Charlotte Mason Users - Question on teaching History

[Nicholas_mom]

Let me see if I can word my question right.

I recently started reading up on Charlotte Mason. I love her ideas for short lessons and nature study and living books. I was all set to use a history spine (either SOTW or CHOW or both) and add some living books.

But, somehow this kept bothering me and I couldn’t put finger onto it until I finally sat down and the read Volume 6 (in Modern English). Then, I was aha! I found a quote I love “Education’s goal should be to give knowledge that’s touched with emotionâ€. I love this.

Now I am confused. Do I use a spine or not? I want to do Ancients next year with my 4th Grader because we only have done Old Testament (until Moses and Jericho) with Egypt this year. I want do to Sumerians because ds keeps wanting to know when they first wrote and what type material did they use to write. So, I want to present Sumerians as a lead in to first writing.

Now I am thinking, just get a living book that either I or he reads out loud during school time. Then, when we get to the end of the book he can put things he thinks are important into a Century Book. But what does a day to day look like to you for doing this way? Do I read one chapter a week and do narrations and copywork for summaries per chapter? But that will take too long. Then should I read a couple of chapters and we narrate and write summaries (copywork).

How does your day to day look like for history?

Do you use history to teach narrating and summarizing and copywork, or do you use other programs for the other things and just read for history and do crafts/projects maps/century book? :confused:

Any insights on this subject are much appreciated. :)

[mommy5]

We try to use Charlotte Mason approach as much as possible and we are doing US History this year. I put the link in my sig of what we are choosing to do. :)

[Nicholas_mom]

We try to use Charlotte Mason approach as much as possible and we are doing US History this year. I put the link in my sig of what we are choosing to do. :)

 

 

Thank you! It's a start for me! Love the folder idea!

 

Now HOW are you going to use these books? The books look like they are a couple chapters, right? So, are you reading them one per chapter / once a week? Are the dc narrating them and then writing summaries for copywork or are you just doing projects or something else?

[jar7709]

Our history is CM-y. We just read a variety of good books, sometimes pull in the Usborne encyclopedia. We discuss the books as we go. Once a week or so, ds helps me pick a sentence from one of the books we've been reading, for copywork. And sometimes dictates a short summary of what he learned, sometimes to copy, sometimes not. Works for us. :)

[Nicholas_mom]

Our history is CM-y. We just read a variety of good books, sometimes pull in the Usborne encyclopedia. We discuss the books as we go. Once a week or so, ds helps me pick a sentence from one of the books we've been reading, for copywork. And sometimes dictates a short summary of what he learned, sometimes to copy, sometimes not. Works for us. :)

 

 

Thank you, that is very helpful! :)

[mommy5]

Thank you! It's a start for me! Love the folder idea!

 

Now HOW are you going to use these books? The books look like they are a couple chapters, right? So, are you reading them one per chapter / once a week? Are the dc narrating them and then writing summaries for copywork or are you just doing projects or something else?

 

Some of the books are longer than others ... there are many that I can use in one sitting and just read-aloud. We are only doing US History 1x a week for now and I am reading one book (or if it is really long ... one part) and then having my 7 yr old narrate it for me. Then he does some art work and possibly a few sentences that go along with what he read -- either on that day or on another day (depending on time). This is pretty informal ... which is the way I needed to keep it. We are doing a big focus on reading/writing and also math/science for the next few months at least. I also have him do a very short geography lesson (from Evan-Moore) each day to get him comprehending maps/direction, etc.

[Amie]

I'm still learning and exploring as well, but here is a website to give you some more food for thought...

 

On The Book of Centuries:

http://childlightusa.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/the-book-of-centuries-revisited-by-laurie-bestvater/

 

http://childlightusa.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/the-book-of-centuries-revisited-part-ii-by-laurie-bestvater/

 

(and there is plenty more there to peruse)

[Caribbean Queen]

My son reads silently. CM said that The Old Testament and Plutarch's Lives should be read aloud to the children so that adult parts can be edited. Other that that, if the children can read, they read it themselves. Many CM-based programs have Mom reading aloud a whole lot, but CM didn't advise that.

 

He might do an oral narration, which is a retelling NOT a summary. Susan Wise Bauer has another style.

 

He might illustrate a scene from his book. I do not assign this often because my son doesn't draw well, but that is a CM thing to do.

 

He might do a written narration. Because he does long retellings, he needs help getting it all down on paper. CM suggested that children who can't write all their narrations for exams just write some of it, and their teachers write some. Those were written exams for her correspondence school. We are trying this with my 8 year old. I also tried having him do a written narration over the course of many days.

