Copywork & Dictation with an Aesop Freebie

     Since I'm wanting to get rather serious about copywork and dictation I'm starting to look around and gather materials.  In addition it's been quite some time since I posted a freebie here on the blog so I thought that I would endeavor to supply one.  Worked out well, two birds with one stone and all.  Freebie down the page.

     While I've got you here though, can I ask you some questions?  Like, do you use dictation in your homeschool?  Does the child read or copy the passage before you use it for the dictation?  Or do you dictate it before the child has seen it?  Do you stop mid way to have the child correct any mistakes?  Do you correct it after the dictation is finished?  How often do you use dictation in a week?  Daily?  How much dictation do you use?  I'll be using it for 6 & 8 year olds.  Should I just make it one sentence per school year?

     Oh - by the way, I have been desperately wanting to ask you all WHERE do you all get your copywork and dictation materials from?  I'd like to have a little variety if I can.  Please let me know.    Am I really going to have scour all the material myself?  Are you sure there aren't some cut shorts that I can use?  What can you tell me about copywork and dictation overall?  What type of ratio should I have in regards to different styles of writing to use?  Should 50% be from novels, 30% from Aesop, 70% from the Bible.  What's your ratio?  How do YOU do it?

     I have some solid ideas but I want to have them guided and assisted by people who are already walking the path.  I've been traveling the net tonight and my trusty bookshelf too, but I'm always open to additional insights. 

So far my Language Arts courses are reshaping up as follows:

Spelling

     Websters 

     Spelling Rules with examples

     Rod and Staff - spelling by Sound and Structure

Grammar

     Rod and Staff

Reading

     Grade appropriate readers

Writing

     Dictation x 2 times a week

     Copywork x 3 times a week

     Writing Strands x 2 times a week

     Penmanship { perhaps this can be included in the dictation and copywork }

Oral Narrations

* * * * * * *

At any rate, thanks for reading and here's a little piece that I prettied up.  Aesop is a pretty handy guy to have around the homeschool.  :o)

 I've listed 10 different things that one can use the material for.  If you think of any others please let me know so that I can add them too.

Please help a girl out with ideas and need to know information on copywork and dictation.

Today I am linking up with:

Thanks so much.