Narration, Narration, Narration

I have been under the weather lately as the tasks and demands of the school year are constant, my CCD class is in full swing with Advent and the New Roman Missal fast approaching, our choir is feverishly trying to learn the new music for the Holy Mass, and of course there is always life - laundry, cooking, training and disciplining the kids for heaven, helping with the family business, washing the dog, and on the list goes.  Serving others, however rewarding it is, can be very hard work.  But now I turn to homeschooling and the task of narration, which to young ones can also be very hard work.  But it doesn't have to be.

On one of the listservs I am on, has hosted quite a bit of posts and questions about narration in the CM style.  The same questions seem to come up. 

When to do it?

How to do it?

How to correct it?

How much is enough? 

So I thought that I would just take a moment to add a few thoughts.

In our home we tried starting narration orally while omitting writing.  This didn't work very well for us as my children wanted to begin writing very early, about age 6-7 years old.  I also tried making them wait to write, but that, too, was a waste of my time and energy and only lead to painful teaching periods.  So, I began written narration when my kids were ready irregardless of their age.  I recommend never squelching your child's desire to write.

When the kiddos wrote, I just let them write.  We ask our teen aged children to just write to get content down and then go back in a later draft, so why not just let the little ones do the same thing - write for content for the first while?  I did it for a whole year and the kids began writing even more and began noticing their own errors in their read-aloud sharing time. I didn't correct for grammar or spelling until they really understood the grammar concept first.  I began gently correcting more as more concepts were learned and vocabulary increased.

*As a side note, I never used a red pen, but rather green, orange, purple or something else that was fun and unexpected. 

Many moms are not sure about how much to require their children to narrate.  Just be fair to your child and you will have no problem.  We can't expect them to narrate every single subject daily until they are very comfortable writing and can do so when asked without any real hesitation.  Might I suggest writing daily, but in a specific variety of subjects.  I reserved two non-math/non-foreign language subjects to be really covered daily in the early years moving to about four to five subjects by grade 8.

How to narrate is actually the easiest for me share about as it just seemed a natural progression, however I must add that I have one gifted child who was already writing and typing her own full page narrations in Gr.3.  So rather than rewrite them out I will just share my series of three posts about CM style narration.

What Can We Do Once We Read a Book?

CM Series: Part I. Narration for Confident Readers and Writers
CM Series: Part II. - New Writers
CM Series: Part III. - Confident Learners Who Want to Be Creative

I hope my experiences will help you in your CM learning adventures in some small way.

Blessings,
Kalei

CM Series: What Can We Do Once We Read A Book? Part II - New writers.

My Mini-books as completed by an upper elementary learner.

Narrating when children are new to writing.  Yes, it can be done.

Charlotte Mason believed that learning was like the science of making connections.  Connections between what was read, what was experienced, and what was personally extracted from the exposure to a topic through a variety of means - books, nature walks, observations or discussions.  The key word to keep in mind is "was".  Learning comes from a continued exposure over time in a non-threatening and meaningful way.  That is what makes this learning method so unique.  Helping children find meaning in what they do, read and eventually learn and absorb into their soul and mind is a big task - thank goodness we have twelve years to do this.  It takes time to gather enough information to make a connection or "make a leap" as we call it in our little homeschool.

Narration can start at a very young age and usually starts orally with the kiddos telling back the important parts of what was read to them.  As children become older and more skillful in their grasp of reading and writing language, they are asked to begin to do some of the reading on their own and to give some kind of  account of what they read.  Keep in mind that what they tell you back will be what is most meaningful to them.  You can guide them by giving them some prompts or asking them some leading questions, or you can give them complete freedom to extract data on their own.  If you are used to a traditional style of learning or are coming from a school setting, this may require a bit of patience on your part as the guide and instructor.  Many parents will get caught up in what is given or narrated back so much so that they fail to see the connections that their child is already beginning to make.  They begin focusing on these kinds of questions:

• Is it a full and complete thought or complex sentence? 
• Does it tell enough of the story? 
• Is it what the teacher's manual suggests? 
• Is it long enough? 
• Is it grammatically accurate all the way through?

