Two great quotes I wrote down so I don’t forget them: “Always assume there’s more going on in a child’s mind than it appears.” “What a child digs for is her own possession.”
Thank you for continuing to share your teaching experiences with your special needs kiddos! My daughter also has trouble verbalizing at 11 years old and her writing ability is far behind her age, so often I will start narrating a story that we read and I will pause mid-sentence to see if she will verbally fill in a key word or short phrase/idea from the story, and she frequently does!
Thank you for all the different ways that narration can unfold, and also the importance of respecting the limits of the child and pushing just enough to create growth. This was such helpful information with two ofmy favorite homeschool mamas and mentors!! I often write for my children (autism and learning delays) and find they have so much to express when they are speaking to me rather than having them write out their thoughts, which they are not ready to do YET 😊.
Thank you for joining us and sharing your experience to continue this conversation. That "yet" is an important word, keep working with your students, it sounds like you are doing an excellent job of meeting them where they are and providing them the supports they need!
I just wanted to thank you lovely ladies for sharing your experiences with adapting your teaching to your children. I have been discouraged in my attempts to meet one of my children where they are on their journey with special needs and I just felt so encouraged and in good company with wonderful women doing marvelous things. Keep up the awesome and thank you again!
Thank you so much for starting discussions on what CM looks like on a non-neurotypical home and for when one has kids that have special needs. I was crying watching this video and it have me hope about how I could still apply CM to one of my kids who is autistic and was not developing in the same way as her older sister. Thank you so, so, very much.
I loved this. So many learning challenges were not well known or researched in Charlotte's day so she didn't often address learning difficulties in her works. But just knowing her heart and her passion for the latest, truest knowledge in the field of education, I feel like Charlotte would have absolutely taught these variations on her methods if she had been aware of them.
No diagnosis here but asking my little one to narrate back makes the story no longer enjoyable and feels on the spot. Instead we just discuss the passage or chapter with each other, very natural and not forced. Although without first learning about narration I would not have done this so a win in my book. Sarah brought this to my attention and I’m so very grateful! Two amazing women!
This is such a helpful conversation! Thank you both! I have used the "What is something you'll want to remember about this story/ book/ chapter?" many times. We have a bookmark that was a free printable from RAR years ago with the five questions to spark meaningful conversation about books. Those questions, obviously, help move narration along too when kids are stuck. I wonder if Sarah would be willing to repost those?
Hi, I believe you are referring to the questions linked in this post: readaloudrevival.com/166/ Here are some free resources from Simply Charlotte Mason to help with narration. Free Narration Bookmarks: simplycharlottemason.com/store/narration-bookmarks/ Narration Ideas: simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/narration/
Thank you! I needed this refresher for my special needs kids. They have autism, ADHD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and slow processing. It can be a great challenge to get my kids to do narrations and I usually simply ask "What stood out for you?", only to be met with a blank stare or "I don't know.", as a reply. Then I begin to doubt and become anxious about their futures. I really needed to know and remember that I'm not the only one experiencing learning challenges with their kids and to allow them to catch as much as they can.
Thank you for joining us! We are glad that you have found encouragement from these posts! Joining in community and learning from the experiences of others is so helpful to us all!
What a great reminder that it's not a cut and dry system to follow because we are educating, raising, and loving unique individuals who are growing. Thank you.
So glad that you have found this video helpful! It can be a challenge to homeschool our children because as you highlighted we are all individual people with different needs who will progress at a different pace! As Charlotte Mason emphasized, we want to respect our children as people!
Ive learned that I can't demand a narration. I read to my special guy and more often than not some time later it will come out in conversation or lego building
This was so so helpful! Especially about writing down for a child with dyslexia, my oldest daughter will do exactly what was mentioned about shrinking her thoughts down.
