Narration Workshop
Presented at the Bluegrass Charlotte Mason Study Group, Spring 2012
Definition of Narration:
--early 15th century word (late Middle English), meaning "a relating, recounting, narrating," from Latin narrationem (nom. narratio), from narrare "to tell, relate, recount, explain," literally "to make acquainted with," from gnarus "knowing," from base *gno- "to know"
--the act of knowing; depicting or retelling a story; a monologue describing what has just been read; the recall of information from a text
Charlotte Mason, on narration:
Narration strengthens the power of attention
In her books, [Ms. Mason] lays the stress upon attention, and the habit of attention, and all considerations with regard to narration must centre round the question how far any way of using narration - and there are scores of ways - gives each child, either in a home schoolroom or a class, full opportunity to use his power of attention. We may not consider the attention of two or more children, either in a home schoolroom or in a class. The attention given by each individual child must be considered. Elsie Kitching
Narration evaluates the comprehension and self-questioning ability of the student
The mind can know nothing save what it can produce in the form of an answer to a question put to the mind by itself.... For example, to secure a conversation or an incident, we ‘go over it in our minds’; that is, the mind puts itself through the process of self-questioning which I have indicated. This is what happens in the narrating of a passage read: each new consecutive incident or statement arrives because the mind asks itself, “What next?” Vol 6, p 16-17
Narration creates the habit of obtaining mental nourishment from books
.... that in the act of narrating every power of his mind comes into play, that points and bearings which he had not observed are brought out; that the whole is visualized and brought into relief in an extraordinary way; in fact that scene or argument has become a part of his personal experience; he knows, he has assimilated what he has read. This is not memory work... Vol 6, p. 16
I will not try to explain (understand) this power to memorize; it has its subsidiary use in education, no doubt, but it must not be put in the place of the prime agent which is attention.... efforts to memorize weaken the power of attention. Vol 6, p. 16-17
Over time, narration stimulates further observations, explorations and understanding in many subjects
Narration, like writing poetry or painting, is an art that’s inherent in the mind of every child. It’s just waiting to be uncovered. The child doesn’t need to go through an educational process to develop it because it’s already there. The child only needs a reason to narrate and he does--easily, generously, with events in the right order, using appropriate illustrative details, with the right choice of words, without flowery wordiness or redundant phrases, as soon as he’s able to speak easily. This amazing ability lies within every child... Vol 1, p. 231
Definition of Narration:
--early 15th century word (late Middle English), meaning "a relating, recounting, narrating," from Latin narrationem (nom. narratio), from narrare "to tell, relate, recount, explain," literally "to make acquainted with," from gnarus "knowing," from base *gno- "to know"
--the act of knowing; depicting or retelling a story; a monologue describing what has just been read; the recall of information from a text
Charlotte Mason, on narration:
Narration strengthens the power of attention
In her books, [Ms. Mason] lays the stress upon attention, and the habit of attention, and all considerations with regard to narration must centre round the question how far any way of using narration - and there are scores of ways - gives each child, either in a home schoolroom or a class, full opportunity to use his power of attention. We may not consider the attention of two or more children, either in a home schoolroom or in a class. The attention given by each individual child must be considered. Elsie Kitching
Narration evaluates the comprehension and self-questioning ability of the student
The mind can know nothing save what it can produce in the form of an answer to a question put to the mind by itself.... For example, to secure a conversation or an incident, we ‘go over it in our minds’; that is, the mind puts itself through the process of self-questioning which I have indicated. This is what happens in the narrating of a passage read: each new consecutive incident or statement arrives because the mind asks itself, “What next?” Vol 6, p 16-17
Narration creates the habit of obtaining mental nourishment from books
.... that in the act of narrating every power of his mind comes into play, that points and bearings which he had not observed are brought out; that the whole is visualized and brought into relief in an extraordinary way; in fact that scene or argument has become a part of his personal experience; he knows, he has assimilated what he has read. This is not memory work... Vol 6, p. 16
I will not try to explain (understand) this power to memorize; it has its subsidiary use in education, no doubt, but it must not be put in the place of the prime agent which is attention.... efforts to memorize weaken the power of attention. Vol 6, p. 16-17
Over time, narration stimulates further observations, explorations and understanding in many subjects