This is a lot of pressure for a young child.  Charlotte Mason suggests beginning formal written narration at about age ten.  This is a nice and sound age, but any mom who has homeschooled more than one child at the same time will tell you that younger children generally want to do more learning activities as they see older siblings doing more complex tasks and want to mimic them.  This is why the preschooler wants to "do school" everyday like the older kids.  To combat this transitional problem we created My Books Mini-books.

A sample narration using pictures.

My Book Mini-books allow children to begin narrating things back in a simple way.  Our mini-books give children six pages of space to write perhaps a sentence or two about what they read.  Very young children may only get a picture drawn or two or three words written down, while a bit older learner may write out a sentence of two.  Older children may get a whole paragraph on the page.  The idea is that the mini-book is non-threatening and has limited space.  If a learner has only six pages they must really think about what was really important about what they read.  It forces simple but solid sentences to be composed without wordiness and extras that aren't needed at this point; that will come later.  It makes the whole process of transitioning to written narration non-threatening.

Here is how it works.  We are always adding new books to our collection.  Kids love making these little booklets on their own as it is so easy.  They are even great to use in a classroom setting. We have a few hundred books ready for you to download right now.  Some books are blank and others provide writing prompts.  Simply find the topic you are interested in, fill in, cut apart, order by page numbers and staple where indicated.  You can also allow children to draw in some accompanying illustrations or preschoolers could draw in all of the narrations since writing may be a real deterrent.  For little ones, the adage of the spirit is willing but the writing is weak may tell the whole story.  All learners should be encouraged regardless of their age, if they are showing a distinct interest.

My Book Mini-book affixed on Keepsake Page

Next you may be thinking, "We made the book, now what do I do with it?"  We are so glad you asked.  We have pages specially designed to house our mini-books.  There are a variety of themes of Our Keepsake Pages to meet the personality of just about any child.  Print out the sheet and then affix your books in the proper boxes.  These Keepsake Pages can be bound on the left, put into a duo-tang or a 3-ring binder.  We even have a few covers for your collection, if you want a more polished look.  This is such a neat resource for learners who like to showcase their work or who have to show proof of learning in a more formalized learning program.

A few more notes on using My Book Mini-books:

• Mini-books are great to add to your F3 folders and projects or lapbooks.
• Mini-books can reinforce textbook lessons or work done in workbooks.
• Mini-books are very inexpensive to make.
• Our collection of mini-books includes prompted as well as blank books on various topics.
• There are over twelve areas from which to select books.

Click HERE to learn more about our My Book Mini-book resources.

Our next post in this series will cover confident readers and writers from elementary to high school.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

NEW - Personal Journal Sheet Sets for Learners or Adults :)

Set 1

 New Personal Journal sets help bring colour and charm to turn any folder into a diary, Bible study notebook or learning progress keepsake.

I love the way the Lord takes care of all of our needs - even the littlest ones.  We began reading Robinson Crusoe this week and I thought it might be a good idea for our oldest to keep a journal for a week, like Crusoe, noting her thoughts and observations she had about how she interacted in her own environment and the people in it.  I then thought that it would have been nice to have some journal sheets I could just print off for her that would simple, colourful but soothing.  I didn't have any made, although it has been on my heart and then I opened my e-mail to find that Michelle from Thinking Love, No Twaddle had just made four different sets of them!!  The Lord is good!!

Set 2

Set 3

So although I had something else originally slated to share today, I wanted to change my line up and share these cute writing sets with you.  There are four different styles which I have highlighted below.  They show only one page of the set of seven, but it's just so you can see the theme and colouring of the sheet.

Each file contains seven pages and includes colour as well as black and white versions of pages.  Each set has a different styles and page arrangements to accommodate most writing needs.  These pages can be useful for children, but also for parents or teachers who may want a quiet spot to note prayer requests, scripture study, days events, notes on schooling, or a spot to jot down teaching or discussion notes.

Set 4



I hope that these little printable notebooking or writing sheets are useful to you today and we look forward to sharing more sweet printables tomorrow.

 

God bless you, Michelle, for all that you share with us in the service to our Lord through helping others!



