What do you use for copywork?

[hsmom]

I just recently heard about this. Do you have your child copy a quote or something? Also if you do, do you go over the same thing all week or change it daily? I really like the idea of this, but would like to hear the basics of it.

Thank you for any help.

[urban_mom]

but I'll be interested in the replies too.

[Trivium Academy]

When we first started out we used scriptures and poetry we were memorizing. After reading WTM, I changed it to poetry, science sentence, history sentence and a sentence from whatever literature we were reading. We also used copywork for handwriting instruction and practice with copy books.

Now in second grade, we're using a product that includes copywork (Primary Language Lessons by Margot Davidson), handwriting (Classically Cursive) and we have poetry copywork. Any other areas we use copywork is just incidental, we do it as we see fit.

Next year in third grade, we'll use copywork in our spelling curricula (Simply Spelling), language arts (still PLL, then Writing Tales 1) and continue doing it as we prefer in other subjects.

The one thing I learned was to incorporate it as much as possible without overwhelming my child, you can use a copy book. Here's a post I did last year on copywork with tons of articles, freebies and products you can purchase, it really is just the tip of the copywork iceberg because a lot of products have been created since I wrote this post.

Hope this helps,

http://triviumacademy.blogspot.com/2006/11/what-is-copywork.html

[Kelli in TN]

I have used all sorts of things. I use their memory verse for church sometimes. Right now I am using selections from the book series "What Your ___th Grader Needs to Know". I am using the sayings from those books. Last week one child did the golden rule and another did the saying "beauty is skin deep".

I use Startwrite and I use the same verse or saying each week. I have them write it each day, and then the rest of the sheet is lines of letters or joins, depending on what I think they need to concentrate on. Every Monday we start a new verse or saying.

[A home for their hearts]

We haven't done much copywork this year but we're slowly getting back into a routine of doing it. I've used morals from Aesop, and I'm using some copywork for SOTW from a posters blog. I think the idea of copywork is for students to copy great works of literature so they get used to seeing how a proper sentence is written and then when they are ready to write on there own it'll give them something to draw back on. I hope that makes sense, as you can probably tell I'm a terrible writter! If you are reading aloud, or if they are reading one themselvses, from a classic story you can pull a sentence from the story for them to copy and illustrate if they like. I would only have them copy it once. Ambleside Online has some great book lists!

http://amblesideonline.org/index.shtml

HTH!

[whitestavern]

Ambleside also has pages of wonderful copywork broken out by grade level.

[Donna T.]

My son reads anywhere from one to three chapters a day from a book that I have assigned (using Sonlight readers right now) and then does copywork from whatever he has just read. He also copies sentences from his Rod & Staff English lessons.

[Karen in Eastern WA]

We do copywork daily (1st/2nd grade). We start the morning with it. We take turns picking a sentence for the whiteboard from a book that we have read in the past. The person who picks the sentence for the day writes it in secret, so that the others have to guess which book it is from. Any book is game, although I do try to pick sentences from the classics when it is my turn.

The child who didn't pick for the day either copies it on paper or on their mini whiteboard. I review the work and circle anything on the "master" whiteboard that they missed (usually commas). It has actually been a lot of fun. It encourages reading as well since they have to flip through books to find a good sentences.

[Faithr]

I have used lots of different resources for copywork. We've copied over Latin saying from Schola Latina and Latina Christiana, we've copied over first sentences from famous books, poetry from The Harp and the Laurel Wreath, riddles and tongue twisters, quotes from scripture, prayers. Sometimes I'll actually have it together to have copywork coincide with a particular day, for example on March 17, we'll copy over famous Irish blessings.

For my little ones though I tend to merge penmanship with copywork. We used Memoria Press's copywork book last year for my second grader. I also like A Reason for Writing and the Catholic version of that, Writing Can Help.

For my teens I just downloaded Spelling Wisdom from the Simply Charlotte Mason site.

I really like having a different theme for copywork a day. I like organizing things along those lines. So I am thinking of doing something like Latin saying or quote - M, jokes/riddles/tongue twisters-T, Scripture-W, book quote -Th, Poetry - Friday.

[Fourmother]

Poetry is a popular source for copy work at my house. I take excerpt from books they happen to be reading at the time. Sometimes I take sentences from the newspaper describing an interesting current event. One son was really into our local baseball team when he was a first grader, so I would simplify sentences from the Sports section of the paper about the previous day's game or his favorite player.

Another good source is the child's own history, science or story narrations, especially if he is too young to write them down on his own initially. Have him narrate while you write it down, then he can copy it.

[Beth in Central TX]

For copywork I used Bible verses & chapters, selections or poems from the Harp and Laurel Wreath, grammar definitions from FLL & R&S, and spelling rules from SWO & R&S.