Narration Station
Written by Lynn on September 3rd, 2009Oh, you know me and visual appeal. I love the thought of having something visually stimulating when it comes to assigning lessons and inspiring children to want to create and write and do.
Narration, or the act of telling back in some form what she is reading, will be a bit of a change for Michaela. I have always incorporated some of Charlotte Mason’s ideas into our schooling, but following the CM style and Ambleside very closely this year, Michaela will be doing a lot of narrating.
If I say, “You are going to tell me every day what you’ve read,” oh my does that produce some sort of expression!
In this pretty, old creamer are narration assignments. I’ll continue to add to them as I get ideas through the year.
Here are the ideas written down so far:
- If you could send a postcard to tell me what happened, what would it say? Create it! Illustrate, including the stamp!
- Reporter! Make me a news story to tell what happened. In fact, do a newspaper page including ads, sales, whatever!
- Draw a picture of one of the scenes you read about today. You can add words if you like.
- Imagine! If the characters could magically fly to modern times, what would they think? Would things have been different for them?
- Use these words to write a creative story about a character you are reading about. (To do this I pull words from the reading and let her choose randomly as she writes.)
- You are the main character and want someone to visit you. Make a travel brochure telling them why they must see where you are.
- Pretend you are the main character and write a journal entry about what happened.
This idea came to me when I found a piece of bright red fabric at The Scrap Exchange. It already had two pockets sewn onto it, but nothing else going on. Except my idea to turn it into a pretty “in/out box” for our writing assignments!
I hot-glued one end over a hanger and then began to embellish it with pretty fabric and tags. I reinforced the back and gave it more length by hot-gluing a bright white and red piece of fabric to the back.
The out box is where I put outgoing narration assignments for Michaela. I choose an assignment that I think is especially good for what was just read. For example, Michaela talks about Isaac Newton’s mother as if she knows her 
so I think for her to write a journal entry as Hannah would be good.
There’s a pretty strip of fabric that hangs from the top. It’s our “ready” signal. We can switch it back and forth from “in” to “out,” something fun to signal we’re done!
The “in” box of course is where she puts her assignment incoming to me. She can fold her paper in half longways and slip it right in!
I am already working diligently week by week on our end-of-year notebook (I ended up going with spiral again!) and all of her narration projects will be put into this as we go.
I feel like at some point we won’t be using this bright Narration Station day in and day out for every little thing, but as we make the transition into Ambleside and get Michaela used to narrating, it’s something to make it more fun.
I’m not sure at this point how Charlotte Mason would have felt about it, but given her respect for a mother’s need to lead and nurture and her awareness that children were individuals, after all, I think she would have known that I’m just a visually driven, artsy person who had to do this.
Narration Help Resources
- Lapbooking and Charlotte Mason
- Simply Charlotte Mason Narration Ideas
- Ambleside Online Language Arts Scope and Sequence for Language Arts
More to come!
Lynn
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
3
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What a great idea! Very pretty too. I have the list of narration ideas from SCM printed out & in my binder – and there they sit. I am so inspired to make them more visible/usable!
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Dear Lynn,
Look at you go! I think that’s the most creative thing I’ve ever seen
.
Thanks for the links, too; there’s so much information out there!
Love,
Marqueta
3
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Angela, you and me both! Inspired is a good way to put it. When I begin to read CM’s original works, or the messages on the AO group, I am so inspired to make it work. Inspired is the way to put it.
Marqueta, thank you! I’ll keep adding links to this one.
Lynn
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Wow! That is gorgeous! What a pretty way to remember to do narrations.
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Thanks, Jimmie. I expect I’ll be linking to more of your pages before it’s over!
Lynn
5
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I forgot to say …
This post would be great for the Charlotte Mason blog carnival! You can submit it here.
5
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Thanks, Jimmie!! I’ll do that.
How exciting!
Lynn
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WONDERFUL! What a great idea.
Blessings,
Dawn
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Very creative and I love what you said about what Charlotte herself would think of your inventiveness.
Not only the getting of knowledge but the delight in the getting of knowledge, right?
I enjoyed your post.
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Dawn, thank you so much!
Richele, thank you. I hope she would have approved.
At any rate, we are enjoying narration more and more. I didn’t realize Michaela said “like” so much until now. You know, like, using it in every sentence!! Ewww.
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This is lovely. I think it’s a wonderful way to encourage narration.
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I really like all the narration ideas you shared! Thank you!
I was just thinking tonight how we haven’t done as much narration this year as I’d like. You’ve inspired and motivated me!
11
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WOW! I L-O-V-E this! I, too, prefer things to be pretty and this just seems so appealing! I’ll be coming back to make notes and “steal” your idea.
Thanks so much for sharing!!!
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I think Charlotte Mason would approve, as it’s a wonderful example to your daughter of creating useful handicrafts!
I’ve been telling myself I ought to make some more hanging stations of this kind to make better use of vertical space in long hallways and other cramped areas. You’ve inspired me to think of all the ways this could be adapted!
Cheers,
Ruby
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So pretty! That is a nice idea to adjust your child to narration.