Click Here to download Journal Set 1

Click Here to download Journal Set 2

Click Here to download Journal Set 3

Click Here to download Journal Set 4

Click HERE to visit Michelle's page on That Resource Site and see all of her freebie goodies for us all.

Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team

Don't Forget to Say Thank You!!

The last day of the year brings an opportunity for reflection for blessings received and quick printable thank you notes for the kiddos too.

Everyday when my hubby and I start the day off in prayer, I always begin the same way:

"Dear Lord, we thank you for all the blessings that we have received, both those we understand and those that we have yet to understand.  Let everything we say and do be for Your glory and not our own, in Jesus name, Amen."   

Many times we find it difficult to understand why our Lord gives us the blessings that He does.  Sometimes they are joyful, bold and beautiful like the birth of a child or the marriage of a friend, but many times they are masquerading as crosses for us to bear such as chronic illness, loss of a loved one, or even the daily trials of trying to make ends meet.  As Christians we MUST come to know, trust in, and surrender our wills and our lives to our heavenly Father.  We may at times be tempted to want to give back these hidden blessings because they really don't seem like gifts to us.  But God in His wisdom always gives us what is best for us.

As we greet a new year, I urge you to push forward through the next 365 days with a small step each day toward heaven.  When you think you can't go on or can't make it or things seem too hard - just try a little bit more.  "Just a little bit more" was the message my pastor spoke about on the Feast of the Holy Family.  When you think you can't tolerate it anymore, be patient with them or yourself any longer, be kind to someone, follow through on your word, go without it, or take another moment of pain and agony - try just a little bit more.  Little steps will bring us closer to God, big leaps will make us fall into sin. 

With 2011 in front of us, let's vow to take a daily step together and be thankful for our blessings - whatever they may be.  We would like to thank all of the people who have shown us kindness and support in our online ministry this past year in prayer, word, deed, and donations of time, talents, energy, resources or financial support!!

We ask for your continued support over the next year as the Lord has some really crazy, but really cool things He has in mind for us all.  We are so excited as we will be launching a brand new version of our website very shortly which will make finding resources easier and faster and will compatible with more browser apps.  We will be giving more interactive support to homeschoolers on a regular basis, and of course, sharing tons of resources (and in some really cool and innovative new ways.) So, please please keep us in your prayers and we will continue to pray for you, our supporters, with our family rosary on the last day of each month.

With all this talk of thanks, perhaps you are thinking of those you need to thank or of someone that your children need to drop a little thank you note to?  Then why not download these little thank you notes sent along from Michelle over at  Thinking Love, No Twaddle?  There are two pages per file with two notes per page.  Simply print out, cut in half, write a sentiment, slip in an envelope and pop in the mail. Michelle has been a busy little bee and has lots of neat little resources to share with us including some beautiful notebooking page sets, a new lesson worksheet set, and more planning pages --yippee!!  Make sure to visit us often so you don't miss a thing.  Thanks, Michelle!!  You are so wonderful and generous. :)

Click Here to download thank you notes.

Click Here to download thank you notes with primary lines.

May God pour out His blessings on you and your family in 2011 and may His light keep you warm all winter!!

Blessings,

Kalei and That Resource Team Family

New Sets of Christmas Themed Writing Paper

Writing letters for Christmas helps children build writing and penmanship as well as tells others they are important and valued.

Writing letters to relatives, friends and those who help us throughout the year has long been a task that adults normally take on.  But why not encourage your learners to do it as well?  By putting pen (or pencil) to paper, children can show appreciation and charity toward others, improve their penmanship and grammar skills and of course, feel festive.

Today we offer six new holiday writing paper sets including a beautiful nativity set which utilizes our own parish's stained glass windows.  Each set offers three different line spacing choices for writers of all skill levels.  There are large and intermediate interlined sheets as well as notebook ruled lines.  Portrait orientation is used for all the sets.

Perhaps your writer would like to send a note to someone to:

-Tell them about their current school year or the past year.

-Tell them about special accomplishments they have achieved.

-Tell them thank you for the recipients acts of kindness or charity.

