Whitney,
One thing that will definitely be an adjustment and take some time to grow into in BIgger is the upped level of readings. It is important to note as you head into these higher level readings that in a Charlotte Mason living books approach to education the parent is not to get between the child and the reading. With this thought in mind, a couple of things stood out to me in your post.
When you mentioned that you are stopping to explain every 2-5 lines, this is actually getting in between the child and the material. While I can see that you are striving to make the connections for your child, in the process this interrupts the flow of the story which actually makes it much harder to comprehend. Just imagine if while you were reading a book that I paused randomely to interject my own thoughts after every 2-5 lines, and then when I paused in my commentary I expected you to go back to reading, stopping each time I explained, and then returning to the reading each time. How difficult would it be to follow the thread of the story? Next, when you try to "liven" the history readings up, I am assuming this also means that you are adding or embellishing. This is also the equivalent of getting in between the child and the reading. In the end, it is hard for the child to know what was actually in the reading and what parts were your comments or explanations. Somehow, the child loses the whole thread of the story in the jumble.
So, first of all, I would encourage you to just read the story without interruption, or stopping to explain, or embellishing. I would read with plenty of expression, but not add any commentary. If you do choose to "set the stage", Charlotte Mason would advocate doing it before the reading. You could do this by saying something brief like, "It looks like we will be reading about John Smith and Jamestown today. I wonder what will happen as the colonists try to settle where the Native Americans are already living?"
Once you begin reading though, be sure not to interrupt the reading. This will also keep the readings from dragging, as they are very short! Typically, they aren't longer than 5-7 min. After the reading, just do the follow-up activities in the guide. Be sure not to make your child feel like he is on a quiz show at the end of the reading and that you are quizzing him to see how well he listens. So, I would encourage you not to closely question him about the reading. Rather, just proceed on with what is already scheduled in the guide. Truly, the methods that are there are meant to encourage comprehension, build listening skills, and foster narration. I'll link you to another post running on the board right now that should really encourage you in this area. Link:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12621
You mentioned listening improving when your son is interested in the material. I'll just share that the Eggleston books and Seabiscuit are very high reading level books, so I am assuming that they are at a much higher level than the material you typically read-aloud to your son. With all children, it is easier to pay attention and comprehend when something is at a lower level, because it does not require as much work on the part of the listener to attend to the reading. For example, if you were listening to a show like Barney (the big purple dinosaur), you could probably comprehend it very easily even if you were only partly listening. However, if you were listening to a documentary about the Presidents, you would need to sit down, focus, and really pay attention; and even then you would probably not take in "all" of what you heard, but rather bits and pieces that stood out to you. The same is true for our children when they are listening to a read-aloud that is more difficult.
They have to sit down, focus, really pay attention; and even then they cannot take it "all" in, but rather they remember bits and pieces that stood out to them.
Sometimes the deer in the headlights look is not about being bored but is rather the stricken look children get when they fear we will ask them a question that they do not know the answer to and that they will be judged on their answer as to whether they were listening or not. This is why I encourage you not to question your child beyond what is in the Bigger guide at this point, as listening is the skill we are developing. Too many skills all at once overwhelm a child.
Listening and comprehending higher level material is hard work. It is a skill to be developed that does not occur overnight, or even in six weeks. It is one of the main goals of Bigger Hearts and is so needed in order for the child to thrive in Preparing Hearts. By the end of Bigger though, I know you will see good gains!
Blessings,
Carrie
I posted about it here...