Know and Tell: The Art of Narration

by Karen Glass

*This book is in a fixed format.* Please download and check a sample to be sure it can be read on your device before purchasing.*Narration, the art of telling, has been used as a pedagogical tool since ancient times. Over one hundred years ago, Charlotte Mason methodized narration and implemented it in scores of schools in Great Britain. Over the past few decades, educators in the US, mostly in home schools, have followed her guidelines with outstanding results.This book discusses the theory behind the use of narration and then walks through the process from beginning to end, to show how simply "telling" is the foundation for higher-level thinking and writing.While narration has grown popular among homeschoolers, it also works well in the classroom. In this book, you will find sample narrations and many resources to help you use narration with your students in any setting. If you've been wanting to try narration, but haven't felt confident enough to rely on an unfamiliar method, this book will give you the tools that you need to make the process easier.People are narrating every day, and this book will show you how to make that natural activity a vital part of education that enhances children's relationship with knowledge and allows them to grow into skilled communicators.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Parenting, Writing, Teaching, Reference, Homeschool

Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2018

About the author

One of the founders of Ambleside Online (amblesideonline.org), Karen Glass (www.karenglass.net) has homeschooled her children for twenty years, and continues to read and learn about educational philosophy.

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect summer read for any teacher or homeschool parent. I am so motivated after reading it that I can hardly wait to get back to our little school and expand on some of the ideas. I especially loved chapters 7,9, and 10! So encouraging and motivating.

Even though in some ways I am an old pro at narration, requiring written narrations from my children and students everyday, this book helped me look at it in a refreshing way.

I can also concur with the last chapter's details on grown students. My students have not always loved or appreciated written narration but they have all benefitted from it in concrete ways. Across the board they have learned to process and think in ways that easily translated to college and real life.

This was a much needed book, for not only the Charlotte Mason community, but for the entire educational platform. Understanding narration can help us understand where our schools are off track.

A true Must-Read! But don't be afraid of reading it slowly.

[ladydusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful introduction to narration and how it can lead naturally into composition. We've always done narration in one form or another but had gotten stuck in written narration and not transitioning well to more formal writing. Chapter 7 is all about this, and will be a huge help when we start school again in January 2021.

Glass includes many samples and some charts, I find the charts especially helpful for my needs and the samples, while a wonderful treasury of narrations for someone getting started, more distracting to the flow of the narrative for me.

I plan to use the "To the student" readings in Morning Time as we begin a journey more deeply into composition and I hope to help, especially my now 10th grader, my students to grow in their ability to think deeply and communicate well regarding the ideas they're grasping hold of.

"As teachers and parents, we want to open doors for the children, so that they have every chance to make connections to the things they are learning and to communicate what they know. With a little creativity, we can find ways to make it possible for almost every child to narrate." p 151

All this said, Know and Tell can be a great resource for the educator who wants to use narration in her home or school setting with students of all sorts of capacities. I'm frustrated with myself for not prioritizing reading it as I should have sooner. Highly recommended.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on narration. I will definitely read it again as my boys get older, and progress through the stages.

Second time through. A great resource on writing and thinking.

[Kim Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I wish I could have had when I started homeschooling my children 20+ years ago. I had heard about narration at some point (thanks Cindy Rollins) and tried to implement it, albeit not very well. We dabbled in and out of it for years and I often did not press through my children's resistance. And then comes this gem of a book. In a clear and encouraging way, Know and Tell explains everything you need to know about narration - the why, the how and the benefit. I am looking forward to making narration a priority this year. Thank you, Karen Glass!

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely foundational read for Charlotte Mason homeschooling, but also for education in general. Narration is such a big deal. Being able to pay attention and tell back what you read does so much inside the child (or parent! I'm learning, too!) and truly opens the door for learning. On the one hand, it's so simple; on the other, it's a powerful, complicated, transformative practice. Very thankful for this guide to how it works, filled with examples, and for all its answers to the many questions that come up, both already for me and I expect in the future. Glad to have this to keep referencing as my kids get older and move into more writing, etc. PS: Did it make me regret my degree in writing? A little bit, yes! lol

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite book on education. I believe the premise in my heart (narration is effective early-stages composition practice) and this helps me believe it in my head. Even better, it is such an encouraging call to assign narration constantly, because the outcome is worth it.