-Tell them they were thinking of them or miss them - especially relatives who can't join you for the Christmas festivities.

Perhaps a note of thanks may be in order to their siblings, priest, instructor, coach, babysitter or neighbour.  Even an invitation to a Christmas party could be written out as well.

Here are some of the samples of the sets.  Keep in mind that the full sets have three pages to a set.

For those how love and use notebooking, you can bind numerous sheets together in folders, duo-tangs, binders, or comb spines to create writing notebooks with a fun and vibrant appearance. You can also trim the sheets and paste them into drawing books or sketch books.

Click HERE to see our entire collection of Holiday Themed Writing Papers.


Blessings,

That Resource Team

Christmas Themed Writing Resources to Encourage Your Learner

Writing art narration cards help build writing, drawing, penmanship and language arts skills all at the same time.

This style of resource is fast becoming a favorite in our home and it seems many of your homes as well.  Built on the ideas of the Charlotte Mason (CM) method of learning, these little sheets turn into art cards while promoting creative writing using picture prompts.  A portion of a picture is provided.  Children finish off the picture using their art skills and just about any medium they prefer - pencils, crayons, markers.  They then write about the action in the picture they created or some other aspect about the picture - setting details, plot, character details.  This activity can also be done in reverse order as well.  You could ask the learner to write a paragraph about the graphic provided and then have them finish the picture based on what they have written. 

Completed pictures can be shared amongst siblings or learners.  They could play games like guess what`s going on in the picture or try and guess what a good title may be for the card based on the writing or illustrations or both.  If your child does a set of cards, they can be stacked and bound on the left using brads, rings, a folder, comb bind spine, or even hand sewn with red or green yarn using holes from a hand punch.  It`s all about the skill building, fun and fellowship that can be gotten from a few sheets of paper.

We hope that this helps with your schooling and skill building in some way.

Click HERE to see our entire collection of Narration Art Cards including two separate Christmas sets.  One smaller set features black and white more vintage style images and the other brand new set of 25 sheets features colour images.

Today`s Reflective Thought - Being a Good Ambassador for our Lord

Many wonder why we would do such a thing as make resources and give them away, no strings attached, to other homeschooling families, catechists, educators, and teachers.  To explain, we simply share this daily antiphon for the Magnificat with you:

Behold, the King will come, the Lord of the earth,

and He will remove from us the yoke of our captivity.

I always explain to our children and those in my CCD classes that once we are marked with the sign of Christ, we become like His special ambassadors.  When we put on a chain with a crucifix or cross, we publicly mark ourselves as Christians and Catholics whether we are in church, in learning time, or in the line at the grocery store - we represent our Lord.  As ambassadors for our Lord, it is our job to help carry out His mission. 

The antiphon above reminds us that our Lord comes to remove the burden of sins, trials and hardships from our shoulders as He offers to put them onto His own.  Following as closely as we can to our Lord, we try to take the burden of finding good homeschooling resources off of your shoulders and put it upon on our own.  As part of our online ministry, we try to create resources that can help those who are Catholic or Christian but also call to the hearts of those who do not yet know our Lord.  We offer kind support to newbies, those worn out from homeschooling, as well as those who love homeschooling.  We don`t offer a full curriculum - not yet, anyways..lol.. - but it`s nice to know my Master`s degree in education isn`t going to waste even as I meet virtually and physically with homeschoolers looking for help, advice, or just a listening ear.

As you don your chains with crosses and crucifixes to leave your home and mark yourself as a follower and believer, I challenge you to remember that you are an ambassador for our Lord.  Keep this awesome thought in mind, YOU may be the ONLY representative for our Lord that someone who doesn`t know Him may meet. WOW!!  What an awesome job we have.  This is why we do what we do.  We want to be the best ambassador for our Lord that we can be, even for someone who doesn`t know Him yet. :)

Please keep us and our ministry in your prayers!!

Blessings,

Kalei - That Resource Team

Feel free to contact me through our website HERE.



