“This, of telling again, sounds very simple but it is really a magical creative process by means of which the narrator sees what he has conceived, so definite and so impressive is the act of narrating that which has been read only one.”

- Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education

Narration notebooks is a key part of the Charlotte Mason world. In fact, it was something that attracted me to CM because I had my students create Interactive notebooks when I taught history. As a result, I created my own notebook that combines the two concepts.

Narration is a way for the student to tell back what he has learned. It shows the student’s knowledge of the people, places and stories he is learning about. Over time, those people, places, and stories excite us and become a part of us.

What I love about narration notebooks is that they respect the child as a person. They help cultivate organization, narration, and artistic skills. The notebooks are a place for your child to express himself, find hidden talents, go deeper into a subject, and develop different parts of the brain. It also helps develop good habits.

I like to organize my notebooks into right-hand, left-hand page layout. The right-hand page is for narrations, and the left-hand page is for extras. Extras is anything that helps enrich the lesson.

Grades 1-3: Have the child retell what she has learned, write it down on the board and have her copy it.

Grades 4-6: Have the child write down in 1-3 sentences what she has learned.

Grades 7-9: Have the child write down what he has learned in 3-5 sentences.

Grades 10-12: Have the child write down and connect to another event what he has learned in 3-5 sentences.

The trick is to not make it daunting. Rather use narration to make conversations and build relationships with your children.

Do you use narration notebooks with your children?