So, you have found a genuine living book, now what? This is where the FUN begins! You have everything you need! This is the most simple way of using Charlotte Mason’s method!
Find the most comfortable place in the house and settle in with your children. (Just a side note – if you have many children, sit on the floor in front of your couch. It allows a few children to sit on the couch so they can see over your shoulders, and at least two or four can sit on the floor with you, and all can see the great illustrations, or read along with you. It definitely cuts down on the fusses over who gets to sit by Mommy!)
Once you are settled in, open the book, with an attitude of expectation and excitement over getting to read a great book together! This is the first time you’ve tried narration, so start small. Read the first one or two paragraphs, then stop and turn to your student and ask that s/he tell you what you just read in their own words.
You will want to do this with a child who is 6 years old or older. If they are younger than that, your children should just be allowed to enjoy the story. You may just find that they do narrations spontaneously on their own, but don’t worry if they aren’t! This is a very gentle method – as long as you stay gentle!
This may feel awkward to you or your child at first, if they haven’t been able to do narrations spontaneously before, of if it’s just been a while since they did that. Don’t be too anxious for it to go off perfectly the first time. If they hesitate, or don’t understand what you are asking, ask one more question – like what happened in our story so far? Or, What do you know about (Character’s name) so far? Eventually you and your student will get comfortable doing this, and your student will learn to listen attentively as they understand that they will be asked to repeat what they hear.
Enjoy the book together! The younger the student, the smaller the passages you will ask them to narrate. As they mature, you will ask for longer and more complex narrations.
Next time we’ll talk about how to do narrations in other situations – with many children, with older children, and with little ones along for the ride!
Wonderful baby steps towards a CM education! You make is sound so easy, and it truly is!
Posted by: Jimmie | 03/30/2009 at 09:26 PM
You are so right, Jimmie!
Posted by: Sue | 03/31/2009 at 08:42 AM
We are beginning homeschool this July. I love the Charlotte Mason concept but I am a bit confused. How do I plan a year of lessons and how do I know if a living book is factually accurate?
Job one for this first year is to work on faith and Character and learning to read for our 7 year old. I would appreciate any suggestions for living books that would help build character and faith. I would also like to begin learning more about American History. Do I begin at the beginning of our country and go forward chronologically? Please help!!!!
Posted by: Dina | 04/20/2009 at 09:01 PM
Dina,
I'm so glad you asked this question! It's so important that we teach our children the truth! Admittedly, there are some events that it is difficult to know the whole truth about - like events during the Dark Ages. (They are called the Dark Ages for a reason!)
There are many wonderful sources to get reccommendations for great living books. You can see a few of them at this post: http://www.thecharlottemasongirl.com/charlotte-mason-girl/2009/03/how-do-we-find-living-books.html
I think I'm going to put together a post about all your questions, as there is a lot to them, and the answer will take a lot of thinking! Check back soon to see my post!
Thanks so much for joining the conversation!
-Sue
Posted by: Sue | 04/20/2009 at 10:01 PM