New How Do I Serve? Art Narration Cards

New art narration sheets help children discern the value of servitude

When we were little children we often dreamed of what we were going to be when we grew up.  Depending on where you lived and your cultural background, you had a whole slew of ideas that probably changed as you grew older.  Most children are directed to be in careers that provide good incomes, comfort in life, and in some cases, prestige.  But as children of the Lord we know that we are put here to know, love, and serve Him and each other.  Period.  He doesn't specify our careers or how we are to serve except to say as He does in Matthew 25:34-46 that whatever we do for the least of our brothers that which we do for Him.  Today we offer resources that help children think about how each person serves one another through their chosen occupation.

These sheets directly correspond to the How do I Serve? Oversized Monthly Calendar which we shared yesterday.  As you discuss the daily occupation graphic from the calendar you can ask children about the importance of the occupation to the community at large and how that is connected to servitude of the Lord and others.  These sheets are colourful and simple to use for just about any age.  Simply print out the sheet, fill in and finish the picture using the graphic provided as a starting point.  When completed, have the children write about how the person is serving, what is going on in their picture, or reiterate a portion of your family discussion.  Fold in half and glue when completed.  Learners can then share with each other their finished cards.  You could bind all cards on the left with brads, half a file folder, key ring, or a spine of some sort to create a book of their writing and artwork for the month.  These are great for Charlotte Mason style learners beginning to use narration or those who need to show proof of learning in the form of writing samples.

There are three sets in this collection totally 31 different sheets.  We hope these sheets help stimulate some excellent Christian discussions.  Don't forget to look up the Bible verse mentioned above (Matthew 25:34-46) and read it together as a family.  :)

Click Here to download set 1 of How Do I Serve Art Narration Sheets - 10p.

Click Here to download set 2 of How Do I Serve Art Narration Sheets - 10p.

Click Here to download set 3 of How Do I Serve Art Narration Sheets - 11p.

If you enjoyed this activity you can see similar resources and samples HERE.

Blessings,

That Resource Team

July 7 - E-texts as Worktexts - Grammar and Writing In Johnny Crow's Garden

Using our PIY version of In Johnny Crow's Garden as a worktext to teach grammar and inspire writing and creativity.

We've often thought to ourselves, why can't we use a living book as a textbook to teach and reinforce simple grammar lessons?

We teach our children to read carefully and tell back what they have learned in some form - oral, written, drawn, fill-in the blanks, etc.  But grammar has always been a bit of a winding road to teach well but still be faithful to a more relaxed living book learning style.  We want to make sure we cover the basics but not every child responds well to the same approach.  So about 2 years we began creating PIY versions of books and said to ourselves, why don't we just highlight the examples right in the book?  The book is already providing good examples, why reinvent the wheel?  Using home printed versions of books allows the children to use them, mark in them, love on them, and then, if desired, recycle them.  So here is our first attempt to share our idea with other homeschoolers.  It really does work as a teaching tool.  It is very out of the box, we know, but different is good - at least in our homeschool.

BTW - Before you gasp at the thought of marking in a book, our children have never tried to write in our proper, store bought books as they can tell the difference and we established that right in the very beginning.

To use this PIY book as a text, follow these simple steps:

1. Select what grammar concepts you would like to highlight. 
2. Assign concepts different individual colours or shades of colours. (4 shades of green for verbs)
3. Present or review concepts as needed.  Keep this simple and use a black board or white board or reference sheet to help children along.

Our blackboard reference sample
4. Have children circle concept examples with appropriate coloured crayons or coloured pencils as they occur in the text. 

To give you a few ideas of what we mean, Johnny Crow lends itself very well to:

• using apostrophes to show possession - In Johnny Crow's Garden.
• rhyme and rhythm and repetition - pig, jig, crane, rain, or the phrase "In Johnny Crow's Garden"
• irregular plurals - hippopotami
• verb use, which could be further broken down to be, action verbs and helping verbs
• Noun and Proper Nouns usage- the animals names are all capitalized as would be a real name -title of reference; Garden is also oddly capitalized as it is a reference to Johnny's Garden in particular
• Prepositions - especially the word in

These are just some samples.  We have also used this technique very successfully in our Aesop's Fables printable story pages.  See our collection Here.  You may also want to download and use some of our Learning Cards for Grammar for reference.  See our collection Here.  Families have told us that they find these very useful.