It's very hard as an educator to just HOPE that the method your heart loves will work. Know and Tell gives me some reasons for that hope. I am very thankful for Karen Glass's words.

[Lmichelleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this book would be helpful, but I didn't fathom quite how practical and encouraging Karen Glass' words would be to me as I evaluate our homeschool after three years of using narration as the key element of our educational philosophy. I feel affirmed in my choice, with my confidence bolstered to tackle the transition to more and more written narrations as well as varied creative narration prompts. Now that I can see the whole process all in one "glance" it is so much easier to stay the course of delaying some language arts skills that are normally tackled earlier in the public school setting, knowing that the goal I have in the end is reachable with narration as the delightful means! Seeing narrations through all the stages, from beginning oral narrations to early written narrations to more polished written narrations all the way to engaging high school essays, turned my hope into more firm confidence as I saw right before my eyes what the work of the mind does when a person is given the skill and gift of ability to narrate.

I will be re-reading this for encouragement and practical tips many times over as I continue with my students in our narration journey together.

[Myersandburnsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After his first year at college, I asked my oldest son what I could have done differently to prepare for him for college. His response was he wishes I would not have allowed him to give up the practice of narration.

This volume is such a good dive into the philosophy and practice of this much needed art.

[Mary Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are educating children, this is a very important book to read. It will revolutionize your teaching.

Mrs. Glass skillfully explains what narration is and gives wonderful helps on how to implement it with all ages and educational situations.

If you are teaching young children, you might want to read it slowly to absorb it well. You could narrate it. 😊

If you are teaching older children, children with special needs or in classroom situations, you might want to read it a bit quicker.

I struggled through learning how to facilitate narrations with my oldest children and this really would have been a helpful book for me 20 plus years ago but God is good and narration worked despite my mistakes. It is very much an art and there are rules to follow. We are still narrating and I am still amazed by the results.

I read some of the testimonials and sample narrations to my children and it inspired them to continue. Narrations can be hard work and encouragement goes a long way. After reading the examples to them, one daughter now wants to read the book.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narration, or the art of telling back, can be the most baffling concept to those new to the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling. Glass did an excellent job at explaining what this skill is and how to help out students grow.

I would recommend this to those new to the idea but also to the well season homeschoolers, narration is something that we can all practice, from the early school age to those wanting to teach it.

My only problem with the book wasn't the content but its structure. I strongly disliked having example of narration mix within the chapters of the book, making the reading flow interrupted. I would have preferred having those narration example either before the chapter started or at the end of the chapter, and that is only a personal preference and didn't affect the quality of the content .

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an invaluable resource for CM educators! You can't read this book just once. I will keep it close by and read specific chapters as needed.

[Leslie Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very helpful for understanding what narration is and how it can be implemented. It will be a great reference book for the future as my children get older and become more capable of narration. I appreciated the feedback in the final chapters from students that had previously used narration in their homeschooling. I feel like as parents we can get so excited about what we are doing with our kids and expect them to see the vision we have, but in reality they don’t always see the bigger picture until later down the line. I liked the realism from the students, and the encouragement that as a parent we are playing a long game, and efforts may not show their full fruition until later in life.

[Jenny Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and inspiring guide to using narration with my children!

[Michelle Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent read on what narration is and why it is beneficial for education. I started adding in some aspects of narration with my homeschool this last calendar year, and I am excited to incorporate more of it into our lessons. This book helped to provide ideas on how to integrate it into various educational situations (one-on-one vs. larger group/class room narrations), as well as provided practical tips in how to incorporate and grow narrations with the student (oral narrations expand into oral and written narrations, which finally easily flow into formal compositions).

The only reason I gave a 4 rather than a 5 really related to an editing style that left me frustrated several times. Throughout the book there are many samples of narrations , this was helpful, however I really did not like how multiple times these samples were placed in the middle of a paragraph or sentence. Because of this editing it felt a little disjointed at times, or required flipping back and forth on a page. I hope in a later edition, these samples in a chapter are included but the formatting allows for a thought to be completed before the sample is inserted. Other than that minor complaint, this is an excellent book for parents and educations, and particularly for homeschoolers!

An excerpt towards the end of the book nicely sums up the book "When you have students narrate daily, you are giving them the opportunity to become artisans with words. They practice the arts of speaking, writing, and communicating, all at the same time, as they assimilate knowledge. The ability to gather your thoughts, order them, and then express them in plain language is a highly prized skill. Whether you are a teacher, a corporate executive, a parent, a mechanic, or a computer programmer is irrelevant. You are a person, and you need to communicate - in speech, in writing, or both. Narration is one of the most effective educational techniques available for developing those skills."