So glad that you found this post helpful! Since you mention dyslexia, I wanted to make sure that you had seen this post: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/does-charlotte-mason-work-for-a-dyslexic-child/
I can relate so much to the whole "evolution of narration" with my neurodivergent child... and to trusting that the child gets something even when we don't readily see it at the surface -- because sometimes it comes out months after (in relation to another reading) or a week after (when we're doing a recap of the previous reading which he failed to do any narration on)... Will strive to do better at holding my tongue and remembering that 'direct questions on the content are an impertinence we all resent.' This remains a struggle for me 😅... Thank you for this very relatable, heart-warming discussion filled with practical tips!! 😍
Thank you for "yet" another great video, Sonya! And thank you for your insight, Sarah! For me, homeschooling is beneficial not just for my children, it is, in a way, a path the Lord has allowed me to be on to learn about patience, readiness and ownership of all the lessons of the life l am living. My special child has taught me a great deal of the importance of relationship vs result. "Challenge" learners are such a gift from God to refine us as their parents. ❤
I’ve been wanting to see more on special challenges, and seeing Sarah as well? Wow!💜My favorites. So helpful for me, we do shared writing, narrate photos of personal adventures using my sons AAC program on his iPad. I “wonder” vs direct questions and model. Thank you so much.
Thank you for this video, it's so helpful and so true. For a child that a large chuck of reading seems to also hinder a response, what length of reading do you recommend before asking narration? I feel even a chapter maybe too long but a few pages through gets tiresome for my child
I’m reading one paragraph at a time with my first grader and that seems to be all he can narrate at one time. Then I ask for a recap at the end to see how much he remembers from the full particular reading for the day (one chapter or lesson).
Yes, feel free to go at your own pace and start small and slow as your child is building this skill. Even a few sentences or one paragraph at a time is excellent. You can gauge your child's ability and gradually increase from there.
Two great quotes I wrote down so I don’t forget them:
“Always assume there’s more going on in a child’s mind than it appears.”
“What a child digs for is her own possession.”
Thanks for joining us and for the helpful recap of ideas that struck you!
Oh my goodness! Sarah Mackenzie!!! 🥰❤️ what a treat for me to see two of my favorite hosts together!
So glad you enjoyed this collaboration!
Thank you for continuing to share your teaching experiences with your special needs kiddos! My daughter also has trouble verbalizing at 11 years old and her writing ability is far behind her age, so often I will start narrating a story that we read and I will pause mid-sentence to see if she will verbally fill in a key word or short phrase/idea from the story, and she frequently does!
Thank you for joining us and for sharing what has worked well with your daughter!
Thank you for all the different ways that narration can unfold, and also the importance of respecting the limits of the child and pushing just enough to create growth. This was such helpful information with two ofmy favorite homeschool mamas and mentors!! I often write for my children (autism and learning delays) and find they have so much to express when they are speaking to me rather than having them write out their thoughts, which they are not ready to do YET 😊.
Thank you for joining us and sharing your experience to continue this conversation. That "yet" is an important word, keep working with your students, it sounds like you are doing an excellent job of meeting them where they are and providing them the supports they need!
I just wanted to thank you lovely ladies for sharing your experiences with adapting your teaching to your children. I have been discouraged in my attempts to meet one of my children where they are on their journey with special needs and I just felt so encouraged and in good company with wonderful women doing marvelous things.
Keep up the awesome and thank you again!
You are very welcome, so glad these posts have encouraged you in your journey with your child!
Thank you so much for starting discussions on what CM looks like on a non-neurotypical home and for when one has kids that have special needs. I was crying watching this video and it have me hope about how I could still apply CM to one of my kids who is autistic and was not developing in the same way as her older sister. Thank you so, so, very much.
You are very welcome. We are so glad that these posts have blesse and encouraged you on your journey with your children!
This was wonderful! Thank you!
You are very welcome!
I loved this. So many learning challenges were not well known or researched in Charlotte's day so she didn't often address learning difficulties in her works. But just knowing her heart and her passion for the latest, truest knowledge in the field of education, I feel like Charlotte would have absolutely taught these variations on her methods if she had been aware of them.
Thank you for your contributions to this conversation!
No diagnosis here but asking my little one to narrate back makes the story no longer enjoyable and feels on the spot. Instead we just discuss the passage or chapter with each other, very natural and not forced. Although without first learning about narration I would not have done this so a win in my book. Sarah brought this to my attention and I’m so very grateful!
Two amazing women!
Thank you for sharing what works well in your family!
