Have a Tête-à-tête …

The term is borrowed from French, meaning “head to head,” which is a great description of discussion in the homeschool environment. Of course, the French term implies a private conversation between two people, and your discussion can include several family members, but I think you get the idea.

Narration can be part of this discussion. When you have read a book out loud to your child, or your child has read a book independently, you can use narration to determine how much the he or she grasped the content. If the book was non-fiction, ask your child to share details from what you read. Does this request leave him or her stymied? Lead off with a question, or ask your child for information regarding a particular person or event that was read. If the book was fiction, ask your child to retell the events of the story. Doing this helps him or her to practice following the plot of the story. After your child has completed the narration, you can expand on the retelling of the story by asking clarifying questions, helping your child to further explore the action in the story or the choices made by characters.

Take narration a step further and you can combine fine arts and kid creativity by having your children reenact the story. Costumes and props can be simple or they can further expand the visual aids you employ in reviewing what was read. Have artistic children? Let them draw or create 3D representations (we call these dioramas) of the story. Incorporate other subject skills by having them create a newspaper article or another form of creative writing that will go far beyond the traditional book report. Remember the enticing presentations at the end of Reading Rainbow? Those children were “selling” the book that they had read, providing just enough information and personal testimony to catch your attention and make you want to read the book, too.

Any of these methods will demonstrate your child’s grasp of the book content, and make the most of his or her creative nature.