Narration Problems: The Written Narration is Full of Mistakes

Narration means telling back. It is a foundational method of the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling. However, as simple as narration is, homeschoolers sometimes face problems with their narrations. This page is one in a series which addresses common narration problems.

Question:  

My middle schooler is composing written narrations and doing a good job of retelling what he read. But the narrations are filled with errors: misspellings, grammatical errors, and punctuation mistakes. Some of the words are written so messily that I can't even read them. What should I do?

Answer:

This is a great question because lots of students are good at narrating but not so good at the finer points of English grammar and mechanics, not to mention handwriting and spelling.

First, the meaning of the narration is really the bottom line in the assignment. So be sure to praise your child for his correct and thorough narration. 

Now, what about the mistakes? There are a few ways to look at this problem. 

It could be that your child is being careless and not doing her work to the best of her ability. On the other hand, writing is a very complex task. She is probably focusing so hard on the facts of the narration and espressing them clearly that she has little attention to spare for the spelling, grammar, and mechanics.

When the narration is filled with mistakes, here are some options:

1.  Have your child proofread and edit the narration, fixing all the mistakes and rewriting a polished, "perfect" copy. 

If you choose this option, be sure to give your child time to work on the edits. Don't assign another narration or composition in the meantime. Proofreading and editing are hard work. 

2.  Point out select errors for your child to work on. 

Look for reccurring mistakes -- a certain spelling pattern, comma errors, or run-on sentences, for example. Give a mini-lesson on the topic, and have your child fix those select errors, ignoring the others.

Every written narration does not have to be a perfect, finished product. You can allow for some draft-quality narrations.