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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 14 2013 at 8:30pm | IP Logged
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I *think* this has been discussed before, but I'm bringing it back!
How do you choose your copywork in your learning?
Do you have themes for days, like Bible Verse, Saint of the Day, Collect from Mass, History reading, poetry, free choice?
I was thinking of using SCM Spelling Wisdom for some of our copywork for ease of use, but it's not really directed at what we're doing here.
And do you handwrite or use software to have the correct lettering, or do you have them copy from a printed text?
My son is behind on handwriting, and I think he still needs visualization of the lettering (the work to copy needs to be in cursive.) I’m thinking I’ll need to prepare his copywork ahead of time.
But I’m just curious to see what everyone else does.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Aug 14 2013 at 8:43pm | IP Logged
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I've done the themed thing, but mostly just to help me plot it out. So I would rotate German, Latin, verse, etc... So it wasn't associated withe the particular day. That would have been a little trickier.
I am doing Spelling Wisdom and Bravewriter Arrow dictation this year for my 4th grader.
My 2nd grader was more of the themed rotation. I used some of the FHC notebook ideas and then on the two days we read from the Illustrated Catechism, I pulled from there because the titles/TOC are so simple and straight forward.
I used StartWrite to make the sheets. I did the whole term at once.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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Martha
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| Posted: Aug 14 2013 at 10:56pm | IP Logged
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I use the memory work from their CCM for copywork and the cursive books from Our Lady of Victory. Unless they are s just beginning leftie, they start with HWOT cursive instead.
They do cursive OLVS books daily in early year then just 2-3 times a week in older grades.
The CCM breaks down fairly easily for daily copywork
Religion and Prayer
History
Science & Math
Poem
Geography
ETA: I always just use plain college rule paper. I like HWOT bc they only use the two line guides and I think it's an easier transition. It takes a bit more guidance to remind my kids to ignore the middle guide line in most primary books, but it's not that difficult.
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Martha
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SallyT
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| Posted: Aug 15 2013 at 6:10am | IP Logged
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I often choose my copywork selections on the fly, but I have a loose rotation in mind -- psalms and canticles from the Daily Office (I have to admit that my major distraction in prayer is going, "Oh, I like this psalm. Look, I can use this to talk about subjects and verbs. We'll use it for copywork . . . "), poems, passages from other things we're reading, etc. I want to incorporate German into our copywork this year, too.
I either write it on the board or -- and this seems to work best -- on the left-hand side of an open copybook, so that they can write it on the right side. It's been an opportunity to re-awaken my long-dormant use of cursive . . .
And I generally write it out for the child on the day. We're still not doing super-long selections, and it doesn't take me more than a few minutes to write in each child's book.
I've toyed off and on with using Spelling Wisdom, but after looking at their method, I've concluded that I can do the same things with copywork of my own choosing. I am choosing copywork with some spelling and grammar topics in mind, but also going with what suggests itself in our reading and prayer life.
Sally
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jawgee
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| Posted: Aug 15 2013 at 8:19am | IP Logged
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I ended up buying Presidential Penmanship for my younger son because he still needs a visual to form his letters properly. We don't do a theme, he just works through the book throughout the year.
My older son, though, who is just working on perfecting his handwriting, uses our CCM memory work for copywork.
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Monica
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 15 2013 at 8:44am | IP Logged
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Ours is usually from seasonal poetry or something liturgically based. Sometimes I choose a quote from a historical figure if it is in context with something we're studying. (Ex: Gettysburg Address during study of Civil War.)
I do use the Spelling Wisdom selections as copywork, too. Using the SW selection to study one day, and then use for copywork that same day, really helped my fine-motor delayed, spelling-challenged child. He actually needed the extra practice in writing the dictation selection as copywork before he wrote it as a dictation - otherwise, on dictation day, he'd be overwhelmed with the mechanical skill of writing and not able to concentrate on the spelling and mechanics of the selection.
I used to really like using Startwrite to make my copywork sheets, and still might if I could update to Startwrite 6 (only available for a PC), but they have failed to update their program for mac users (which I am) and the version 5 is buggy and frustrating to me, so I don't use it anymore.
So, now I either print with appropriate font from my word processor, or if it's cursive I freehand it. Especially when writing cursive, my kids prefer to be able to see the cursive example on the line directly above the one in which they are writing and I think it helps them develop spacing more appropriately so I write a line, skip a line for them to write, write a line, skip a line...and so on.
Sometimes I use plain, elementary spaced paper, and sometimes I use Notebooking Pages. I like using Notebooking pages if I have a theme going, and my current K/1st grader really prefers Notebooking pages to plain paper.
I bind selections with my Proclick and try to get a term's selections printed and bound for use at the beginning of the term. I tried exactly once to print for an entire year and it didn't work out - I just like being able to address the particulars of the term at hand, as well as the needs of the child and I need to be closer to where we are in our studies and where that child is in terms of abilities to be able to plan with any kind of accuracy - so I just print and bind by term. I do add each successive term to the proclick book so that by the year's end, there is one copywork book.
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Jen Mackintosh
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SallyT
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| Posted: Aug 15 2013 at 9:19am | IP Logged
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Oh, I like that writing-on-every-other-line idea. As we move into longer selections, I think I'll start doing that. I'm actually using primary-ruled paper for my 4th and 5th graders for copywork, because they're still not confident cursive writers, though mostly we just haven't outgrown our love for those primary journals with the space for an illustration at the top.
Because we're rusty from the summer, I'm thinking of letting them trace over my writing first, then copy, until we get warmed up.
Sally
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AmandaV
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| Posted: Aug 15 2013 at 1:17pm | IP Logged
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We don't currently have a theme but I might for this year. What worked out last year was for my 1st and 3rd grader to have a composition notebook for all of their copywork. For the 1st grader it was a Primary notebook with space for drawing, but I think I'll do a fully lined one this year. My 3rd grader had a wide ruled composition notebook.
All of their copywork went in there, unless it was something extra special. I wrote it for my dd (6-7) to copy, and for my son, 8 at the time, I wrote it if it was cursive or let him copy directly from the book or i wrote it smaller at the top. I think I'll type everything ahead of time this year for him. Not sure. I'm trying to have as much prepped ahead of time for the term as I can. I like to adjust as I go, but I have learned the hard way that I just don't have weekend planning time for more than laying things out. So planning a term at a time here.
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Amanda
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AmandaV
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| Posted: Aug 15 2013 at 1:20pm | IP Logged
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Oh, and I'm using SCM Spelling Wisdom for dictation, so I don't think we'll use it for copwork for the upcoming 2nd grader, just my 4th graders studied dictation this year.
Our topics would be:
Saint quote
Bible Quote
Poem stanza
Literature selection (2-3 lines)
History selection (I find this the hardest to find and pick, though)
Hymn verse
But I haven't figured out a rotation.
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Amanda
wife since 6/03, Mom to son 7/04, daughter 2/06, twin sons 6/08 and son 7/11, son 1/2014
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Copywork Rotation and Presentation
