dictation and narration??

[hisleading]

I know I am asking very basic questions, things I SHOULD KNOW since I have homeschooled for 4 years now, but I have done the classic "workbook" approach :( Anyways...i hear the terms DICTATION and NARRATION quiet a bit...I have read about it but it still seems fuzzy to me...

Are those two things interchangable? Can you use it for handwritting as well? Do they speak during narration or do you?

 

just so confusing

[kaymom]

There are several schools of thought on what narration is supposed to be. Often it means having the child retell something either that you've read to them or that they've read themselves. In WWE (at least from level 4), the child retells the key points of the story aloud and then they write their narration down from memory.

 

Dictation usually means that you read a sentence or two aloud to the child and repeat it a few times and the child commits it to memory and then writes it down word for word.

 

Hope that helps. I'm sure that there are others who might be able to explain it better :001_smile:.

[FO4UR]

You forgot copywork. Copywork/narration/dictation are the three basic elements of early writing instruction in Classical and Charlotte Mason educations.

 

 

Copywork and narration are first.

 

Copywork is simply copying letters, then words, then sentences. The purpose is multifaceted; handwriting, spelling, grammar, style, etc... The child sees and writes copies of good writing over and over and over again until they have a stock of mental images of good writing.

 

Narration is simply retelling. Children start with oral narrations, and gradually move into written narrations. The timing of when to write them, and the process of shifting from oral to written varies between Classical and Charlotte Mason educators.

 

Dictation is writing down what someone else says. The child is fed a sentence and must use their knowledge of spelling/grammar to write it down correctly.

 

 

 

 

The purpose of these 3 elements is to break up the skills of putting words down on paper and putting thoughts into words. The goal is a middle school student who can put down on paper the thoughts in his head...in legible handwriting, correct spelling, appropriate grammatical phrasing, etc.