Charlotte MasonTerminology

Like anything thing in life, the CM method has its own set of terminology. Understanding the terminology before delving much deeper on this path is necessary.

There are two main types of books to creating a well rounded education-living books and whole books. These are the central pillar that your education plan is built around.

Living books-A living book is writen by a single author who presents facts in story form. The Little House on the Prairie series are an example of living books.

Whole Books-Whole books are great works of non-fiction, written by a single author or pair of authors, who are passionate about their subject. A text book on the galaxy is not a whole book, but a book going in depth about Jupiter by a single author would be.

Twaddle-Charlotte Mason also made mention of 'twaddle'--books that are not written well. Many followers of her method today seem to lump a lot of modern popular fiction into this category and favor. I do not agree with this. Yes, most books BASED on movies and TV shows fall into the twaddle category, but I refuse to lump all popular fiction into this category. I also don't believe twaddle is harmful as long as your child is still studying whole and living books and reading twaddle for fun. My son is a huge fan of Star Wars and reads many of those books. They inspire his imagination though they would technically fall under the twaddle category.

Narrations are the way our children share their knowledge with us. There are two forms of narration.

Oral Narration-Younger children use spoken narration to share their knowledge on a subject. This is as simple as an informal speech explaining what they gleaned from their studies. Unlike a traditional exam, a narration focuses on what they do know instead of punishing them for what they don't know. Oral narrations include--but aren't limited to-speeches, plays, play-acting with toys, and dictation. Dictation is when the child tells us what they want written down, and we oblige. In general, children use oral narrations until their writing skills are honed and they have the basic mechanics down, usually between 9 and 12 years old.

Written Narration-Older children who have mastered the mechanics of writing begin using written narration to share what they have learned. Essays and reports are the common ways to implement written narrations. Less common ways include script writing, notebooking and journalling. Written narrations can be combined with oral narration.


There are the primary terms that are used across all subjects in the CM methodology. I may add more terms as time passes.