Narration Art Cards
Using our Story Starter Art Cards for this particular book, the children narrate and draw the story.  This could be done very simply for new, young or reluctant writers or it can be done very intricately such as what virtue or Gift of the Holy Spirit or Work of Mercy is being practiced at this point in the story?  What gives you clues?  But more on that tomorrow.  Our children have loved doing these and sharing their work with each other.

Improve Handwriting and Spelling with Johnny Crow Copywork Sheets

For simple writing practice for most of all of the animals in this story. We have provided two sets of wordlist copywork. Each set includes print and cursive tracing and also a non-trace version for advanced writers or those trying to master cursive.

Click Here to download Set 1 Story Starter Art Narration Cards for In Johnny Crow's Garden.
Click Here to download Set 2 Story Starter Art Narration Cards for In Johnny Crow's Garden.

Click Here to download print trace Copywork Sheets for In Johnny Crow's Garden.

Click Here to download cursive trace Copywork Sheets for In Johnny Crow's Garden.
Click Here to download non-trace Copywork Sheets for In Johnny Crow's Garden.


Join us tomorrow for a Faith filled day In Johnny Crow's Garden.
 

Blessings,
 
That Resource Team

July 4 - Story Starter Art Cards Featuring People

More drawing and writing fun with our Story Starter Art cards featuring people.

Most children love to draw and ours are no exception.  Since the animal sets were so well received we decided to do more of them.  This time we focused on having people as the centre of the cards so that story writing could include pronouns quite easily without feeling forced.  We have selected people of various ages doing various activities so we hope that there is something to appeal to all learners.

These sheets are easy to use.  Have learners finish drawing and colouring the picture as many details of the setting have been left out then have them write a story about the picture.  Fold in half to create half-sheet cards.  Laminate to preserve.  Children have lots of fun trying to guess the plot of stories written by others.


Some helpful tips for using these resources may include:

• Vary writing tasks by having your child draw a picture first and then write the accompanying story and another time have them complete it in the reverse order - write the story first then draw the picture.
• If felts are to be used for artwork, have your child draw and colour the picture before folding the paper in half to avoid disappointment from bleeding ink.
• If writing a paragraph is too difficult, have your child simply write a sentence or two about the action or main character in the picture.
• Consider setting a time limit to the activity to keep a balance between the time for writing and the time for drawing.
• If you are using this resource with more than one child at a time, encourage sharing by taking turns presenting the finished products when the activity is completed.  It is good for children to see how others interpret the same information in their creation of different plots, settings, or characters. 

Click Here to download our People Themed Story Starter Art Card set.


Blessings,


That Resource Team

June 28 - Animal Themed Story Starter Art Cards

Encourage writing or narration with imaginative art cards.

We are very excited about this new resource we created from the ideas of our kiddos.  This simple sheet of paper turns into a narration writing card that displays the artistic talents of the writer when completed.  This is perfect for the Charlotte Mason method educator or any child who likes to write or draw.
Each card begins as a sheet with a black and white animal graphic of some sort.  The learner then completes the picture by adding some of the following:  a background, details, objects, horizon line, shading or shadows.  Then the artist fills it in with colours using any favourite medium - coloured pencils, gel pens, felt tipped markers, or crayons will work fine.

After completing the drawing, the artist flips the paper over and becomes a writer. :)  Using the lines provided, children create a story or provide a description of their picture.  We have used this line spacing style to encourage new young writers or those writers who are attempting to master cursive writing.

Upon completion of both sides, fold page in half and glue.  Laminate to preserve.  These cards can be easily used in games such as:  guess what's going on in the picture or read the story a loud and ask players try to match the picture to the story they just heard.  It is lovely to see how children create such unique pieces with the exact same starting point.

BTW - If card learning really isn't your thing, you could easily create books with a collection of these cards bound on one side with a comb-bind spine, key-ring or put it into a duo-tang cut in half.

Click Here to download our Animal Themed Story Starter Art Card sets.

Enjoy!!

Blessings,

That Resource Team