I thought I would post this in case it can help anyone else.  We have been using a narration help for a few months which has worked really well. It involves rolling a dice to see what kind of narration is done after a reading. 

I need to preface this by saying it is an amalgamation of several ideas I have read about in Charlotte Mason circles. Firstly, I have borrowed the idea of tossing a cube from Karen Rackliffe.  You can see her original idea here: http://www.pennygardner.com/cube.html   (Actually, I may have thought of a cube even before reading this but I certainly was inspired this article. What was on the cube just didn't work for us so I had to try again.)

Next, reading through Ambleside Online emails and articles led me to using the "selection process" described below as well as some of the narration ideas.  I believe these came from Wendi Capehart and Donna-Jean Breckenridge, respectively.

In a small pouch I have what we call "Maths Jewels" (those things that look like squashed marbles and you put them in a vase).  I only have two boys, so there are two each of green for one son, two each of purple for my other son, and one blue one for me.  After we read the selection I put my hand in the pouch ("Check them, Mum!", they say everyday.  Then they chant, "Pull da jewel! Pull da jewel!" This is not part of the system, just their added extras.).  I pull one out and that person rolls the narration cube.  Whatever the narration cube shows is the kind of narration that he does or we all do together. (I'll explain the sides in a moment.)

We read and narrate three things together each day.  If someone has both their jewels pulled out, then the last one automatically goes to the other boy.  But boy a, who has already narrated, still has to listen because he doesn't know what the narration cube will show up. If I pull my jewel, I get to pick what we do.

OK, now for the cube. This is what we have on it at the moment:
R = Retell (The person who rolled does a straightout, straightforward narration.  Our least popular option! Though I am trying to lighten up on what I expect which is helping.)
D= Describe (I pick one aspect of the story, or a character, or a scene etc for that person to describe. They can suggest something, too.)
! = Cliffhanger (We narrate as a round robin.  The person who rolled the dice starts, then stops at a good point, then the next person picks up  and so on.)
?= Questions (We each make up two questions to ask the other two about what we just read.  You would have to vary how you did this for your family size and ages.)
5+ = Five things from the passage. (The person who rolled tells me five things (9yo) or six things (12yo) from the passage.  The other person can add afterwards.
The sixth side is blank atm. I did have something I was going to put there but I've forgotten what it was. It was going to be something for older children anyway. A friend has put a "Pictionary" option here: whoever rolls draws a quick scene and the others have to guess what it is.  What we are doing at the moment is making that a free choice side.

Whoever rolls the dice has the option of choosing to do a retelling narration if they don't like what they rolled.

This works really well for us.  It means I don't have to agonize about the one true way to ask the narration question for the passage (if you are a perfectionist you will understand!).  The boys know what is coming and they don't fight it because it just is- the cube said so.

I am hoping to come up with some more sides that will work for more independent reading next year. Any suggestions would be gratefully received!