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literature and copywork questions
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I have a 9 yr old DD and a 13 yr old DS. Their reading comp is a little behind. This will be the beginning of our 2nd year of homeschooling. I was uncertain about how many different books the children should be reading a day. I was requiring 45mins of silent reading in a literary book last year as they were not used to reading much on their own at all. Just trying to get them into reading. Towards the end of the year we started doing a read aloud also. This year, as I read more of CM, I see where it is not recommended to read to the children at this age. She says for them to read their books on their own. My confusion is that they have to read so many different books: literary, history, science, biographies a day…will they get confused trying to keep all these separate books in memory.
Copywork: My 9 yr old will be doing copywork for cursive because she still is not proficient in cursive. My sons handwriting is neat but he is not a very good speller. Should I continue copywork with him or focus on only dictation?
Stephanie,
I still require copywork until the child shows proficiency and mastery of the skill. My children are 9 & 10 and the 9yo still needs daily copywork practice. I have been able to transition my son out of copywork because his cursive was beautiful and he no longer needed practice. He will start keeping a book of mottoes this year. He has also done 2 years of dictation, using cursive at first, but now he types it. That is working better for both of us.
You have to remember that CM was not a mother or a homeschooler. She actually taught in a classroom and taught young ladies who would be governesses and teachers of other people’s children. We use her methods in our homeschools, and they work wonderfully. I think everyone on here will tell you that it is important to continue reading aloud to children, even in high school. It draws families together and creates a special bond to go on adventures together through literature. I also still read many books to my children that aren’t our family read aloud. Science is one example. A few of our history books are also read aloud. They have independent reading that they are responsible for narrating and comprehending, but we mix reading aloud as a family with them reading silently on their own, or even reading to each other, which they enjoy from time to time. Yes, children are going to read A LOT during school time if you’re using the CM Method. They don’t get confused; just trust the books and the methods.
Just as you don’t get confused by reading a magazine, then a cookbook, then a book, and then your Bible, the children won’t be confused either. If reading silently isn’t a favorite activity for them, perhaps start requiring a little less time and then building up. Remember, one of Charlotte’s tenets was short lessons. This includes reading. If my children read longer than 15-20 minutes at a time, it’s because THEY want to, not me requiring it of them at this point. That time will increase as they get older, but they’re 9 and 10 right now, and 15-20 minutes of reading in one subject is right where they need to be.
Hope that helps!
Lindsey,
Yes, thank you, it did help. I needed that clarification, as I was going over and over in my mind, trying to figure out all of the reading part.
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