Can someone explain oral narration to me?

[playschool]

We have always been pretty much a textbook family. I would read or my dc would read and I would ask questions. How does this differ? Is it pretty much summarizing what happened in a chapter? How much detail is required? I am sure more detail would be required for an older child rather than a younger one. Is this correct?

[funkmomma71]

From what I gather, oral narration is simply retelling the story or parts of a story or passage. The child may choose to emphasize certain portions over others. Summarizing is different, in that, you tell a shortened version of a story or passage in order to show complete comprehension. My daughter doesn't tell back a complete summary when we do oral narration, but what she remembers and chooses to share in her narration really lets me know how much and what she understood and gives her license to be creative in her narration. Oral narration is a learned skill and takes practice, my daughter didn't really grasp what was expected for months, but now that she "gets it" she loves it. Best wishes!

Nancy

[Carrie]

Nancy gave you a great description of oral narration! Thanks, Nancy! I also wanted to let you know that in the Appendix of Bigger and Preparing, we have an overview sheet for the teacher and the student that gives tips and directions on how to do an oral narration. That really helps when starting out with this wonderful new skill!

Blessings,
Carrie

[playschool]

I am trying to work on this skill right now. I just needed some clarification on exactly what to expect summary vs. more details. Since this is very new to him, I know that we need to slowly work on this skill. At first, what do you think would be a beginning point for how much material should be read to him before he is expected to narrate back. Should I expect a full chapter of him or possibly a couple of pages or say several paragraphs? Thanks for all of your helpful replies so far!

[ncmomof5]

When we first began to do oral narrations, someone suggested that we start with just a one page reading of an aesop's fable. That really helped my 10 yo dd get the idea and build her confidence. She has some comprehension/retention issues and this whole oral narration skill has been a help to her. So, if you have an Aesop's fables handy or can pick one up at the library, that's a great place to start.

In His Love,
RuthAnn

[playschool]

I do have Aesop's fables, so I will try what you just said. Thanks for your help!

[inHistiming]

This has been a bit difficult for my dc. So I have been reading our story time selections or science...whatever the manual has them narrating from that day...in shorter segments and having one of them narrate to me before reading more. It takes a bit more time to get through the reading that way, but it has helped them to be able to remember more details. I am amazed at what my kids can remember and retell to me after reading their own selections or watching a movie...yet they struggle with this during 'school time'. The same can be said for any writing I require...it seems they can't remember the details or don't know how to put it together. I've tried to encourage them to do it just like they would if they were telling me what they did at a friend's house, what they saw in a movie, or about the rides at an amusement park. It's a work in progress, and I'm sure they will improve with time and practice. I would try reading shorter portions and see if that helps; it has for us.

[Carrie]

playschool,

I completely agree that when starting oral narration it is best to do short stories/fables rather than a lengthier chapter or reading. Keeping the reading short is key to getting a successful narration from your little sweeties. The Aesop's Fables suggestion is a good one. Thornton Burgess books also lend themselves well to narration. We have a Storytime Set available in our Little Hearts section of our website which works great for teaching oral narration too! You can also get many of the Thornton Burgess titles at the library (although some of his titles are much better than others)!

You can also read shorter segments of a longer chapter, pausing for narration throughout the chapter. Kiddos often don't like the story interrupted though, so they may balk when you stop to ask for a narration. To be narrated well, the book must be living, meaning it is not just a fact book or encyclopedia type book. It must be told in narrative or story form to be narrated upon. Can you imagine trying to narrate from an encyclopedia page? Kiddos don't know where to begin, as each of the snippets of information are not usually related to one another as they would be in a story.

If they kiddos are stumped for how to begin, try reading the first sentence of the story or chapter aloud to get them started. That always helps my kiddos get underway. The more words they "borrow" from the author in their retelling the better. An oral narration should have the flavor of the book in the retelling.

Be advised that narrators usually fall into 3 categories...
1. Those who are natural narrators that see the big picture and narrate easily hitting all the high points automatically
2. Those who cannot think of a thing to say and haltingly begin with a sentence or two at most
3. Those who are very detail oriented and give VERY lengthy narrations (sometimes missing the main ideas in the retelling)

All of these types of narrators are normal. They will each grow and change as narrators as time passes, but obviously they will grow and change in different ways. The important thing is that through narration they are learning to make sense of the reading and to relate it back in a way that is meaningful to them.

In our early guides, we have the parent take a turn narrating too. This is a great tool, as it gives you a glimpse into how difficult narrating really is and also gives kiddos a model of what you're looking for in a narration.

Blessings,
Carrie

[playschool]

Thank you, Carrie. That was a very thorough explanation of what should be expected. I could see my 2 older kids falling into the 2 latter categories of narration. We were trying to do narration on American Pioneers and Patriots that we are going through for MFW Adventures this year. My ds struggled with narrating a chapter from there. With The Courage of Sarah Noble, he did a much better job. Thanks again!

[grandsophy]

Which curriculum guide introduces this skill?

[Carrie]

We work toward this goal in LHFHG through the Storytime follow-up activities but formally move into teaching the skill of orally narrating in Beyond on up. We begin formally teaching written narrations in Preparing Hearts on up.

Hope that helps!

Blessings,
Carrie