Well, we’ve been holed up in the office for several weeks, but we’re pleased to announce that the dictation books we’ve been talking about and working on are complete! They’re called “Spelling Wisdom.” We thought that was a fitting title since the books teach spelling words using the wisdom of Charlotte Mason’s prepared dictation method combined with the wisdom presented in the wonderful excerpts and quotations used for the exercises.

This five-book series teaches the 6,000 most frequently used words in the English language, all contained in the writings of great men and women of history. We found some great gems to include: letters from Beethoven and Mozart, anecdotes about Michelangelo and Velazquez, speeches by Lincoln and Churchill, poetry by Wordsworth and Stevenson, excerpts from books by Dickens and Alcott, and much more — more than 170 quality sources in all! (And of course, we had to include Charlotte Mason quotations and excerpts from “Ourselves.”)

Now you can have the confidence that you’re teaching the words your student needs to know, using the superior method that Charlotte endorsed. Be sure to learn more about Spelling Wisdom and download a free 20-page sample while you’re visiting our site.

PS: For those of you who like numbers, here are some interesting facts about Spelling Wisdom:

  • 5 books in the series
  • 140 dictation exercises in each book
  • 700 dictation exercises in all
  • Compiled from more than 170 quality sources
  • 6,000 most frequently used words in the English language included
  • Plus 6,500 bonus words
  • More than 12,500 words taught in the series
  • 955 pages in the series
  • 10 software applications involved in the creating
  • 4 computers and 2 computer platforms used
  • 200 Cokes consumed during the process

4 Comments

  1. I love these books! You have taken all of the work out of choosing dictation passages for me. I will definitely be using these when my kids get to the right level in school. I was wondering if they will be available in bound books since we are not always able to use a computer?

    • Hi, Nikki –
      Thanks for your encouraging words! At this point we don’t have any plans to publish Spelling Wisdom as bound books. Maybe you could print sections of or the entire book from the computer when you are able to use one, so you’ll have it in printed form for the days when you’re not able to use a computer. Just an idea. It would take a little time, of course, but that might be a great excuse to get in some personal reading while it’s printing 😉

      Another possibility might be to download the book, put it on a CD, then take it to a printing service/copy shop (like an OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples, Kinkos) and have them print it. Many of those places have options for binding, shipping or pick-up, and Web upload of files for printing.

  2. This looks really awesome! I will be using this for next year…Thanks for all of your hard work..

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