Virginia Heather Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 OK... so here's the situation-- this year, we've been studying American history via SOTW and Truthquest. We've read lots of great books and we've talked about what we've read in great detail. The boys (1st and 3rd) have made corresponding notebook pages w/ pictures & maps and they've copied sentences that *I've* created to summarize the main points. I have not been writing down their narrations; we've simply discussed the material until I'm sure they "get it." So here's my question... am I making a mistake by not having them record their own narrations for their notebook pages? Should the written material in their notebooks be *their* words and not mine? Does it matter? As long as they're able to recall and comprehend what we've read and discussed, does it matter whose words they copy? This has been bothering me for a while b/c everything I've been reading suggests that mom record these narrations to then use for dictation, an important step in the writing process. I don't want to mess this up... am I making a big deal out of nothing, or do we in fact need to make some changes... please tell me what you think! Thanks :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 We use the History Scribe pages for notebooking. I do write their narrations, but not on the HS pages. I do them on separate pages and add them. I have them use the bottom of the HS pages for copywork about history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I did an American history year using Sonlight core 3 and core 4 when the boys were in 3rd and 5th grade. My 3rd grader typed out his notebook pages just like his brother did. They were not as elaborate, but he did. We travel a ton and so they took some of our old pictures from Fort Clatsop (Lewis and Clark), Plimouth Colony, etc and explained what the pictures were. We took a big trip to Washington DC and Pennsylvania and they made pages about what they had seen. I made a battle page that they filled out by hand for American Revolution and Civil War battles. For copywork/handwriting I had them copy from famous speeches or documents ( Preamble to the Constitution, Give Me Liberty) They also memorized the Gettysburg Address that year and actually recited it at the cemetery on our trip!!! My 3rd grader didn't have any trouble typing his own thoughts or writing them down on paper himself. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazelt"nut" Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I went to there website but could only find the cd downloads. do they sell actual hardcopies of the different books? Where do you purchase History Scribe? Thanks Sheryl in GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogpond1 Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 myself, but I wait until 3rd grade for them to form their own written narrations. Before third we do copywork etc. but not with history formally. Start with a goal of a sentence or two of their own on a third grade paper and then work up from there. I discuss the reading and we make a Who, What, When, Where chart on the whiteboard and fill in simple words. From those simple words my kids make their narrations (3rd grade.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 They are downloads. You print them on your computer. We like the pages with the top left blank. I can send you some examples if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 I think you are fine. You may want to start next year with having them tell you narrations in complete sentences. Just start with three or four facts they see as important. There are examples of dd7's narrations/notebook pages on my blog, if you want ideas. Some of them are copy work, and some are her actual words. I usually take her sentences verbatim, but sometimes I tweak for grammar or "stronger" verbs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Writing is just talking on paper, but kids get intimidated because they think of writing as some more elaborate mental process that they don't know how to do. When I record my children's narrations, and then we edit them for grammar or they copy them onto paper, they see that their thought processes during their talking was the act of composition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Also, my kids like the idea of being the real authors of their notebooks. I like the idea of having a keepsake notebook with my six-year-old's own retelling. I don't, at this age, edit for style (just the grammar concepts I am currently focusing on with them). Some of their flubs are adorable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Heather Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Thank you so much for all your responses-- I really appreciate your thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 I don't think you are wrong, and the kids will enjoy looking back at the pictures. However, I also like having their writing with it. It is a good incentive to make sure I have the kids writing regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Heather Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 You make a good point, Mindy... having my dc write on a regular basis (their own thoughts, that is, as opposed to copywork) is not one of my strengths. Our history pages just might be the ticket for *me,* the kick I need to get them writing more often. Thanks for pointing that out! Much appreciated :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Your dc's narrations are not supposed to be used for dictation later on, because they won't necessarily be models of good language use/writing. You definitely want the copywork and dictation to come from you and from literature. As far as whether or not the notebooks contain their words or yours -- that's totally up to you. If you are having your dc narrate, whether or not they are writing it down, you are fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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