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second reading (2024): my attention was caught again and again by how narration shows respect for a child’s thought and his articulation. Isn’t that exactly what I want my children to know as they grow? That Mom and Dad love and value what they are thinking about and what they have to say? I pray our relationship will be that open and communicative as they grow into teens and adults and of course it starts when they’re young. What a gift. And a practical way for me to show that respect this next year is to back off with questions and promptings and disappointed body language (I knew that, but it’s so hard!). I’m glad I reread this.

Just as helpful in explaining the whys and hows of narration as everyone promised. I appreciated the look into narration throughout history, the explanation of the mental process of synthesizing, and the clear outline for how to progress in fluency and then add composition in the latest years.

[Eva B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this book had been written a quarter of a century when I first started homeschooling. My sporadic efforts at having my offspring narrate were not successful, because I did not understand how effective narration could be as an educational tool, and I was too easily discouraged by the results which were not what I expected. Karen Glass writes why to narrate and how to narrate and encourages the reader to be consistent in expecting students to narrate and to take the long view when assessing its effects. Among her topics she covers narration with young students, older students who are new to narration, when to move from oral narration to written narration and how to segue from written narrations to more formal writing. Excellent book!

[Kelly Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for any home schooling parent or teacher. Even those not following the Charlotte Mason tradition will be able to glean so much information from this book. Although CM and narration do go hand-in-hand, this method can be utilized in any educational setting and in every day life.

The information is accessible to any reader and will walk you through how to be successful with narration in any setting.

[Meghan Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another extremely helpful, open-hearted book from Karen Glass. I’m particularly appreciative of how this primer on using narration as a primary tool of education is so practical. It includes a detailed scope and sequence for developing the skill of narration (aka communication skills) from age 6 to graduation. I’ve already personally experienced the pure magic of narration, but I believe this book could really win over skeptics. Thank you, Karen, for your tireless work in this field!

[Rachel Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and thorough on an important part of education. Makes the claim “the greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw in a plain way.”

[Lerato Ramotsamai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, practical read on the why and how of narration. Gives helpful roadmap showing the progression to fluency in narration, and how oral narration leads to written narration and eventually to formal composition. The appendices are great and I also enjoyed the testimonials from young adults who had narrated in their schooling.

In truth, it did feel dry at points but I think that's only to be expected given that it deals with the mechanics of teaching.

[Marita Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically THE go-to narration handbook for Charlotte Mason-inspired education. The real-life student samples are very helpful for shaping expectations.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very thorough, encouraging, and inspirational to me. It deserves many rereads and to be taken quite seriously in both the homeschool and classroom.

[Lauren Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024: Re-read quickly for a writing project and found all that I was looking for and so much more! Personally, it was a timely re-read as the student I mentioned in my first review has moved on from oral narration fluency and we are now working on written narration fluency. It will be time to re-visit this book again in a few years as we move on towards composition. Serendipitously, I had just finished reading Zinsser's, On Writing Well, which Karen recommends and references often. I was able to make so many connections and feel much more equipped to think about the transition to composition as a whole, so I will come back to remind myself of the practical implementation tips in a few years. Also, at the time of my first reading, I did not know that my children would have the special needs of dyslexia and ADHD which Karen references in the Special Needs chapter. It was so encouraging to be able to personally attest to the effectiveness of narration with my students with these specific needs in particular. Narration is magical and this book is a gem!

This book will be a mainstay for me as I seek to home educate my boys using the Charlotte Mason method. I know I will appreciate it even more in the days to come as I use this book as a reference and track my children’s ability to narrate. I also plan to follow her naturally outlined progression to grow their narrative skills to include both written narrations and composition. Being so traditionally educated myself, I am exited to offer a different way of discovering what my child knows while growing their ability to communicate that knowledge.

[Osama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children who are taken for long walks every day develop stamina and endurance for hiking. Children who are taken to the pool regularly become swimmers. Children who spend every week playing baseball learn the skills of playing ball; and children who narrate consistently become thinkers and writers. Regular, consistent practice is all that is necessary-no special training is needed, and no tricks or shortcuts will take its place.