 

Children should narrate across the curriculum, not just for history. Most lessons are orally narrated, as opposed to written.

 

Copywork and dictation does not need to accompany every lesson. The passages come from the child's books. SWB has children copying their summaries, but CM didn't do that.

 

CM schools did handicrafts, like sewing and knitting, not crafts to learn about history. We do the same in my homeschool. They do sewing repairs on our clothes, make bead and shell jewelry, and make greeting cards.

[Nicholas_mom]

He might do an oral narration, which is a retelling NOT a summary. Susan Wise Bauer has another style.

 

 

 

Yes, thank you, I had the words mixed up in my head. He narrates the story and THEN we sometimes summarize and then I write it down for him to copy next to his picture. I'm not sure if that's totally CM, but that's how we do it.

 

Thank you ladies, this is finally sinking in how to do things (I hope!). :)

[sagira]

My ds8 is in third too. So far I read to him, but he reads along with me, from The American History Stories by Mara Pratt, and I make sure he understands. We discuss. If we don't, oftentimes he gets a very different notion on what the chapter was about. He orally narrates. A few times I've had him write it down. It doesn't come that easily to him. For now we stick to oral narration. He retains quite well, and most importantly, is thinking about history, talking about it, and trying to solve its problems. History is also his favorite subject. Or so he tells me :)

 

His narrations are getting better and better.

Edited March 3, 2012 by sagira

[momto2blessings]

We are CM and use Truthquest History as our guide. They provide a biblical commentary with oodles of living books to choose from. To narrow, I use http://www.simplycharlottemason.com as history readers my kids read on their own (I just pencil check them in my TQ guide). I then pick a spine to read (either TQ, AO, or SCM selections) to them for when there's a subject I want to cover that we don't have a living book for.

 

Kids should orally narrate every lesson, adding in some written narrations at age 10 or so and above. For a timeline, as we cover things in history during the week I just jot dates/events on a whiteboard and we add them to our timeline books on Fridays. There are many ways to do this. I need simple, so I found some used Sonlight Books of Time and my kids simply write things in themselves....I'd like for them to draw more...but they usually just want to get it done:) I like TQ in that they also provide many history movie titles. HTH some! Gina

[sagira]

I wanted to add that you can use almost any history program in a CM fashion, as long as the material that is directly given to children is edifying. A whole, living book. We are using History Odyssey next year (simplicity and organization of topics and maps), using Story of the World as the spine. I will be using Story of the World for ds to read from, but also read aloud Story of the Renaissance by Guerber (and rounding out with living picture books). Since ds is going to be in fourth grade, I am going to be requiring oral narrations throughout, but also one written narration a week (across the curriculum) for practice.

 

I have a question, in practice, do you write down all dc's narrations? Or do you mostly listen only?

[raceNzanesmom]

 

I have a question, in practice, do you write down all dc's narrations? Or do you mostly listen only?

 

I listen. The only time I write it down is when I'm teaching him how to do written narrations. I'll write a few of his sentences and he'll copy it. Right now, 2nd grade, that is working to teach written narration and is his copywork once a week or so.

[Nicholas_mom]

I wanted to add that you can use almost any history program in a CM fashion, as long as the material that is directly given to children is edifying. A whole, living book. We are using History Odyssey next year (simplicity and organization of topics and maps), using Story of the World as the spine. I will be using Story of the World for ds to read from, but also read aloud Story of the Renaissance by Guerber (and rounding out with living picture books). Since ds is going to be in fourth grade, I am going to be requiring oral narrations throughout, but also one written narration a week (across the curriculum) for practice.

 

 

I was thinking of doing but got overwhelmed with doing different culture every week. When I read more about the Living books and history it sounded more doable for me to just give him Living books on some cultures then all cultures.

 

I have a question, in practice, do you write down all dc's narrations? Or do you mostly listen only?

 

Are you asking me specifically or every who does CM whose following this thread?

 

I am using a different curriculum but next year I am switching to CM. We started narration together in 1st Grade. I start narrating and ds inputs what's important to him. We created a summary together with me writing everything down. In the beginning I was adding all the sentences. Now in 3rd Grade, we still narrate together with me starting the narration but he usually takes off with it. Then we summarize with me writing it down for him. Then he copies the sentences into his Good Book on the next to the page that he drew a picture. My curriculum had him writing 6 sentences by the end of 2nd grade.

 

After reading CM in January, I backed off on his writing and had him write 2 sentences with cursive for a title because his penship was getting very sloppy. His penship has improved remarkablely and also his summarizing has too because he knows he won't have to write all of the summary. :)

 

We have been doing 2-3 narrations a week since 1st grade.