This is such a helpful conversation! Thank you both! I have used the "What is something you'll want to remember about this story/ book/ chapter?" many times. We have a bookmark that was a free printable from RAR years ago with the five questions to spark meaningful conversation about books. Those questions, obviously, help move narration along too when kids are stuck. I wonder if Sarah would be willing to repost those?
Hi, I believe you are referring to the questions linked in this post:
readaloudrevival.com/166/
Here are some free resources from Simply Charlotte Mason to help with narration.
Free Narration Bookmarks:
simplycharlottemason.com/store/narration-bookmarks/
Narration Ideas:
simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/narration/
This video has been extremely encouraging! Thank you Sonya and Sarah for all the great work you do to help us homeschooling mamas. ❤
You are very welcome!
Thank you! I needed this refresher for my special needs kids. They have autism, ADHD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, and slow processing. It can be a great challenge to get my kids to do narrations and I usually simply ask "What stood out for you?", only to be met with a blank stare or "I don't know.", as a reply. Then I begin to doubt and become anxious about their futures. I really needed to know and remember that I'm not the only one experiencing learning challenges with their kids and to allow them to catch as much as they can.
Thank you for joining us! We are glad that you have found encouragement from these posts! Joining in community and learning from the experiences of others is so helpful to us all!
What a great reminder that it's not a cut and dry system to follow because we are educating, raising, and loving unique individuals who are growing. Thank you.
So glad that you have found this video helpful! It can be a challenge to homeschool our children because as you highlighted we are all individual people with different needs who will progress at a different pace! As Charlotte Mason emphasized, we want to respect our children as people!
Ive learned that I can't demand a narration. I read to my special guy and more often than not some time later it will come out in conversation or lego building
Thank you for sharing what has worked best for your family to elicit a narration!
This is so helpful!
So glad!
This was so so helpful! Especially about writing down for a child with dyslexia, my oldest daughter will do exactly what was mentioned about shrinking her thoughts down.
So glad that you found this post helpful! Since you mention dyslexia, I wanted to make sure that you had seen this post:
simplycharlottemason.com/blog/does-charlotte-mason-work-for-a-dyslexic-child/
I can relate so much to the whole "evolution of narration" with my neurodivergent child... and to trusting that the child gets something even when we don't readily see it at the surface -- because sometimes it comes out months after (in relation to another reading) or a week after (when we're doing a recap of the previous reading which he failed to do any narration on)...
Will strive to do better at holding my tongue and remembering that 'direct questions on the content are an impertinence we all resent.' This remains a struggle for me 😅... Thank you for this very relatable, heart-warming discussion filled with practical tips!! 😍
Thank you for sharing your personal experiences on this topic and contributing to this conversation!
Thank you for "yet" another great video, Sonya! And thank you for your insight, Sarah!
For me, homeschooling is beneficial not just for my children, it is, in a way, a path the Lord has allowed me to be on to learn about patience, readiness and ownership of all the lessons of the life l am living. My special child has taught me a great deal of the importance of relationship vs result. "Challenge" learners are such a gift from God to refine us as their parents. ❤
So glad that you enjoyed this post! It is true, we as parents learn so much from our own children during our homeschooling journey with them!
I’ve been wanting to see more on special challenges, and seeing Sarah as well? Wow!💜My favorites. So helpful for me, we do shared writing, narrate photos of personal adventures using my sons AAC program on his iPad. I “wonder” vs direct questions and model. Thank you so much.
Thank you for joining us and for sharing strategies that you have found worked well with your child!
Such wonderful truth here!!!
Thank you!
Thank you for this video, it's so helpful and so true. For a child that a large chuck of reading seems to also hinder a response, what length of reading do you recommend before asking narration? I feel even a chapter maybe too long but a few pages through gets tiresome for my child
I’m reading one paragraph at a time with my first grader and that seems to be all he can narrate at one time. Then I ask for a recap at the end to see how much he remembers from the full particular reading for the day (one chapter or lesson).
Yes, feel free to go at your own pace and start small and slow as your child is building this skill. Even a few sentences or one paragraph at a time is excellent. You can gauge your child's ability and gradually increase from there.