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Ohhh, narration. Am I a bad teacher if...


Robin Hood
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We use SOTW in SWB format using narration. After years of squeezing my girls to tell me the story and then making them write it out themselves, I am ready to just copy the questions from the guide book and let them answer them on paper and then test them with a test page instead of a discussion format.

 

Would the girls be losing out on developing skills of narration and what ever else that I can't remember they are supposed to be learning by doing narration? Are answering the questions and test taking the easy way out? We have only begun book 2 and have a long way to go. I can't imagine this for 3 more books. Being 9, they answer the questions easily and they write well enough to be able to do it in textbook format.

 

I have seen them improve dramatically in the last couple of years in being able to get the info to me, but the drama involved is wearing me out.

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Robin is it an option to maybe use the questions for some chapters, do some orally, and then do some written? I know at one time there was someone on here that had a list of a variety of options to use besides just written narration. Maybe someone else on here saved it. I do not think your children will miss out if they do not do every chapter with written narrations.

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I *personally* think SOTW would be hard to narrate from. Many chapters - or even sections have a lot of info. If you want to narrate from SOTW for the sake of practicing narration I would ask them for the narration after only a couple paragraphs. Again, *personally* I would use something else to practice the skill of narration - starting with Aesops and build up to longer stories from there.

 

As far as retaining the info from SOTW, I say do whatever works best. Just this week I started typing up a worksheet with the SOTW review questions and asking my ds to write complete sentences to answer them. I decided to do this to give him one more opportunity to practice writing complete sentences. He loves history so his retention is not my main concern. With him, my bigger concern is finding painless ways to work on writing (he's just 3rd grade).

 

So, I'm doing what you're doing, but for different reasons. And as for narration, I think I would start with smaller sections of SOTW or with fictional selections. BTW, when you get to vol. 4, the student pages include some outlining worksheets. I think this will be really good for my ds too.

 

Good luck!

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I quit doing narrations in the middle of second grade. It was too much for us. Dd intensely disliked it. I intensely disliked it. I think it took all the fun out of doing history. I ask the questions from the activity guide and leave it at that. So far I haven't seen any lasting negative effects. I suppose I'll find out next year when we start a more formal writing program.

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Although I attended ps, it was in an excellent British system. Aside from that fact, I tend to look at my eduction and the result of it - me! I look at people I respect, and at their ps educations.

 

Ultimately, I don't think I've *ever* spoken to anyone who did narration at school! And we all turned out OK ;) We have some doctors, lawyers etc.

 

So, in spite of the fact that ps has issues that have caused us to hs, there are some things that I consider to be "extras" when it comes to hs'ing. I'm glad that we can choose to do them, and I think if you do do them they will reap benefits because nothing is wasted. I also think that if it's a problem causing more aggravation than benefit, it's worth it to drop it. At least until you feel you can reassess the situation.

 

I feel that narration is one of those things on the list of "extras".

 

Just my 2c.

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I think narration is a valuable skill but I try to prevent it from becoming a heavy thing. And, I don't expect an oral narration then a written narration for every history chapter. I never really used SOTW that way. We answered the questions orally, discussing as we went. We rarely did writing for both sections. We sometimes did a project/ research assignment instead of narration. I tried to vary it. And i only expected a very short few sentences at that age.

I would do what you need to do to make it more fun and interesting. I myself do not like things to get too repetitive or heavy going, so I improvise a lot. i rarely follow books the way they set things out, and I don't do things the WTM way week after week, because for us it's very repetitive.

If you decided to change the way you do SOTW, I would keep up the oral narration skills in other areas, but it doesnt have to be too serious...just ask them whats going on in the literature book they are reading, or ask them to tell you 5 things they have learned about volcanoes.

Of course, narrations are not necessary, but it is a good foundation for other writing skills, so I wouldn't drop them altogether.

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at the end of every test. So, that would be a place where your dd's could practice writing/narration. Even tho' I quit using the tests, I often "steal" that question and have my 10yo answer it rather than "narrate" the entire story.

 

Best wishes! It must be very difficult dealing with two so close together, both trying to "narrate" the same story at the same time.

 

:grouphug:

Rhonda

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I found narration to be much like trying to pull taffy through a straw. It took way too much time, and it was just too hard for my kids. They hated it. I hated that I was actually doing most of it, breaking it down in to smaller and smaller chunks until, ultimately, I was doing most of the work, spoon feeding them every detail for their regurgitation. :tongue_smilie:

 

I agree with the poster who suggested that the subject matter of SOTW doesn't frequently lend itself to narration. Both of my kids had no problem with the narrations of Aesop's fables in First Language Lessons. But, they couldn't do SOTW.

 

I dropped it half way through Vol. II. We're now about 1/4 of the way through Vol. IV. The AG includes outlining, which my kids thoroughly enjoy. My dd is doing Classical Writing, and is loving it, including the narration part. She's in sixth grade. I think they just weren't ready for the "narration" brand of thinking when they were little. It did them no harm to set it aside for awhile.

 

We did the review questions, and the map work for each chapter. I didn't worry about long-term retention. They remember some key points, but certainly not everything. But, I consider it all to be a first exposure to history. I don't expect them to remember even a good fraction of it. But, interestingly, they do remember key points when they come up in museums, or conversations, or History Channel programs, etc.

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Thanks to all who commented on this narration and SOTW subject. I felt badly that I wasn't doing them most of the time but we do get through the review questions. I have twin boys in 2nd grade and a daughter in 1st all trying to answer or narrate at the same time. It has been a relief to read here that the SOTW sections do not lend themselves readily to narration. I have recently found that they are excited to narrate one of Aesop's fables or a story from FLL. I have begun to realize that not all children are ready to do this at a certain age. It was nice to read it here as well. Thanks!!!!!! :D

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Thanks you all so much for answering my question. I am now released from the drugery of "taffy pulling through a straw". My kids actually love history and science but the slightly older one HATES!!!!! school. But get this.... I read to them yesterday the story of Justinian and Theodora from SOTW and from another very dated junior high series I have of the same story. I went on to read yet another biography on Theodora and they were all ears and loving it. They answered every question with enthusiam and had fun discussing it all. The older one then mentioned that each account I read from had conflicting facts and went on to list them all accurately even as to which book said what. She wanted to know why and that led to a fun discussion. Then it time for narration and it ruined everything.

 

The same thing happened in science on the same day. As I was explaining some info on the big bank theory and the planet venus she couldn't contain her enthusiam and said out loud, "This is wonderful! I just LOVE it!" I don't make them narrate science; they make bullets and write what interests them in a notebook. But she later denied saying how much she loved science. In hindsight, I think her thoughts just squirted out unknowingly. Even her sister said that she said it and yet she still denies it. But as we were at swim pratice, she herself began to narrate to her friend all she learned in science that day. This is my grumpy girl who hates, hates, hates school and does all in her power to sabbotage our studies.

 

I have no doubt they are getting what I teach them, but writing, narration and math make the older hate school. Getting her to get it done has ruined us for years. As I have cut back on each of these, her enthusiam is returning. You'll have given me great ideas and I plan on using them and school is getting better all the time.

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