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Evaluating Copywork and Dictation
In the event you don’t know what copywork is, you’ll want to begin right here Easy methods to Use Copywork in Your Homeschool, Half 1
Consider dictation because the shut pal of copywork. The place copywork is writing from the written phrase, dictation is writing from the spoken phrase. Somebody reads a sentence, paragraph, or passage and college students write it. As soon as once more, like narration and copywork, it’s easy in idea.
How Copywork and Dictation are Related
- In each college students soak up language expertise comparable to grammar, utilization, and vocabulary naturally. Like youngsters study to speak by listening to these round them converse, college students study to jot down by copying, both by the written or spoken phrase, what others have written.
- When college students study a language ability, copywork and dictation present reinforcement as they encounter it in actual writing.
- College students discover ways to construction and range sentences once they copy or write from dictation.
- Like copywork you’ll be able to train an idea first, after which select particular passages for dictation that exemplifies that exact idea.
- They will each be used with college students of any age (Nicely, virtually. No have to have kindergarten college students do dictation! Wait till they’re writing comfortably.)
How Copywork and Dictation are Totally different
- In copywork, college students soak up and apply guidelines of punctuation, however in dictation they interpret the pauses, phrasing, and emphasis of phrases to select the punctuation.
- In copywork college students see easy methods to spell phrases, however in dictation they should bear in mind easy methods to spell phrases.
- In copywork college students see homophones (phrases that sound the identical however differ in which means and spelling comparable to there, their, and they’re), however in dictation they need to choose the right phrase primarily based on context.
- In copywork college students study when to capitalize phrases, however in dictation they need to know easy methods to apply the principles for capitalization like the start of sentences and correct nouns.
Starting Dictation
It doesn’t matter what age your youngsters are, should you haven’t been doing copywork and dictation in your homeschool, begin with copywork. Dictation is a complicated ability and shouldn’t be rushed. And even when a scholar has transitioned to dictation, it doesn’t imply copywork isn’t nonetheless priceless. You’ll discover concepts for utilizing copywork even with teenagers in What You Must Know About How to Use Copywork in Your Homeschool, Half 2.
Each time introducing a brand new ability, it’s at all times good to ease college students into it. Right here’s how one can get began:
1. Start with brief passages, or just a sentence for a younger scholar.
There isn’t a want to begin with a complete paragraph while you first start dictation. If there’s a longer passage comparable to a paragraph you need your college students to jot down, break it up over a number of days. Watch your youngsters for clues to see how a lot is acceptable.
In the event you don’t know the way to decide on passages, you need to use the identical concepts for selecting copywork right here.
2. Learn it repeatedly.
Earlier than my youngsters started writing, I might learn a sentence or passage by fully first so they might hear it as a complete. (We really did this anytime they did dictation.) Then I might decelerate and browse every sentence, after which every sentence phrase by phrase if it was longer. In the event that they wanted me to repeat it I did. As they matured I inspired them to attempt to hear rigorously so they might do longer phrases and sentences.
3. Exaggerate pauses for punctuation.
Once I learn by the sentence or passage earlier than they started, I might pause a bit extra once I got here to a comma or interval than I might in regular studying. I might generally even ask, “What punctuation mark do you employ for a pause in the course of a sentence?” Which leads us to the subsequent tip.
4. Immediate them with questions.
Don’t hesitate to ask them questions to assist them assume—to make connections between the spoken and written phrase. For instance, “What kind of letter will we use at first of a sentence?” or ” When there’s a record in a sentence, how will we separate the totally different objects?”.
5. Reply their questions.
In the event that they ask you a query go forward and reply it. “How do you spell _______?” exhibits they acknowledge what they don’t know. As they mature you’ll have them try to spell the phrase. However at first rejoice the truth that they know what they don’t know. You possibly can at all times ask them how they assume it’s spelled earlier than giving them the reply.
Now in case your youngsters ask you to spell each phrase, you’ll have to discern whether or not they’re 1) a perfectionist who fears making a mistake, 2) not desirous to do the work, or 3) merely not prepared for dictation. If it’s the third one, allow them to proceed to do copywork as a substitute.
Methods to Assist College students Transition to Dictation
In case your youngsters nonetheless wrestle, take into account making a few of the following modifications as they transition from copywork to dictation:
Allow them to do the passage as copywork first. On in the future you might need them use the sentence or paragraph as copywork. Then the subsequent day do the identical passage as dictation.
Strive French-style Dictation. In The Author’s Jungle, Julie Bogart describes a method to assist college students who’re scuffling with dictation known as French-style dictation. Write or kind out the sentence, paragraph, or passage leaving a number of blanks for phrases or phrases. Whenever you learn the passage aloud, your youngsters fill within the blanks as a substitute of writing the complete passage.
And here’s a little plug for The Author’s Jungle and Courageous Author. The Author’s Jungle teaches you easy methods to train your youngsters to jot down. I can’t inform you how a lot it modified how I approached educating writing in our dwelling. And Courageous Writer is without doubt one of the purpose I’m sitting right here writing a weblog as we speak, and my sons like writing even in faculty.
