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.

Garden Update and Henry VIII

We only have a week and a half left of our big school holidays.  Then we'll be back to it full time. 

 

Where did the time go? Did I rest enough? Ummmm, no, I quite possibly didn't rest at all. Perhaps I should take a week off? Could I actually do that? Yes, I have permission, but I'm a driven sort of person. Always finding things to put my hands to, so I don't know how to just "rest and relax".   If I lay down you KNOW I'm going to get inspired to jump straight back up and make or do something.

 

This week the family has been under viral attack with some sort of tummy bug.  Well, most of the family, so far I've managed to escape it personally, but I've had to pick up the slack and do the extra work and a HEAP more washing.

 

Anyway, the good news is that Chloe went and made a wolf.  A day late, but she still managed to get one put together.

Oh yes, the garden.   We are a few days late, but better late than not at all this month I guess.

 

Capsicums are growing awesome.  :o)

The tomatoes are growing awesome also.  These are VERY BIG, but they are also under attack.  We have fruit fly in the area, so we're not fareing too well in that department.  Lots of fruit but we're losing them before they make it inside.

I think we might have grown the smallest red capsicum ever.  It just goes to show you the difference between different types of plants.  Some are big, some not so big.   I've kept their tags so I'll know which ones to buy next time.

 

The children have been slightly very TV deprived so when I started allowing them to watch the odd Horrible History clilp I started getting requests for them daily.   They LOVE the little songs even if they don't really fully grasp the history part completely.  A little here, a little there.

 

Today we'll be looking at Henry VIII as part of our Project 365. 













Thanks for visiting.

Project 365

Last week I introduced my latest project, 'Project 365'.  Here's how we went:

December 2012

13 - Insects

I read this book.





Then we did these:

 





If you'd like a copy of them just click the folowing picture.

and for the other worksheets click this one:

14 - Oliver Cromwell

We put him on a little 3 x 5 card.  Wow, ummmmm there's quite a bit more to this man than just banning christmas, and it isn't all good I'm afraid. 

 

15 - Repent

We put this on a little 3 x 5 card too.

 

 

 

 

16 - Psalm 23:6

Yep, another card.

 



17 - Francis Drake

He also made it to a 3 x 5 card, AND we went looking for some fun stuff on youtube in Horrible Histories as well.

Don't forget to check out last weeks Horrible Histories youtube clip I posted on the Spanish Armada.

 

18 - Wolf

I read this book.

 

Then we did these:

 

 

This one is Hannahs - 3y8m

 

Phebe - 5





 

Chloe was sick today - so no work from her.  She did listen to the story though. :o)

 

Then late in the afternoon I thought I'd try and make a craft.

 

 

Phebe was the only child to do a WOLF craft.  She added legs to hers.





 

 

If you'd like a copy of the notetaking pages just click the following picture.

 

19 - Volcano

I read from this book.

 



 

Then we did these:

 



 



 

Chloe also did one, but was a bit late for photos.

Wow, and if you got through ALL that you are a STAR~!!

So, what do you think of my Project 365?  Would you like to join in?  I have the remainder of December and January lists already to go up there on the top bar under 'Project 365'.

Should I divide the days up a bit?  Was this post TOO much?

I'll be back next Thursday with another weeks show and tell.  Or maybe sooner, because "I" think the post was a bit long myself.  :o)