I've made a compilation of narration ideas that I would really use; leaving off the ones that I really wouldn't get the boys to do.  I got some of them from various places about the 'net and some I worked up from Kathryn Stout's material. (Google for her website)

I was a bit concerned that they may owe too much to Kathryn Stout to really be able to share, so I checked with her and she says not and to go ahead and share. If anyone else feels the same, please let me know so I can credit you and please accept my apologies in advance. I know I have seen such lists on Lori Bolland's site for example. I think she may have been one of the first to have such a list.

We have been using these for a while and I find them really helpful to have on hand.  At the beginning of the week I decide, very quickly, which one I will use with which book and then make a note. When the boys come to narrate I get them to tell me about the passage/chapter generally and then, if necessary, ask them the relevant question. Sometimes I decide not to if they have gone into detail or we have discussed it fairly well. Sometimes, to be honest, I may just opt for the question in order to head off a lengthy narration!

Here they are:

Find

1. five interesting words and say what they mean and why you chose them.
2. 1 or 2 good descriptive passages and say what you like about them.
3. an example of good dialogue and explain why you chose it.
4. a passage or two about a character and say how the passage/s illustrates something about the character.
5. a passage that shows an incident and explain why the character acted as they did.
6. your favourite part and explain why you like it.
7. A passage for each of two characters that shows how they are alike or different.
8. what you think is the most important part of what you've read today and explain why it is.

Write
1.  short poem. For example, a cinquin:
   One word  Charlotte
   Two words  loved Wilbur;
   Three words spun her web
   Four words to save his life.
   One word  friendship.
2. A short news broadcast about what happened in what you read.
3. An obituary for a character.
4. A diary entry as a character.
5. yourself into the story. Who would you like to be and what would you like to happen to you?
6. Pick two people you've read about today. Imagine they've met and what their conversation would be about. Use information you have learnt today and recently.
7. Any other activity.

Character

1. Compare yourself to a character and say how you are alike or different. Use parts of the book to prove your statements.
2. Choose a character and list five adjectives about them. Write a simile for each adjective.  For example: a lazy as a beachtowel, as comfortable as a pillow, a sharp as an unexpected stone in your shoe.
3. Say how the character is or isn't like people you know. (At least five things and they can be both like and unalike.)
4. Make up five interview questions to ask a character.
5. Pretend you are a character and answer questions.
6. What problems does the character have and how do they handle them?
7. Write a letter as one character to another.
8. a diary entry as your character.
9. Compare a character to someone else you have read about.
10. Say five things about the character.

Tell
1. me everything you learnt about _______
2. anything new you learnt from this chapter.
3. five things about __________
4. Describe _______
5. Tell me what happened, from the beginning.
6. Explain __________
7. Make up __ questions to test Mum from the chapter.
8. Ask Who? What? Where? How? When? Why? questions.
9. List as many important facts as you can from the chapter.
10. What do you think is the most important part of what you've read today? Why do you think it is the most important part?
11. what you think the author thinks are important values and things to know. Can you find or tell about anything that illustrates this?

Do
1. four quick drawings that tell about what you read.
2. Take five to ten minutes to set up figures to tell about what you read.
3. Model with wax something from the chapter and tell about it.
4. Act out something from the chapter.

At the end of the book
Discuss
1. What kind of writing do you think this is?
2. What do you think is the main message the author is trying to get across? How well does s/he do this?
3. What do you think about the language that the author uses? Do s/he do anything clever with language that you can remember? How would you compare her/him to another author you like? Choose some passages to share.
4. Was the information presented in an interesting manner?
5. Did the author seem to know what s/he was talking about?  Did they present evidence for their arguments? Did they try to persuade you in good ways or bad ways?
6. Would you want to read more by this author? Do you feel satisfied that you have learnt enough?
7. Who did you admire most in the book?  Find passages to read aloud that show why.
8. Would you have wanted to have been part of what was happening in the book?  Who would you have been like? What would you have done?
9. Choose an event in the book and say what led up to that event.
10. What did you like best- the plot, the characters, the ending or the main theme/message? Why? Choose some passages which illustrate what you liked and bookmark them for reading aloud.
11. Was there a problem that needed to be resolved in this book? How was it resolved? Do you think that was a good way to solve the problem? Can you suggest another way?
12. Look at the way problems were resolved and lessons learnt by the characters. Based on these things, do you think the author had a christian perspective on life? Give examples from the story to support your opinion.
Do
1. Make a book jacket and front sleeve, giving a summary of the story (without giving it all away!) and saying who would enjoy the book.
2. Write a review to put on Amazon.
3. Make a commercial (radio, TV or newspaper/magazine) telling the good points of this book.
4. Act out, draw or model your favourite part of the book and say why it was your favourite.
5. Pick something to research briefly on the Internet.