Narrations are the way we show learning in the Charlotte Mason world. They regurgitate the information learned by the child. So here is my method for doing narrations in the early years.

1st Grade
In first grade, children are learning how to read and write, so it is not a requirement for them to have a written narration. A verbal narration will suffice. That said, I do write down my daughter’s narration and then have her trace it. As time goes on, she will be able to copy her narrations from the chalkboard.

2nd Grade
In second grade, students will be able to verbally narrate the lesson. As they narrate, they write it down on the chalkboard. Students will copy their narration from the chalkboard into their notebooks.

3rd Grade
In third grade, students are able to verbally narrate and write down their narrations without help.

Students are supposed to move on their own. In other words, do not push your student to move on to the next level if she is not ready. The child will move on naturally. When the child is ready to move on to the next level, she will tell you.

In this age group, narrations are pretty teacher-led because we decide the topic of the lesson to focus on. As the child grows, she will be able to narrate a specific section of the lesson without our help.

Does this help clarify narrations for you?