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Is the first half of SW Book one to be used for transcription?
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Just want to clarify something on the SCM Curriculum Guide….
The first half of Book one of SW is to be used for transcription in order to transition into dictation?
That is one way it can be used, yes. I know some moms use it for copywork; others jump right into dictation. Use it as a tool to meet your student where he or she is.
I’m trying to understand transciption a little better. I guess you could say my 8 y.o. has been doing copywork through his handwriting program. Here is what I found regarding transcription: “Rather than copying letter for letter, he begins to write whole words from memory, one or two at a time, as he works his way through the passage.”
My question is: how to you ensure your student is doing this and not going letter by letter? Is this a necessary step before actual dictation?
Thanks!
Most children will make the transition naturally, Mandi. One way to tell is to watch his eyes. If he’s going letter by letter, or two letters at a time, he’ll look back at the model and then at his own work quite rapidly and frequently. If he is writing one or two words before looking back to check his work, he’s moving into transcription phase.
Transcription is a natural step between copywork and dictation, because you’re moving through this process
- write and check each letter
- write then check each word or two
- write then check a passage
Bringing this thread back up…
My dd7 (8 this summer) still copies letter for letter on almost every word. Even words she knows how to spell correctly and would use in her own writing. Is there a way to push transcription or does this mean she just isn’t there yet mentally so I should give it some more time to develop?
Charlotte described transcription for children “of seven or eight,” so your daughter is fine. One thing you could do to show her the direction you will be headed:
“Children should be encouraged to look at the word, see a picture of it with their eyes shut, and then write from memory” (Vol. 1, p. 238).
So if she doesn’t start making that transition on her own in a few months, you could start gently guiding her in the direction of dictation by focusing on one word at a time as described above. In full-blown dictation, she will be visualizing and writing whole sentences at a time, but transcription is a step toward that, focusing on one word at a time. Does that help any?
I am really glad this came up again, particularly the mention of transcription (as defined above by Sonya) being the step between copywork and dictation.
I have one son who just never made the “natural transition” outlined above. His habit/comfort was to keep looking letter by letter (perhaps two letters at a time but never more); to be honest it became a habit that was really hard to break! I continued to watch his eyes, as Sonya suggested above, and yet we remained in the same step (letter for letter copywork) for over two years. I had read the posts here on the forum and tried to encourage him to begin envisioning words instead of letters, use the mind’s eye, but it seems he had formed the habit of letter-by-letter and wouldn’t budge!
With this, are there some learners/situations where a CM early language arts program Copywork-Transcription-Dictation might not be well suited? How long do we give it before we consider adding other language arts tools so that the child doesn’t fall into a habit/rut or end up falling significantly behind? Not meaning to sound critical at all… I just want to learn everything I can on this so that I don’t have a repeat of the “copywork rut” with my younger children; really hoping copywork-transcription-dictation model will work for them!
Could you possibly write a word per note card? Then, have the child look at the card and envison it. Then you put the card down and have them write it. Do this word for word until they have finished a sentence or two. It seems like a simple way to encourage transcription.
I’ve heard of people that have the guide on the other side of the room – so they go and look at a couple of words, then go write it, then go look at a couple more…. Letter by letter would be too much running from side to side – so it would discourage that.
If you used Kalle’s method, you could even write the letters in color. It has helped my dd “see” it in her mind much better.
That’s a great idea for envisioning a word. My oldest 10yo has done well making that transition but my youngest 10yo (adopted from China 4years ago and still transitioning in a few areas, I think) has a hard time with it. I think isolating it for him this way would be perfect. Especially adding color.
Thanks for the replies. I think the different-colour-for-each-word idea sounds very promising; will give that a try.
Again, with thanks. Angie
Sonya, Thank you for your reply. Unfortunatly I don’t think that does help because I have sat down with dd various times throughout this past year to show/encourage her in this in the way you describe. She understands it, but just goes back to letter by letter if I’m not literally forcing it by covering up the word/passage after she looks at it. Copywork is such an easy and independent subject for dd otherwise. She’ll sometimes do extra lines when she is enjoying the poem.
My dd sounds similar to Angelina’s ds. Habit and comfort. I think the ease of the known is winning out over the temporary extra effort of focusing on each word long enough to spell it without looking at each letter. On the other hand she is not a naturally good speller. She reads very well but doesn’t seem to pick up correct spelling at all from that. So perhaps she does need something else to help her see the word in her mind.
I think I will try suzukimom’s idea to see if it helps. She is a very bouncy child anyway, so the walking back and forth may actually help her concentrate. If anyone has any other thoughts, please share them! 🙂
Emily
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