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Copy work – middle/Jr. high?
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Let me start by saying I have boys! Need I say more?
Just kidding I love them dearly. But I am planning copy work for next year and need some advice.
My oldest 14yrs has beautiful cursive when I ask hiim to do that. His printing is messy. My 13 yr old still struggles in cursive without something to trace and printing is neat if done big, but not if I give him a normal size paper (HWT like the middle size) – will add he’s left handed. My 11 yr old is ok in printing – again big. Also still struggles with cursive without a traceing sheet or something to copy.
So my thoughts were this.
14yr old – make him up a copy work for once a week this year alternating between printing and cursive using the same sentence for every two?
13yr & 11yr old – same thing but doing it twice a week – one day printing and one day cursive again using the same sentence for two days.
What do you think about this? I just feel that maybe it’s just busy work but again their printing is hard to read and cursive needs work. I am thinking keeping it really short also. Say max of 10 minutes. Thoughts appreciated
Again, could have written same. My 9YO has the best handwriting of our 3 oldest (also all boys :).
I made a “Copywork Book” from a great deal I got at CurrClick. I love it b/c it uses Scriptures, so I feel it is purposeful.
This is the one I purchased. I printed off a lot of the pages (didn’t even use them all b/c it would be a HUGE book), and had the spiral bound at FedEx. The boys pick a page and do the verse in their Copywork notebooks. I have them date it so I KNOW it was done, but I allow them to choose so long as they are choosing different verses.
It has both manuscript and multiple cursive styles. I printed mine in b/w for cost sake. I also bought the $6 bundle b/c it was such an exceptional value.
I will be using this approach again for copywork.
I have 4 boys (7 children total) and my oldest is 14, a boy and is going into the 9th grade next school year 🙂
He also has beautiful cursive, but sloppy print! We had a discussion about this a few days ago and he told me that he really would not like me to make him some copy work book, but is fine with copywork. I think those books just seemed too little kid like for him. I plan on buying or even possibly making him a book that looks nice has blank lines, no pre-made verses/passages and is to his tastes so he can keep it as a keep sake book of things copied in his best handwriting.
I even told my son that he can choose his own passages to copy as long as they are approved.. He said he’d like to copy the Psalms or Poems that he’ll be reading next year.
I would not ask my son to copy the same passage twice, once in print and once in cursive. That sounds boring to me, personally. I think alternating the 2 is a great idea, but I would personally use different passages each time.
Of course your boys could be so different from mine and need just the opposite of my suggestions, but I thought I would share.
Blessings, Christy
I should probably clarify that my Copywork Book is a MASTER that our boys use to choose a passage to copy in their BLANK copybooks. I agree that the older boys need some liberty in choosing. This is a great motivator for our boys. I don’t have them write directly in the book as I plan to use it with our next 3 for years to come. Rather, they have a blank spiral-bound book with regular lined paper in it that has been punched for placement in the spiral book.
I also do not require print and cursive. of the same passage. They tend to alternate on their own which works for me. I just ask our boys to do copywork twice a week.
As I was reading simplyblessed’s response I had the thought of making them a Commonplace Book instead of a copywork book. You could stress that it should be really nice and neat because this is something that you can keep for the rest of your life. You could tell them what to put in their book, and then as they get more mature and adept at picking out their own passages, they could choose what to put in it. It does sound a little more grown up than copybook, but really it could be pretty similar. I think my kids (who believe they are already adults) might not mind copywork so much if we put a little bit different spin on it. Just a thought I had. Now my brain is working on it…. I will probably end up doing this.
What simplyblessed and pslively are describing sounds like a book of mottoes
http://simplycharlottemason.com/2009/01/28/a-book-of-mottoes/
Pslively said exactly what I was thinking. A commonplace book is perfect for this age and gives ownership and responsibility to the child. Here’s a brief article – http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/commonplace-book-or-copywork-for-older.html?m=1.
Here’s another way for copywork, which might be a good in between for you – http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/copywork-on-our-home.html?m=1
Christie
ok some good thoughts.. but how often would you have then do it?
And would alternating between the two printing and cursive be good?
