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How do you handle narrations with two children using the same guide? They're a bit competitive and get annoyed with each other when they've narrated together in the past. For example, the older gets frustrated when the younger remembers points that she didn't. Should I read half of an assignment, have one narrate, then finish the reading and have the other narrate the second half? Or, since my older is also doing the extension, should I have her do narrations just from that material? How does it work for you?

I alternate days. Kind of hard for me to remember but they usually do

books4girls wrote:How do you handle narrations with two children using the same guide? They're a bit competitive and get annoyed with each other when they've narrated together in the past. For example, the older gets frustrated when the younger remembers points that she didn't. Should I read half of an assignment, have one narrate, then finish the reading and have the other narrate the second half? Or, since my older is also doing the extension, should I have her do narrations just from that material? How does it work for you?

I'd alternate the days, and make sure you are the only one that makes comments on how to improve. The other child not narrating should just be listening for pure enjoyment - never adding in something missed or suggesting how to improve (as dc are prone to do). On a day older child was going to narrate but it was younger child's turn, you could have older child narrate on the extension reading if you'd like. Good question!

In Christ,
Julie

Mine actually "tag-team". Sometimes, if they get stuck on something, they will tap the other's arm to signal "help" instead of signaling me for help. They both do this if they are really stuck. Then, at the end of a narration, I'll ask if either would like to add any details to the narration. I've explained to them that each brings different perspective and so some details may stick out more to one than the other. They seem to like hearing what each other took from the reading. They are NOT allowed to interrupt or give advice, however, and they really don't try to.

Or, sometimes, I will give a narration topic to them, especially if it was a longer reading selection, or more than one chapter. That also seems to work well for us.

Hopefully, that's OK, even though it is a little different answer than the others. I had never thought of having my older dd narrate to me using the extension readings instead of the *together* readings. That is a great idea!

I have twin daughters that will be in Beyond this year for 1st grade. I hadn't even given thought to the narration that is required in the Storytime. My oldest ds just finished Beyond for 2nd grade. When we read the Burgess books in LHFHG, both girls just chimed in with the answers to the questions and we "narrated" together. Sometimes I would specifically ask one of them a question to assure she was listening and following along. I enjoyed how they would "tag-team" in our discussions and each would make unique points and remember different things from the story. I loved hearing the story from both perspectives. This was a good question, one I needed to think about before we started our new year. Thanks!

I'm just catching up on the board, so I'm VERY late to some of these threads, but here's a tip from Charlotte Mason herself on a way to handle more than one narrator: Have a red bean and a blue bean in your pocket for narration time and assign each child a color of a bean. Randomly pull one bean out at narration time and the child assigned that color narrates. It is the "luck of the draw".

You can have as many colors of beans (or colored unifix cubes or whatever you can put in your pocket to represent various children) as you have narrators. If the same child has to narrate twice in a row, then thats the way it is! CM did say that the other listeners can have a chance AT THE END of the narration to add any missed details (or a few subtle corrections done lovingly).

Hope that helps!
Carrie

This is a great idea, Carrie, Thanks! I think my kids will think this is fun. It will be helpful for me as I have a very sharp ds who is quick to answer and a dd who struggles and is happy to let brother answer most of the time. In fact this has become more evident to me just this year through using HOD. We are loving it!

Leah