As Your Kids Mature
As your youngsters turn out to be more adept at dictation, you’ll be able to proceed to assist them develop as writers by
- Repeating much less, serving to them to study to pay shut consideration and retain increasingly more of what they hear. You wish to develop “the behavior of consideration” as Charlotte Mason advisable. So as soon as once more begin small, however anticipate extra when it come to focus.
- Requiring longer or extra difficult passages that embody issues like dialogue, harder vocabulary and spelling, or extra superior punctuation comparable to colons and semicolons. (And should you don’t know why a sure punctuation mark is used, get our a grammar reference collectively and look it up! We are able to at all times study alongside our college students. And after we do that, we train them not simply what to study, however how to study.)
Methods to Use Dictation in Your Homeschool
In addition to utilizing it as a instrument to proceed to assist your youngsters soak up the principles of language, dictation can particularly be used to:
1. Personalize spelling instruction.
Why examine an inventory of phrases that they already know easy methods to spell? When your college students misspell a phrase in dictation, they’ll add it to their very own private spelling record. College students will spend their restricted time particularly learning phrases that they’ve hassle with.
2. Educate them be aware taking expertise.
Suppose again to the lectures you encountered in your training as you furiously tried to take notes down. Taking good notes includes a number of methods, however dictation will certainly be a ability that may enhance your youngsters’s skills to transcribe the spoken phrase to notes.
Whether or not they go to school, enter the workforce, proceed with on-line coaching, or just go to church—be aware taking is a life ability.
4. Consider their understanding.
Consider dictation not solely as a educating instrument, but in addition an analysis instrument. Do your youngsters perceive when to capitalize letters? What punctuation to make use of? Are they capable of spell phrases appropriately and select the right phrase comparable to their, there, or they’re primarily based on context?
After they make a mistake, consider it as a chance to show or reteach an idea.
Generally, your college students may do it in another way than is written nevertheless it isn’t technically mistaken. Allow them to seize a grammar reference and defend their selection. If my youngsters may justify their reply, we counted it as right It additionally supplies the right likelihood to debate why an writer may select to do one thing a technique over one other.
A Few Questions About Dictation
When ought to I start utilizing dictation in our homeschool?
Typically I like to recommend that college students are snug doing copywork earlier than occurring to dictation. There isn’t a sure grade degree. Simply watch your youngsters for clues. And don’t be afraid to return to copywork should you strive it and it simply isn’t working even with the modifications above.
My little one is a perfectionist and fears making a mistake. Ought to we do dictation?
Sure. However be delicate to your youngsters’s wants. Reply questions, however encourage them to not be afraid to make a mistake. Remind them that errors aren’t unhealthy, they simply present us what we don’t know. And in schoolwork that could be a excellent factor, as a result of the aim is to study.
As they mature you’ll have them try to spell phrases they don’t know. Assist your perfectionist understand that by making an attempt it, they must depend on what they learn about spelling patterns, guidelines, and many others. Then in the event that they get it mistaken, it isn’t an enormous deal. It simply means they are going to add it to a private spelling record.
How a lot correction ought to we give?
For starting dictation, I didn’t make corrections as we did it. I did reply any questions although. If certainly one of my sons requested “How do I spell ______?” I might inform him.
After ending, have your college students make their very own corrections by trying on the authentic. (And then you definitely examine it.) You possibly can discuss something they miss. If they’re making too many errors, you could want to return to copywork for some time or use one of many modifications above.
How can we use dictation to show a ability?
Like copywork, earlier than doing a passage as dictation you’ll be able to first level out ideas you assume they could not perceive. For instance, plenty of college students wrestle with when to make use of a colon or semicolon. If the dictation project has a kind of, you’ll be able to look it up collectively in a grammar reference. We beloved Extra Nitty Gritty Grammar as a result of it was specified by alphabetical order. Examine it collectively, and have your youngsters select which rule is being adopted. Then do the dictation.
I’ve a toddler that’s pleased to do copywork however doesn’t like dictation. I’m questioning how a lot to implement dictation over copywork. What profit will she have over selecting copywork as a substitute?
First let me say, copywork is helpful it doesn’t matter what age college students are, so I would come with it even after introducing dictation. Maybe alternate days doing them.
Dictation does require expertise that copywork doesn’t, although. Throughout dictation college students are making use of what they’ve discovered about writing by copywork whereas nonetheless absorbing the principles of grammar, sentence construction, new vocabulary, and many others. They’re making use of the abilities of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. They’re decoding the sounds of spoken language into written language. So that you don’t want to decide on dictation over copywork, however attempt to perform a little of each as a substitute. Begin with one brief dictation piece every week that your little one has already executed as copywork.
Educate Language Arts Naturally
Dictation is just another instrument in your toolbox for educating langue expertise naturally. Dictation is an extension of copywork and consists of greater degree pondering expertise. So when your youngsters are prepared, attempt to incorporate it into you Language Arts routine.
What You Must Know About Easy methods to Educate Language Arts
What You Must Know About Easy methods to Use Copywork in Your Homeschool, Half 1
What You Must Know About Easy methods to Use Copywork in Your Homeschool, Half 2
What You Must Know About Easy methods to Use Narration in Your Homeschool