I like the nice book idea or letting them pick. I will ask them more about it so they can have more say which might help.
My 13yo ds alternates between cursive/print daily with copywork, meaning he does both. He doesn’t have to do both daily, but enjoys it. He is using 2 different ones from Queens as I needed something that was preprinted (I’ve done the online/printing before and needed a break). He also has a book of mottoes and uses it, but it would’ve been nice to have given him a nicer notebook for his mottoes (any suggestions?).
I have my son do as much copywork as possible, not only for his penmanship, which is nice, but for spelling.
Come to think of it, I need to start having him do this type of activity at the table as I think he may just be skimming the words and not *really* seeing them. Could be wrong, but he’s not the type skims over things because he doesn’t think he really needs to focus. Not know-it-all-ish, but something of the sort.
Can you use those blank journals from Walmart with the nicer bindings and covers to give the books that “Nice Look – I want to take care of this” feeling? I think they have solid colors. If they don’t, I would think that a bookstore would have a nice inexpensive blank journal.
Ok so do copywork anywhere from daily to a couple times a week. He does it, doesn’t seem to bother him at all so I don’t need fancy notebooks to make it better but it might be a fun idea none the less.
Ask him what he’d like to do as far as sentences and see if he has a preference.
Can use copywork as written narration, or/also written narration as typing tix it up.
Does this all sum it up and see doable.
Misty,
I don’t understand copywork as written narration. Maybe, im missing something here. The two things serve different purposes. Having your son copy someone else’s thoughts is great for many aspects of LA, including spelling, grammar, punctuation & penmanship, but it is not the same as written narration. Narration is getting your son’s thought about what he read along with the details onto paper. I don’t see how copywork in any way can serve as written narration.
Using copywork and or written narration as typing material is a good idea. Kill two birds with one stone, you know.
Alternating between print and cursive is fine, too. I would perhaps choose varied passages and not have the hold repeat.
Giving ownership, by letting him choose the passages is excellent. If you don’t wish to purchase a fancy notebook, perhaps a sewn composition book will hold up better than a spiral bound one as a long term keepsake.
Blessings,
Christie
Yes Yes that is great. I didn’t know how narration would go because I can’t really correct it all for that purpose. Ok.. more thinking and planning thanks Christie
I have 2 boys in middle school, entering jr high. We’re making the transition into “older student” so for now we do a mix of copywork/writing ideas. Perhaps this year or next we’ll be transitioning into a Commonplace Book. Right now we do the following:
Copywork jar – One day a week they pull out 2 strips of paper from the jar and copy them into their copywork books. The strips are a mixture of scripture, wonderful quotes and silly things like “With great power comes great responsibility. – Spiderman”. They never know what they’ll pull out which makes it more interesting for them. This is done in their choice of cursive or print.
Story Starters – they take a card that has a verb, noun, adjective and location and write a paragraph or story then we go over one mistake to fix in it and they re-copy. This is done in their choice of cursive or print. They have a separate notebook for this.
Prepared copywork – I write out two quotes/thoughts/scriptures, one in cursive, one in print. They copy this into their copywork book. I want them to learn to read computer generated print/cursive as well as someone’s handwriting which is why I copy one out.
Dictation – on another day they write out the dictation they’ve been studying that week. We alternate between cursive and print.
Make your own story – on this day they choose what they want to write and go with it. We look it over and find one thing to correct, discuss it and I don’t make them re-write it except for that one mistake. One of my “I hate writing” sons will write 3 or 4 PAGES when he makes his own stories and I don’t want him to lose that interest by re-writing the whole thing.
This is the plan for the next while until I see some improvement in writing and in responsibility and then we’ll move into something different.
Heather
Misty, if you are uncomfortable teaching and correcting writing, there are programs that can help. Two that come to mind are Write at Home and My Access. Both have teachers who work with your child and give feedback on the writing.
I know My Access is on the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-Op right now – https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/my-access/?c=1/?source=49752
Sometimes the best solution is someone to help, so I thought it worth mentioning. While not directly related to copywork or narration, these programs could possibly give you some support where you need it.
Christie
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