Name: Great Homeschool Conventions (Columbus)
Start: 2025-04-24T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-04-26T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Columbus, OH

Tagged: Beginning Narration, Evaluating narrations, narration

This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 3 months ago by LucyLou.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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August 21, 2014 at 2:35 am
LucyLou
Member
I am totally new to the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. I’ve read a little bit about her philosophies and what I have read makes sense. However, putting it into practice is totally different. Plus, I’m worried my kids will hate it. 🙁 They are used to textbooks and workbooks. But I feel like time is being wasted with the generalization of what is in those textbooks. And I’ve been creating the Language Arts worksheets and I’m not sure if anything is even being learned from that. I have one child who LOVES reading and another who says he likes reading, but never reads anything unless he is forced to and still has a hard time recalling details other than very obvious ones. I want them reading more than they are now and I wish I could simplify things a bit. My main goal is to get my kids reading more. BUT once they read everything…is there a way to evaluate what they’ve read to make sure they actually read and to make sure they understand what they are reading?? Although this is our second year to homeschool, I’m still in the “public school” frame of mind where I give tests, worksheets, grades, etc. Lol. And I think nothing will be learned unless there is a worksheet to “enforce” it. Ugh…
August 21, 2014 at 2:48 am
Wings2fly
Participant
Welcome to Charlotte Mason! What are the ages/grades of your children? For reading comprehension, they do oral or written narration. They should do oral at first until they are good at that, starting at age 6. Do not start written narration until age 9 or 10 at least. You can tell by the details they give you if they actually read it. My 10 yo goes on and on about what he read when he tells me. Narration can also be through play and creative projects. There is a good chapter on narration in the book sold here on language arts and the free sample pdf has that chapter for you to read now.
https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/hearing-and-reading-telling-and-writing-a-charlotte-mason-language-arts-handbook/
Blog series on narration:
https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/series/5-steps-to-successful-narration/
It is important to select good living books that engage them and help them make their own connections. And it is important for you to keep reading aloud to them all through their school years.
August 21, 2014 at 3:08 am
roseallyne
Participant
I am fairly new to CM also, but I can tell you what has worked for me and mine. We added a little at a time. We’re still adding slowly, I started a little reading, did that for a while, then added more. We started with a small amount of copy work and narration and then kept making the passages a little longer. My son is only eight. The girls are 16 and 20. I didn’t try CM till the last one. I wish I had tried it earlier. My little guy really enjoys it. Their narrations are your “test” to see if they understand what they are reading. Either oral or written. We haven’t started written narration yet. We are still working on his oral ones. Look up the threads about narration. I think you will find their advice invaluable. Good luck! I hope you enjoy CM as much as I do.
Rose
Don’t forget that I am new to CM. You will definitely want an opinion of someone who is a veteran.
August 21, 2014 at 3:15 am
Wings2fly
Participant
On easing into the change:
https://simplycharlottemason.com/how-to-get-started/transition/
August 21, 2014 at 4:37 am
LucyLou
Member
Wow…All of this information has been VERY helpful!! Thank you all! I will probably ease into this as well. And thank you to the ones who posted the links. My sons are 9 & 7. The older one is the one who normally doesn’t read much but I told him the direction in which we may go and he got VERY excited! Lol The other one (the one who likes to read) said, “I’d rather do worksheets.” I wonder if they planned that?? LOL Right now when they read, I ask them comprehension questions. The older one writes his responses down and the younger one verbally delivers his answers. I finally feel less anxious about all of this. I also like how things seem to be flexible with learning styles. My older son likes to write explanations and is very visual. The younger child, however, would much rather act out something or draw a picture to explain something.