Comprehension Bookmarks and Teacher Narration Guides

I have been reading Know and Tell the Art of Narration by Karen Glass and have been challenged to really make an effort in the area of comprehension and narration in our homeschool this year.

Charlotte Mason taught that narration, rather than quizzing, invites the student to think on the material they have read and draw their own ideas and conclusions.

Basically, lend your ear. No need to correct. Simply, prompting them to begin the process of oral articulation, letting them glean the knowledge for themselves.

 

Kids narrate all the time. They talk about their day or events that have happened. They are working to organize their thoughts into a cohesive presentation, which is the beginning of composition.

So many times we get composition and narration switched. We ask kids to write before they have learned to organize their thoughts. Narration builds that skill.

Having this information, I came up with a simple plan to remind us to keep at this art of narration.

Comprehension bookmarks.

On the days we do oral narration of a reading assignment, my daughter will bring her bookmark to me and orally narrate using the prompt.

I’m hoping as we work through the strategies together, she will build the habit of looking at these various aspects of the information as she is reading.

 

 

 

Now, I also realize there is more than one way to narrate and many more strategies to encourage growth in  reading comprehension.

Knowing this, I made these resource bookmarks to keep in MY planner to give me fresh ideas and questions to ask when I’m in a pinch for a new prompt, or a new narration idea.

Bookmark #1- I listed various ways to narrate. Some of these include oral narration, drawing the setting from the story, acting out a scene, etc.

Bookmark#2- I made a list of open-ended questions I can ask my daughter about the reading for the day.

 

 

Our goal is to keep it simple and keep at it.

“True personal knowledge is satisfying, and children will hold onto their favorite ideas for a lifetime, not just for a test.” -Karen Andreola

 

Download these Bookmarks

I made these bookmarks for our homeschool year. However, if you think these would benefit your homeschool or classroom you can find the DOWNLOAD HERE.

Note: I backed mine with a patterned cardstock and laminated them.

 

 

What are your tips for teaching your children reading comprehension?

 

 

Also, check out these seasonal busy books for Preschoolers!

 

 

 

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