Why I Use Copywork To Simplify My Homeschool
Yes! I said copywork. That thing in elementary school that was used as punishment is the thing that has revolutionized our homeschool experience.
This absolutely, positively can simplified our homeschool and saved my sanity. And it’s so easy I feel guilty for not telling you about it sooner.
There are many benefits to copywork. We’ll talk about them later. First if your new to homeschooling or thinking about it read my post on how to homeschool.
I was running through our homeschool days rushing to the next subject. Hurry, hurry, hurry. We had to move on to get all this squeezed in.
I was getting burned out and my kids weren’t getting any value from it.
Over time I implemented copywork to replace spelling, handwriting, and writing mechanics.
Since then, I have used copywork to simplify our homeschool days and replace or enhance these subjects.
Julie Boggart from Brave Writer opened my eyes to it. At first I thought, “There’s no way something this easy can do everything she’s saying it can.”
I decided to give it a try anyway. I started small at first. Doing a few sentences a few times a week, just to get quality language in their heads.
I’m not going to lie, there was some moaning and groaning and a little wailing about it. But when we replaced our spelling and handwriting program with it, I quit crying and jumped on board. Just kidding! The kids jumped on board! (and quit crying)
What Is Copywork?
As homeschool moms we like to cram more and more down our kids throats, when what we really should be doing is making sure we focus on quality rather than quantity.
Copywork is as easy as it sounds. Copying the writing of someone else’s. It’s taking a quality passage from the work of a great author, poetry,bible scripture,quotes from a favorite movie, or song lyrics and copying it down. The value of it is tremendous.
Copywork has been used in education for centuries, but as time progressed, more textbooks and workbooks were used in place of it. And we’ve all heard about America’s test scores. Am I right?
What Are The Benefits of Copywork?
There are plenty of benefits to copywork. Most of the components language arts can be completed with it, thus simplifying your homeschool and your life. Here are some ways I use it in our school day.
Handwriting…
They will get a good dose of handwriting. There’s no need for an extra handwriting book. Make sure your kids do it in the best penmanship possible. Encourage them to make it beautiful. Give them pretty pens to give them inspiration.
Spelling…
This has been the biggest game changer for me. My oldest son struggles with spelling. We did All About Spelling for a year and a half. The lessons were long and trying to remember all the rules seemed to confuse him all the more.
We now take a passage, copy it, and commit words he can’t spell to memory so that when he closes his eyes he can see the whole word in his mind. Basically, taking a mental picture of it.
The next day I will dictate the passage for him to write down. Furthermore, this is teaching him to pay more attention to the spelling of words as he reads. He still remembers the spelling of words he learned 6 months ago.
Writing Mechanics…
Be sure to use a passage that has straight forward punctuation usage. Poetry is in it’s own category when it comes to punctuation. Talk about why this comma is here in this place and what job that apostrophe is doing there, then let them copy it.
Usage of Language…
Again poetry is in it’s own category here. Use your own discretion. Try to choose a passage with modern language and with good grammar choice.
Memorization…
Do you use memorization as part of you school? Copywork is great to start memorizing with. I love to copy something I need to memorize.
Tips For Starting Copywork…
-The amount of work you give your child depends on age and fine motor skills. Make sure they are developmentally able to handle the amount you give them.
-Don’t start with a half page of a book. Start with 5 minutes. Increase or decrease from there.
-Make it fun. Light a candle. Play some classical music. Mix it up.
-Let them choose their passage from time to time. They might surprise you.
Narration…
Eventually transition to narration. Let them tell back to you what happened in the story you read to them and write it down as they tell you. If they’re old enough let them write it down after they tell it to you. This will greatly enhance their writing skills.
Dictation…
After narration comes dictation. Let them study a passage, then you dictate it to them while they write it down. This incorporates everything they have learned from copywork in years prior.
I started my son on dictation half way through his 4th grade year. I wouldn’t try dictation before that. Copywork is the ground work.
As another year of school ends for us, I’ve been pondering over the changes I made this year that I’m going to implement next year. Making up a game plan, so to speak.
Homeschool is something that’s ever-changing. Each child is different than the next. Every season in life is different than the last.
I’m always changing this and tweaking that to fit our family’s needs. But copywork is here to stay.
Read why our 2nd year of homeschool was better than the first.
Wow, we homeschooled for 3 years, but I never did this once. We really struggled with homeschooling, and eventually I sent my children to private school (I couldn’t let them go back to public). We actually love the school they’re in now, and it’s a lot less stressful for me, but I do wish I’d implemented this when we were homeschooling.
Actually, I will do this this summer with my daughter who just graduated Kindergarten. She scored above average on all areas of skill, but I’d like to keep her sharp for starting 1st grade =) Thanks for sharing!
Hey I always say just because we do it don’t mean it’s for everyone. If mama ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy 🙂 It’s great that you recognized that this wasn’t right for you all.
This would be great for your daughter for spelling, handwriting and reading!