Narration, like writing poetry or painting, is an art that’s inherent in the mind of every child. It’s just waiting to be uncovered. The child doesn’t need to go through an educational process to develop it because it’s already there. The child only needs a reason to narrate and he does--easily, generously, with events in the right order, using appropriate illustrative details, with the right choice of words, without flowery wordiness or redundant phrases, as soon as he’s able to speak easily. This amazing ability lies within every child... Vol 1, p. 231
“Do not be deceived by the superficial simplicity of this method! When you read a story, paragraph, or chapter to a child and ask him to narrate what he has heard, powerful mental "wheels" must spring into motion. The knowledge that he has passively gathered must now be sifted and sorted. His mind must recall the beginning, and then "what comes next," event by event. He must be sure the order of his knowledge is correct, and that nothing important is omitted. Then, he must find words to give shape to his knowledge. It is not uncommon for children to imitate the vocabulary and style of the author himself. Nevertheless, by using the words to tell "his" version of the story, he makes them his own.” Karen Glass
The Method
1. Read the passage in advance. Knowing when to stop reading and when to ask for narration is key. Try to divide the reading into episodes or concepts. It is best to narrate smaller passages and gradually increase the length as students are able. Fortunately, books for young children are often filled with shorter episodes that allow you to easily section the reading.
2. Give explanations of difficult words before reading, discuss dates, and any use of background material. The extent of preparation depends on the age and ability of the student.
Do always prepare the passage carefully beforehand, thus making sure that all the explanations and use of background material precede the reading and narration. The teacher should never have to stop in the middle of a paragraph to explain the meaning of a word. Make sure, before you start, that the meanings are known, and write all difficult proper names on the blackboard, leaving them there throughout the lesson. Similarly any map work which may be needed should be done before the reading starts.
PNEU training
3. Begin with a short summary or narration of the passage read the day before. Ask the student, “Where did we leave off yesterday?”
4. Read the passage one time.
A single reading is a condition insisted upon because a naturally desultory habit of mind leads us all to put off the effort of attention as long as a second or third chance of coping with our subject is to be hoped for. Charlotte Mason, Vol 6, p. 17
Don't ever read a passage more than once, no matter how badly it has been narrated. It is permissible to ask, e.g., 'Don't you remember the bit about the horses?' If the children say 'No' the proper response is: 'What a pity! Now you will never know that bit. You must listen better next time.' The children will miss something, but they will have learnt a lesson in concentration. PNEU training
5. Ask the child to narrate immediately after the reading. At times, it may be helpful for the teacher to begin by asking a young student, “Tell me, beginning with Fern seeing her father with the ax...” Do not correct or interrupt the retelling, even if the student makes a mistake or mispronounces a word.
To begin with, there is nothing mysterious or magical about narration. We all do it. When we have had a pleasant outing or listened to a beautiful concert or seen an exciting play, our first impulse is to tell our friends about it, and how frustrating it is if, when we get home the friends are out or watching a television programme which must not be interrupted. We tell them about it later on, but our account will not have the same vividness and spontaneity as it would have had if we had told it when it was fresh in our minds. This is an important point to remember when we come to consider the method of a narration lesson. Do let the narration follow directly after the reading. Otherwise, the children will be in the same difficulty as we were in when our friends were watching the television and couldn't listen to our adventures. PNEU training
6. When the child is finished narrating, the teacher may ask if anyone has anything else to add. Other students may offer corrections, or the teacher may do so after narration is complete.
7. Emphasize important points and make necessary corrections (or better, have other children do this), being careful not to artificially make connections for the child, provide him with information that is new or de-emphasizes the importance of his narration. Teacher may ask questions to accomplish this, “after but not before or during the act of narration.” Vol 6, p. 17
1. Read the passage in advance. Knowing when to stop reading and when to ask for narration is key. Try to divide the reading into episodes or concepts. It is best to narrate smaller passages and gradually increase the length as students are able. Fortunately, books for young children are often filled with shorter episodes that allow you to easily section the reading.
2. Give explanations of difficult words before reading, discuss dates, and any use of background material. The extent of preparation depends on the age and ability of the student.
