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Narrations…I'm perplexed
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I have mentioned before on here about my ds6 having some trouble w/ his narrations. While his narrations have improved a little, he’s still not remembering clearly and accurately many of the things I’m reading to him (ie. stories from our Chidren’s Story Bible by Vos). However, he can give me an almost word-for-word narration of the things he reads aloud to himself or to me or his sister.
What’s up with this?
He’s not reading much silently, although we are working on that skill. I just don’t understand why he can give a fantastic narration from something he reads, but not from something I read.
Any ideas? Suggestions?
Lindsey
I don’t have any real answers but I have the same situation with my 9 yo. Just last week he said, can I just read this myself, (a book I was going to read aloud to him) I do better when I read to myself. He is my visual, hands on learner, maybe it has to do with that? – Sharity
My daughter now just 18, had terrible trouble with narrations from read alouds – she is a highly visual learner and reading the books herself she did so much better – so I think that may have made a lot of difference to her. She also found she had to use techniques to help her visual style with other things, she uses a red pen a lot, to mark important things, it makes it stand out to her, and since using techniques for visual learner types, she has come on in leaps and bounds – and her work has improved hugely. Since figuring this out a fair few years ago, we implemented what she needed, and it made a very big difference to her. I got a simple little booklet to figure out what type of learners my daughters were, and it was amazingly accurate. Linda
I was going to mention the same thing that Linda did. I’m guessing his learning style is just more visual than auditory. I’m the same way! 🙂 While I can attend to what someone else is saying (after all I’m not six anymore!), I do much better to read it for myself.
I can’t stand for my husband to read instructions to me. I can’t pay attention to it. I always end up grabbing the instructions out of his hands and reading it for myself. Just my two cents.
I get it that his learning style may be visual instead of auditory, but how can I help him learn to narrate better in the meantime?
It’s not like I can hand him every book we’re reading and tell him to read by himself. I don’t think we’re quite ready for that yet because, after all, he is only 6.
More thoughts?
One of the few things I actually enjoyed from my college education classes were the learning styles. I also do not understand easily when I hear others speak, but because I am 33 I have had lots of practice! We read (and I still have and refer to) The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias which is available at the library or on Amazon for about ten dollars. It has many ideas for all types of learners. Thoughts that came to my mind were something to keep his hands busy like a small stuffed animal (as long as it wasn’t distracting to others), or a copy of what you are reading for him to follow along with, or a change in environment. I would highly recommend The Way They Learn for all teachers because all our children learn so differently. I started teaching my girls the way that made sense to me but I have a very hands on active learner and I had no idea how to handle it so this book helped me to work with her learning style. Hope this helps.
Perhaps you could try writing a few key words from what you will be reading for him to see before you start the reading. It wouldn’t be required for him to use those words in narrating, but it would give him something visual….pegs to hang his thoughts on when giving a narration.
I think this is suggested in CM’s writings, though I can’t remember which volume and to what extent. I think she suggests it for names that might be hard to remember or geographical locations or such, but you might try expanding upon that for now and writing words that you feel might grab his imagination or help visualize the main points of the reading.
Hope that helps a bit.
-Kim (still with the silly clown avatar
which I seriously considered changing after the SCM conference. LOL)Lindsey,
I’m wondering: how big of a portion are you reading for him to narrate?
Sometimes I will only read a paragraph or two and then ask for narration from my youngest. I don’t wait until the whole chapter/story is finished. Now there is not a lot to narrate but it keeps him paying attention. I feel like for right now he’s still learning how to pull out info and string it all together and with me stopping to make sure he is getting something out of a small section will better help him do this on his own as he gets older. I hope this makes sense!
Sharity
I was going to say that we are new to CM and we have just started narration. Never have done this task, nor dictation. This is all new, so I am only like Sharity starting out with a small amount, and then allowing my youngest to tell me what we’ve just read. Then I move on to the next oldest, and so on.
By the time we get to the oldest, we have pretty much touched base on all that was read , and then we discuss it more together. Learning together, going over even more details and the meaning of what we read. I havent ventured out quite yet on other books, other than the Bible. Things may change for me then, I dont know.
Have you tried the suggestions on the CM website? here’s the link:
Kim,
I had forgotten that from the conference. I think I will try that. Thanks for reminding me! (Your clown is cute!)
Sharity,
I read a few paragraphs and then stop and ask for narration. I try to stop at a place that makes sense in the story so that I don’t leave him hanging. I think it might be the book that I’m asking him to narrate from, now that I’ve thought about it more. We read the Child’s Story Bible every morning (one entire chapter, but stopping every few paragraphs for narration). It’s the only book he has trouble with. Maybe it’s the vocab? Maybe he’s not interested? Not sure. I think maybe I won’t ask him to narrate from that book any more. What do you think?
covingtonclan,
I’ve tried many things to nudge this along. Like I mentioned above, it’s usually that one book that gives him trouble. We’ll get there!
lguerink,
I’ll check out that book. Maybe it’s on Paperback Swap!
Thanks everyone!
There would be nothing wrong with just reading the book; but I think I would still at least occasionally ask for some sort of “telling”. Even if it is just one thing, like “tell me one thing about Joseph in this part of the story”. Also, this may be a good book for you to show examples of narration for him – you do the narrating every now and then.
Another idea that just came to mind was a bible notebook. Read the story and then have him draw a picture to make his own bible picture book.
And another would be to read the story and if there is a picture you can find that goes along you can ask if there is anything he remembers about the story from looking at the picture.
Anyway, no matter even if you just end up reading it he will still be exposed to good literature!
Blessings!
Sharity
which I seriously considered changing after the SCM conference. LOL)
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