How to Do Dictation (Charlotte Mason spelling lessons)

[@MikeKendrickMusic]

This series was an absolute game changer in our homeschool!! Both for my kids and I. My oldest daughter especially found success and was much less stressed doing spelling like this with Spelling Wisdom! We tried everything with different curriculums, but the minds eye and using the steps listed here along with the simplicity brought peace and progress to our days! One of the most helpful things for our kids is knowing how to spell correctly in their writing because they have been spelling and writing words used in context! That also has been a blessing and success point. Thank you!! ❤️

[@gregsaramasarik2421]

I am so grateful for these videos! They are perfect in their technical explanation, easy and enjoyable to watch, and short enough to be digestible. Thank you!

[@rebaseymour1810]

Thanks for the phrase “sweet spot” and explaining it’s 3 or 4 new words. I wasn’t doing this correctly. I’m really glad you did this video. I will be able to correct my mistake next year.

[@SuperTopher01]

I actually teared listening to you and finding your channel. I am a new homeschooling mom of a grade 5 daughter who was always "challanged" with writing. Was she or now I realize it was her way of understanding and learning. Thank you so much. When I dictate 2 sentences does she only write those two?

[@cyanmaro374]

For children with learning disabilities or a kids healing from a brain injury is it OK to dictate and say the sentence along with "comma" if there is one, or "period" at the end of the sentence? Or is that impeding them from learning where the punctuation should be?

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Great question. You have the freedom to adjust Charlotte's methods in a way that fit your child's needs.

[@lgcarrol]

Thank you! When dictating "up to a parapgraph" etc, do you choose all the sentences in the passage that have the studied words? Or would you end up skipping some? If so, would you come back and dictate the paragraphs with the other studied words at the next spelling lesson?

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Hi, This is a great question. At SCM, the recommendation is that your student stop once they reach 3-4 unknown words within that assigned passage of study for their grade level. If these words happen to be spread across multiple paragraphs at your student's level, then yes not all of them would be in the portion you select for dictation, but you would have spot checked them and know they can now spell them correctly, and they would have prepared for that whole selection. You can feel free to move on to the next lesson as words will come up again in future lessons. Also, it is not possible to cover the spelling of every word in the English language, the goal is to teach the child how to study words and to improve their spelling skills overall so it is ok if you do not have each studied word in every dictation lesson.

[@joannaruthobryan-aheartfor6023]

Hello! I have a question, I’ve just started schooling my 6th grader, he is smart as a whip and his spelling is really great BUT his handwriting is very hard to read. What do you recommend? Copy work, dictation...Thank you so much for all your videos, it has given me a much needed change to homeschooling!

[@mycrazyfamilyid]

I would print out an alphabet chart in the handwriting style you prefer (Getty-Dubay italic, D'Nealian, Zaner-Blosser, etc.) for him to refer to and have him do copywork for a few weeks until it is corrected. If he is having issues with hand pain, have him do some finger and wrist stretches and exercises. My son (same age as yours) used physical therapy squeeze balls and forearm strengtheners (little handle that he just squeezes, looks kind of like a nutcracker with a spring), lace fingers together and press palms outward to stretch wrists. I also gave him some thicker pencils. Home Depot sells them for about 50 cents at the check-out. Those all helped with his handwriting.

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Hi, This is an excellent question. Here is a post that goes into how to do copywork more thoroughly: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/how-to-do-copywork/ If your child knows how and is able to form the letters correctly and it is just that he is not doing so, you could consider adding a copywork assignment with that as the goal, or you could prompt him before the dictation that you expect it be completed with his best effort and see how that goes for him. It sounds like the spelling itself is not giving him too much of a challenge, so perhaps it would be ok for him to combine the two tasks, however if he becomes overwhelmed you may want to break it into two separate tasks or shorten the dictation passage to accommodate where he is with his handwriting skills with the goal of building it back up. If you have not already, you may want to target the habit of "best effort" with him. Here is more information on that habit: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/3-ways-to-work-on-the-habit-of-best-effort/

[@xKellogsx]

I love these instructions and find them very helpful. This lady is perfect at explaining. Though I was confused a little on this one and still am. Step 1 (For leveling up and down) was to 'adjust it's length'. She then said step 2 was to 'adjust it's length'. What am I missing? Thanks again!

[@xKellogsx]

just to add she says charlotte didn't start dictation until the child was at least ten but in the guidelines, it says fourth grade?!

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

@@xKellogsx Many students are generally age 10 in grade 4, if they begin 1st grade as a 6 year old. Concerning adjusting the length - The first step is to adjust the length of the passage being studied. Rather than have the student study a sentence or two, you can increase the length of the passage. Perhaps it becomes a paragraph, 2 paragraphs, a poem with several verses, etc. It's important that there are still only 3-4 words that are unfamiliar to the student. Just because the student is studying a longer passage does not mean that you will dictate the entire passage. He is responsible for knowing it however you will choose only a small portion to dictate. The second step is to adjust the length they are to write- the portion you will dictate to them. Instead of only dictating a sentence or two, perhaps they are now responsible for writing the entire paragraph or multiple verses of a poem.

[@xKellogsx]

@@SimplyCharlotteMason thank you.

[@blessedmamalife]

Does the student REALLY know the spelling or are they just memorizing it for the lesson & then they forget? Do they often pick the same word each time it’s in a passage? How many dictations should they do per week?

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Because a student is only working on learning 3-4 words within a lesson rather than the 10+ for traditional spelling tests, the transfer from dictation lesson to everyday life is normally very high. A student should not be picking the same words every time. The parent's involvement in looking over the lesson and recognizing words he/she believes the student will struggle with is beneficial in the early years of dictation. We recommend 2 dictation lessons a week.

[@jessicajones611]

Looking for a link to the British spelling version please? I see there is one, but can’t find anywhere that stocks it? Help 😊

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

The British spelling edition of Spelling Wisdom is available in e-book format only, through our store at simplycharlottemason.com/store/spelling-wisdom/ Click any of the books on that page to select from American or British spelling editions.

[@poonamgill7560]

Just started the program. One quick question- is the title of passages part of the dictation exercise? Do we study the words from title? Thanks

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Hi Poonam. The title is not part of the dictation passage.

[@ninilovenana]

Is the purpose of dictation for spelling?

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Charlotte Mason used dictation to teach spelling as well as for a way for children to "see" and "practice" quality writing and to learn punctuation, grammar and English usage.

[@user-go9qd7dz7z]

I need one of the books please

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Thanks for your interest in these resources! You can find "Spelling Wisdom" here: simplycharlottemason.com/store/spelling-wisdom/ You can utilize "Spelling Wisdom" alongside "Using Language Well" for teaching English usage, grammar, and punctuation. You can learn more about "Using Language Well" here: simplycharlottemason.com/store/using-language-well/

[@lydiasabina]

Hi would you reply personal questions over mail?

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Yes, you are welcome to send us an email via the contact form on our site and we'll respond back personally. www.simplycharlottemason.com/contact