Do always prepare the passage carefully beforehand, thus making sure that all the explanations and use of background material precede the reading and narration. The teacher should never have to stop in the middle of a paragraph to explain the meaning of a word. Make sure, before you start, that the meanings are known, and write all difficult proper names on the blackboard, leaving them there throughout the lesson. Similarly any map work which may be needed should be done before the reading starts.
PNEU training
3. Begin with a short summary or narration of the passage read the day before. Ask the student, “Where did we leave off yesterday?”
4. Read the passage one time.
A single reading is a condition insisted upon because a naturally desultory habit of mind leads us all to put off the effort of attention as long as a second or third chance of coping with our subject is to be hoped for. Charlotte Mason, Vol 6, p. 17
Don't ever read a passage more than once, no matter how badly it has been narrated. It is permissible to ask, e.g., 'Don't you remember the bit about the horses?' If the children say 'No' the proper response is: 'What a pity! Now you will never know that bit. You must listen better next time.' The children will miss something, but they will have learnt a lesson in concentration. PNEU training
5. Ask the child to narrate immediately after the reading. At times, it may be helpful for the teacher to begin by asking a young student, “Tell me, beginning with Fern seeing her father with the ax...” Do not correct or interrupt the retelling, even if the student makes a mistake or mispronounces a word.
To begin with, there is nothing mysterious or magical about narration. We all do it. When we have had a pleasant outing or listened to a beautiful concert or seen an exciting play, our first impulse is to tell our friends about it, and how frustrating it is if, when we get home the friends are out or watching a television programme which must not be interrupted. We tell them about it later on, but our account will not have the same vividness and spontaneity as it would have had if we had told it when it was fresh in our minds. This is an important point to remember when we come to consider the method of a narration lesson. Do let the narration follow directly after the reading. Otherwise, the children will be in the same difficulty as we were in when our friends were watching the television and couldn't listen to our adventures. PNEU training
6. When the child is finished narrating, the teacher may ask if anyone has anything else to add. Other students may offer corrections, or the teacher may do so after narration is complete.
7. Emphasize important points and make necessary corrections (or better, have other children do this), being careful not to artificially make connections for the child, provide him with information that is new or de-emphasizes the importance of his narration. Teacher may ask questions to accomplish this, “after but not before or during the act of narration.” Vol 6, p. 17
- Sample Question: You mentioned that Queen Mary of Scots was King Henry’s daughter, but his daughter was actually Queen Mary, or “Bloody Mary”. Mary of Scots was the granddaughter of King Henry’s sister Margaret. Why is it important to know the difference between these two queens named “Mary”? Hoped for Answer: It is important because Bloody Mary was Elizabeth’s half-sister. She did not like Elizabeth because she was afraid Elizabeth wanted her throne. She imprisoned Elizabeth until her death made Elizabeth Queen. Mary of Scots was the Catholic Queen of Scotland and France who said she had a better claim to the English throne than did Elizabeth. She tried to overthrow Elizabeth with the support of the Pope and her Catholic friends. Elizabeth imprisoned her and then had her executed many years later.
Points to Remember
1. Children should not be asked to narrate until they are at least 6 years old. Any narration provided by a younger child should be spontaneous. Young children often enjoy sitting in on older siblings’ narrations. This is a wonderful opportunity for your older children to model narration.
2. With the young child, new at narration, prepare him to narrate by explaining what is narration and what you would like him to do. Begin by reading a small portion (2-3 sentences) or enough to reach a natural stopping point without overwhelming him with too much information.
Joseph, today we are going to begin read a book called Happy Jack. I am going to read a little bit, then I would like you to tell me what you heard. There will be many animals in this book, and lots of exciting adventures. When you tell me what you heard, try to begin with the first thing you heard and tell me everything you remember happened.
Joseph, thank you for that narration. Now I’m going to narrate for you. I am going to read a few sentences, and then I will narrate. You can tell me if you think I told you all the things I could remember in the proper order. If I left out anything, I’d like for you to let me know after I am finished, okay?