I chose this book to shrug off the scientific mood my mind entered, and hermetically seal itself to pickle. And because this book is about language and upbringing, which I happen to have an interest in, with few other reasons.

The book, though brief, talks in depth about narration and its uses, benefits, and superiority over the traditional school teaching methods. The book is primarily for teaching kids of 6 to 12 years the art of narration, and learning and developing through it. There are many samples which shows how impressive kids can narrate (oral or written) when placed in the right encouraging environment. That is the majority of the book.

The rest is complimentary subjects regarding the same main issue; narration. There are sections for starting to write. Other for special needs kids, and kids who start later than six years old. There are tips for doing this in classrooms, though the majority is written with the underlying assumption that homeschool is happening.
The book is progressively logical; starting from what narration is at the beginning of the book and reaching to how to write five-paragraphs essays by the end of the book. It is very practical. Almost too practical for my use. This is what the book is about:

To make an art of narration, we begin with children's natural interest and ability to tell about something. We accustom them to tell accurately, consecutively, and fully. In due time, we encourage them to write their narrations. They begin by learning to write the same thing they would have said in an oral narration, and when that becomes natural, we teach them to take what they have written and shape it into familiar forms of writing, such as essays.

For those who are interested in writing, like myself, mostly you’ll be bored many pages in which the topics is about writing and how it is done. The information, though perfectly true, for a person who write is sleep-inducingly obvious. To use the words of the book: It is full of truisms (8_8).

In attempting to show the surprisingly (to myself) unique and important benefits of narrating, the author threw so much shade at traditional schooling placing them in a celestial umbra. This just highlight the problems which we should try to eradicate. Still she never said anything that was not true. They are all sadly true, and obvious.

Quotes

The historical seven liberal arts (grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy) were called "arts" and not "sciences" for a reason. In the ancient world, a "science" represented a body of knowledge to be acquired. An art is not a body of knowledge; it is something to be practiced. An art is something that you do. This is why even in contemporary usage we speak of "practicing" law or "practicing" medicine. It is necessary to acquire some knowledge in order to be a lawyer or a doctor, of course, but when knowing is expressed by doing , it becomes an art.

Synthetic thinking, at its foundation, is the development of a personal relationship with the material being learned, so that the pupil achieves a level of familiarity with it that allows at least the potential for connecting what she is learning to things she has learned before or might learn in the future. Those connections are real for her only if she perceives them for herself, and the process of narration encourages this integrated, synthetic thinking as almost no other educational practice does.

I found this document simplifying the synthetic vs analytical thinkingwith a quick Google search.

In fact, writing, thinking, and even learning itself are all part of one process. As we articulate our thoughts, either aloud or in writing, we are at the same time sifting, classifying, selecting, and ordering. We are thinking. Narrating, either by speaking or writing, goes hand in hand with both thinking and learning.

Shade-Throwing

If we recall that narration is, at its heart, a relationship-building activity, it will be easier to appreciate how beneficial it can be for older children. Often, traditional institutional school methods have dampened, damaged, or even destroyed the natural love of learning that bright-eyed little ones begin with. It is not the purpose of this work to criticize traditional methods, but it is sadly all too common to find that, as children grow older, they lose their love of learning.

The hungry mind of a bright, eager pupil is rarely satisfied with the meager sustenance offered by a bland textbook or a watered-down summary. If he truly wants to learn, he will look elsewhere and read books of his own choosing. Unfortunately, many children are forced to ingest too many "dry oatmeal" school lessons, and their love for learning withers. When learning ceases to be a joy, entertainment steps in to fill the void. Television, films, video games, and other time-consuming activities are available to entertain a passive mind, but they do not feed a growing mind.

The usual practice of questioning, in which a child is expected to produce an isolated piece of information, does not encourage synthetic thinking. Narration, on the other hand, requires a child to think about all of the material and produce the relevant details in relation one to another. What the narrator tells has to make sense.

Knowledge that is not easily measured and tested is often ignored in modern schools.

[Danielle Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be the second book that I would say every homeschool mom needs to read. First Teaching from Rest and then Know and Tell. I taught writing for seven years and I think this really answers why kids can not write or speak well. If you're a teacher in ANY capacity, read this book!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narration is something we do every day without even noticing— we tell each other stories about our days, books were reading, or the goofy thing our pets did. Narration builds communication skills, both written and oral, and it encourages students to know the material in a fuller sense. Glass argues for this skill to be more intentionally practiced in the classroom setting in any subject area.

