the book, I’ll show it to her and we’ll discuss what we see. I try to use this exercise to build anticipation but not gives spoilers. (“Hmm, what do you think this might be for? I wonder what he is doing with those grapes.”) In this step I’m trying to prime the pump and use her stronger visual skills to get her started. Now she has a schema, a mental picture of the context, of what she will be hearing.
3. I write three key words on the white board. For an Aesop’s fable, you might write the two key animals and an object or an emotion that will be mentioned. For example, for The Ant and the Grasshopper, you could write “ant,” “grasshopper,” “work.” After we look at the picture, I have her read the key words aloud to me and I tell her that those words will be in the story and I will want her to use all three words in her narration.
4. We read the story.
5. I ask her to tell me the story, being sure to use all the key words on the board. Since she has slow processing, especially when trying to use language, I have a little notebook in which I write each sentence after she gives it. It seems that the extra time it takes for me to write — slowly and carefully — gives her more processing time to come up with another sentence. If I simply sit and look at her and listen, she feels pressure to come up with the next sentence more quickly and usually shuts down. But if I nod and smile at her first sentence, then look down to the notebook and write it, she doesn’t feel as “on the spot” and can usually come up with another sentence or two.
Just a few more thoughts and ideas.
September 21, 2013 at 1:34 pm
DawnD
Participant
Sonya,those are excellent tips for auditory processing issues and narration. Thanks.
Dawn
September 21, 2013 at 2:50 pm
Steph3433
Participant
I have a question also. I have begun narration with my 12 yr old and 8 yr old. We are doing Aesop’s Fables also as an introduction to narration. I have started with only a sentence or 2 at a time until they get used to it. Even after only doing a sentence or so at a time by the end of the story, they have left some things out. Should I ask questions or just leave it as is?
Also, I have been thinking about how most of the CM learning is based on narration, with the parent reading everything to the children. When do they read so they can become fluent readers. I am worried if I do ALL the reading that they will become lazy at reading on their own? Assigning them reading on their own would be homework, homeschooling for the first time this year, we are so glad not to have all that homework and studying for tests every night like when we attended private school.
September 21, 2013 at 5:35 pm
Alicia Hart
Participant
@Steph3433-
I have been learning about/implementing narration for the past few years so I am not an expert but I can just pass along what I have learned so far. It was a paradigm shift for me in how I thought about education, but I can tell you that it is the best thing that ever happened to our homeschooling! 🙂
Reading instruction and elocution (having your child read aloud to you) is separate from narration. Narration truly is VERBAL COMPOSTION that lays the groundwork for WRITTEN COMPOSTION for the later years.
I would have a 12 and an 8 yr old narrate an entire Aesop’s Fable since they are so short and just tell back what they remember. This is not a memory exercise so if they leave something out it is okay for now.
After about age 8 or 9, I believe, CM had children read most of the subjects on their own.
One very helpful resource for all this is found here on the SCM site:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/store/hearing-and-reading-telling-and-writing-a-charlotte-mason-language-arts-handbook/
Blessings!
Alicia