3. It is helpful to end a reading at a particularly exciting or engaging point in a chapter. This whets the child’s appetite for the next reading. Resist the urge to read the entire book or chapter because your child says, “Please Mommy, read more! Read the next page!” This is the enthusiasm that we want, but we also want to give young minds time to chew on the ideas and the facts of what has been heard and retold. I often say, “I am glad you are excited to read the next part. I am too! Won’t it be a privilege to read it tomorrow during our time together. It’s one of the best parts of my day!” You may alter the prompt for oral narrations by using different words such as Tell back, Retell, Give an account, Recount, Tell me.
4. Begin written narrations once the oral narrations are fluent, around age 10. Evaluate written narrations for content only, and not for spelling or grammar. You can make a mental note of spelling words or points of grammar that need to be addressed in the time allotted for those subjects. Narration is your time to learn how much the child knows, not how much spelling or grammar she does not know.
5. It may be tempting to begin or end with the most verbal or confident speaker in the classroom. However, this allows the quieter child to avoid speaking or decreases their attention to the first or last part of the reading.
The only way to secure the whole attention of every individual in a class is for each individual to realize that he may be the one called upon, and that even if he is not the first called upon, he may be called upon to continue the narration at any part until the one narration is finished. The one reading and the one narration is the essential if a child is to acquire the habit of attention.
It has been said, on the other hand, that the one effort of attention and the one narration implies that the child must never do anything a second time, which is again a very much mistaken interpretation of Miss Mason's teaching. The second time may, as I have said, come in the way of composition later on; it probably comes again in the end of term examination, and certainly, if the child is interested, frequently in after life. There are also in the upper Forms the interesting sidelights which one book or subject throws upon another, sometimes covering the same ground from another point of view. Elsie Kitching
6. If the narration is of poor quality, review the literature the child is reading or hearing. It is possible that it is not a living book or a book that is too difficult or too easy for the child. Do not hesitate to put a book of the shelf if your child is not making a relationship with the book. It is not how much he knows, it is how much he cares.
This method can only be successfully employed with books of real literary value. When we are selecting new books for the programmes, one of the questions we always ask is 'Will it narrate?' Books of the short sentence type, books which talk down to the children or which are full of 'padding' are quite useless. To get the best results, we need books like Andrew Lang's Tales of Troy and Greece or The Pilgrim's Progress or the Authorized Version of the Bible.
7. If the child is shy or reluctant to narrate, Ms. Mason addresses habits of the child, the will and the conscience in Volume 1.
Don't press a child who has given a short narration to tell more. It sometimes happens that a very shy child makes a great effort and narrates one sentence. 'Good,' says the zealous teacher, 'And what happened next?' Whereupon the child retreats into his shell. The comment should be: 'That's right. Can someone else go on?' The shy child feels that he has made his contribution, and will have gained in confidence.
So far we have been dealing mainly with schools. Sometimes we come up against difficulties in home schoolrooms where children refuse to narrate because 'Mummie knows it already.' One resourceful mother got over this difficulty by saying: 'Yes, I know it, but Teddy doesn't; tell him.' Whereupon the little girl happily narrated to her teddy-bear. PNEU training
8. Remember the child who seems to be quiet and listening may not have understood as much as a fidgety child has understood.
1. Children should not be asked to narrate until they are at least 6 years old. Any narration provided by a younger child should be spontaneous. Young children often enjoy sitting in on older siblings’ narrations. This is a wonderful opportunity for your older children to model narration.
2. With the young child, new at narration, prepare him to narrate by explaining what is narration and what you would like him to do. Begin by reading a small portion (2-3 sentences) or enough to reach a natural stopping point without overwhelming him with too much information.
Joseph, today we are going to begin read a book called Happy Jack. I am going to read a little bit, then I would like you to tell me what you heard. There will be many animals in this book, and lots of exciting adventures. When you tell me what you heard, try to begin with the first thing you heard and tell me everything you remember happened.
Joseph, thank you for that narration. Now I’m going to narrate for you. I am going to read a few sentences, and then I will narrate. You can tell me if you think I told you all the things I could remember in the proper order. If I left out anything, I’d like for you to let me know after I am finished, okay?