Based on what I read, I plan to be more intentional about implementing narration into my lessons. Based on her definition of narration, I have already been encouraging my students to do it to a certain extent. Narration goes along perfectly with John Milton Gregory’s Law of Review, and we do that all the time!

I do think that the layout of the book was a little weird; Glass provided “scores of” examples of narrations with zero context, and they were more or less just strewn throughout the book. They interrupted sentences and did not add anything to the flow of the writing. Frankly, I stopped reading them about a chapter into the book. Also, I understand that narration is not exactly an educational method that has a lot of formal research to support it, but it seems like Glass relied on the same three or four sources to back her argument for narration. For a book this length, I would have liked to see more formal research done, but again, I understand that that may be a big ask.

I am eager to implement narration into my class, and I am thankful that at the early primary level, narration ought to be oral. So often writing is the kids’ least favorite thing because it pushes them to focus for long amounts of time. I am glad that there are more developmentally appropriate ways to encourage narration. I feel challenged to make narration more interactive, creative, and enjoyable for the students. It is a skill that has a lot of benefits, and I’m eager to grow in the skill myself.

[sincerely · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are at all interested in a Charlotte Mason education, please PLEASE either read her works or read from Karen Glass. Do not mistake watching reels from Charlotte Mason Instagram influencers for absorbing her actual thought for yourself. Spoiler alert - oftentimes those influencers are dumbing down Charlotte's message. Ask yourself - before you begin to embark on an educational journey for your child that is primarily just looking at leaves while you make pretty videos, don't you think your kids deserve an educator who has a defined pedagogy in mind? Read this book, and read A Thinking Love by the same author. You may be surprised at the structure and high standards CM had for students. I have heard over and over (and said myself!) that CM is not "enough." Well, no. She's not if you are not listening to her and faithfully applying her ideas, patiently without fail. She's not enough if you are just paying attention to what an influencer says who is just trying to make passive income off downloads while she's never read anything to do with CM for herself. Read Know and Tell and then come back. Read the volumes or A Thinking Love and circle back. You won't have the same view of CM that you would have had from watching her methods be regurgitated at best and misrepresented at worst by influencers. I truly do believe most influencers are the downfall of our society. Read. For. Yourself.

Anyone who has missed me over on Instagram, hello, I'm alive. This is where I've been 😂 I'LL BE BACK WITH THE HEAT

[Leah Delcamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an invaluable resource full of wisdom and encouragement for any parent or teacher who wants to nurture a life-long love of learning!

I will be revisiting this as my child progresses from oral to written narration because of the countless benefits that all forms of narration offer to growing learners. As a homeschooling parent of a child with exceptional needs, I appreciated the chapter dedicated to adaptations for children with special learning challenges. If you’re a homeschooling parent or considering home education, I cannot recommend this book enough!

“The mental skills used in narration will benefit learners of all ages. Narrators develop the ability to focus attention. They learn to order and evaluate material. They grow confident in expressing what they know articulately. These are skills that will serve in every capacity of life - both personal and public. Teaching children to narrate is essentially giving them a key that will unlock many doors and opportunities and that will pay dividends over and over again.”

“Narration is a method that takes a long view of education and allows growth to unfold at an unhurried pace. You cannot require a flower to bloom earlier than it is ready by opening the petals by force. You can give a plant water, warmth, and sunshine in adequate portions, and buds will become blossoms in the fullness of time. Narration, too, will yield its fruit if the principles of narration are adhered to.”

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about why narration is important, why it works as a pedagogy, and how to do it effectively. She covers narration from age 6 all the way to college essays and helps you see how students can progress through the different phases of fluency. She also provides tons of real life examples of student narrations.

Some of the most helpful things for me as a homeschool teacher were the explanations of “fluency transitions” and encouragement to be patient, looking for progress, and not to panic when their writing doesn’t look like their fluent oral narrations for a LONG TIME. The big picture timelines are helpful guides as to what to expect of my students at certain age/grades.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, accessible book about narration -- the act of telling back what you remember after reading or listening. This book explains how being able to synthesize information from a young age will set you up for success because you essentially become a natural teacher. If more schools adopted this mindset and method versus grades we would see a different generation of thinkers.

If you are neurodiverse or a family member is, this will encourage you. She specifically mentions ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. This is a book for parents and educators. Will be buying copies to distribute.