Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

This topic has 5 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 9 months ago by Rebekahy.

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

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July 27, 2010 at 6:47 pm
amyjane
Participant
We are just starting narration with our 6 year old. Yesterday, I was watching Sonya’s all day seminar and in it she talks about letting the child tell back what they heard but also what it might make them think of. I also understood her to say that it is better to master verbal narration before moving on to others. So from my “understanding” I have 2 questions:
1. We are reading Bruchko with our boys. Last night when my 6 yo was narrating we talked about seeing the story with our minds eye and he ask me if he could tell me what his minds eye saw the plane to look like that Bruce was flying in. I let him and he went into this detailed description of what he saw the plane to look like. None of this was in our story. He did well narrating the rest – for a 6 year old learning how to do it. So my question is – is this ok for him to elaborate on what he sees with “his mind’s eye” or should I discourage that to help him pay better attention to the story. I didn’t say anything last night because I didn’t want to crush his little spirit. So I could use some help in how to handle this or if it is ok.
2. He also loves to draw. Should I practice verbal narration and get it “down” before I have him do any picture narration?
Thanks for the hep
Amy
July 28, 2010 at 3:31 am
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
It sounds like you’re doing well, Amy. I don’t see any problem with having your son share something he created based on the story, provided he can tell the story too. So you might encourage him to tell you the story first, then he can add anything else he wants to.
Oral narration should be mastered before moving on to written narration. Drawing pictures is fine, as long as it is accompanied by an oral explanation/narration of what he drew. You just don’t want to require written narration until he is comfortable and fluent in oral narration.
July 28, 2010 at 4:36 pm
amyjane
Participant
Thanks Sonya, That helps. He is very visual and we were just concerned that once his minds starts thinking on “the plane” that he might not hear the story. This is a good guide to help me keep him focused without crushing his creativity.
Thanks
Amy
July 28, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Rebekahy
Participant
One of the things that I try to think about when wondering what “should be” allowed with narrating is the question… What is the end goal of narrating? For me the end goals of narrating include proper grammar, increased vocabulary, recall of detail (attentiveness)/main themes – not ones that I choose, but just enough to reflect that my child was paying attention and there is reading comprehension, and the ability to write/speak well. I would LOVE for my child to be able to become a good storyteller from the process of narration if that’s there inclination, some children will have a creative bent, others will be more fact based – as long as they can tell the difference between what was actually included in the story and what they “added” I think it’s great to allow and even encourage the extras.
I might just add one more thing about moving on to written narration – in addition to the child being comfortable with oral narration, I would add that they should also be very comfortable with writing – I would think a child that struggles with cursive shouldn’t be made to do a written narration in cursive, but allowed to print or type a written narration or at least not be judged on the neatness of the writing, but rather just the content of the narration which for a VERY messy writer might mean that they have to “translate” it for you. That’s probably a given for most families as I’m guessing that by the time most children are fluently orally narrating they will also be fluently writing, but I know there’s always exceptions to the rule and would hate to see a parent unwittingly “turn off” their child to narrating simply because the child is frustrated by the actual mechanical writing of it. Does that make sense???
Rebekah
July 28, 2010 at 5:41 pm
amyjane
Participant
Thanks Rebekah, that does make sense. My second question was more about letting him draw his narrations than write them. He is not ready for written narrations but he loves to draw and is pretty good at it. He says he wants to be a children’s book illustrator when he grows up. So I just wanted to encourage that by sometimes letting him draw what he hears. And as Sonya said, i can just let him draw and then verbally narrate his drawing – thus the story. I think written narration would frustrate me and him right now.
Amy
July 28, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Rebekahy
Participant
Ooops Amy, I should have mentioned that my comments about written narration were more for whoever else might be reading the post. I totally got that you weren’t going to make your 6 year old write an essay. I think the drawing idea is great – my dd6 loves to draw too, and so with some of our literature readings I encourage her to draw her favorite scene from the chapter that we read. Silly me! Sorry for the confusion.
Rebekah