3. It is helpful to end a reading at a particularly exciting or engaging point in a chapter. This whets the child’s appetite for the next reading. Resist the urge to read the entire book or chapter because your child says, “Please Mommy, read more! Read the next page!” This is the enthusiasm that we want, but we also want to give young minds time to chew on the ideas and the facts of what has been heard and retold. I often say, “I am glad you are excited to read the next part. I am too! Won’t it be a privilege to read it tomorrow during our time together. It’s one of the best parts of my day!” You may alter the prompt for oral narrations by using different words such as Tell back, Retell, Give an account, Recount, Tell me.
4. Begin written narrations once the oral narrations are fluent, around age 10. Evaluate written narrations for content only, and not for spelling or grammar. You can make a mental note of spelling words or points of grammar that need to be addressed in the time allotted for those subjects. Narration is your time to learn how much the child knows, not how much spelling or grammar she does not know.
5. It may be tempting to begin or end with the most verbal or confident speaker in the classroom. However, this allows the quieter child to avoid speaking or decreases their attention to the first or last part of the reading.
The only way to secure the whole attention of every individual in a class is for each individual to realize that he may be the one called upon, and that even if he is not the first called upon, he may be called upon to continue the narration at any part until the one narration is finished. The one reading and the one narration is the essential if a child is to acquire the habit of attention.
It has been said, on the other hand, that the one effort of attention and the one narration implies that the child must never do anything a second time, which is again a very much mistaken interpretation of Miss Mason's teaching. The second time may, as I have said, come in the way of composition later on; it probably comes again in the end of term examination, and certainly, if the child is interested, frequently in after life. There are also in the upper Forms the interesting sidelights which one book or subject throws upon another, sometimes covering the same ground from another point of view. Elsie Kitching
6. If the narration is of poor quality, review the literature the child is reading or hearing. It is possible that it is not a living book or a book that is too difficult or too easy for the child. Do not hesitate to put a book of the shelf if your child is not making a relationship with the book. It is not how much he knows, it is how much he cares.
This method can only be successfully employed with books of real literary value. When we are selecting new books for the programmes, one of the questions we always ask is 'Will it narrate?' Books of the short sentence type, books which talk down to the children or which are full of 'padding' are quite useless. To get the best results, we need books like Andrew Lang's Tales of Troy and Greece or The Pilgrim's Progress or the Authorized Version of the Bible.
7. If the child is shy or reluctant to narrate, Ms. Mason addresses habits of the child, the will and the conscience in Volume 1.
Don't press a child who has given a short narration to tell more. It sometimes happens that a very shy child makes a great effort and narrates one sentence. 'Good,' says the zealous teacher, 'And what happened next?' Whereupon the child retreats into his shell. The comment should be: 'That's right. Can someone else go on?' The shy child feels that he has made his contribution, and will have gained in confidence.
So far we have been dealing mainly with schools. Sometimes we come up against difficulties in home schoolrooms where children refuse to narrate because 'Mummie knows it already.' One resourceful mother got over this difficulty by saying: 'Yes, I know it, but Teddy doesn't; tell him.' Whereupon the little girl happily narrated to her teddy-bear. PNEU training
8. Remember the child who seems to be quiet and listening may not have understood as much as a fidgety child has understood.
Other Methods of Narration
- Drawing or sketching
- Painting
- Diagram
- Model
- Sculpture
- Acting out as in a play
- Write three questions that you would ask a person who has recently narrated this reading
- Biographic description of the person(s) from the passage as if you were writing for a museum exhibit
- Timeline
- Poem
- Song
- Outline
- Tell Daddy over dinner
- Email or call Grandparents and tell them (esp when a book is finished!)
Sources:
Volume 1, Home Education, Charlotte Mason
Volume 6, Towards a Philosophy of Education, Charlotte Mason
When Children Love to Learn, ed. Elaine Cooper
PNEU Parents Newsletter Articles, amblesideonline.org
PNEU Training Articles, amblesideonline.org
Childlight USA Conference, Rebekah Brown, speaker
Volume 1, Home Education, Charlotte Mason
Volume 6, Towards a Philosophy of Education, Charlotte Mason
When Children Love to Learn, ed. Elaine Cooper
PNEU Parents Newsletter Articles, amblesideonline.org
PNEU Training Articles, amblesideonline.org
Childlight USA Conference, Rebekah Brown, speaker