All About Copywork for Homeschoolers
Copywork is a fantastic tool for homeschool families who want to teach their kids about writing and grammar, while exposing them to great literature in the process. But since copywork isn’t a part of many homeschool curricula, some families might not know about this helpful tool. Are you curious about copywork and how to use it in your homeschool? If so, keep reading!
What is Copywork?
Copywork is a learning activity where students practice copying letters, words, or sentences written by someone else. Students might copy a poem, lines from a famous speech, Bible verses, the lyrics to a song, or even facts about something they are studying. Homeschoolers use copywork to help teach about grammar, writing, and handwriting, but it has a number of other benefits as well.
The History of Copywork
Before printing technology was developed, all books were copied by hand. Copywork was a common part of education before the 1900s. Teachers used it to help students learn how to write and to expose them to great works of literature. In the 1900s copywork started to lose popularity as a method of education. However, it is still popular in some philosophies of education, especially Charlotte Mason homeschooling.
Charlotte Mason Copywork
In the Charlotte Mason homeschool philosophy, copywork is an important part of learning. Charlotte Mason describes several levels that students can progress through as they gain new skills.
- Copywork: students copy individual letters or words to practice their handwriting. The focus is on copying the model exactly and writing with neat handwriting. Copywork assignments are recommended for kids who are just learning how to write, in lower elementary grades.
- Transcription: students copy short sections from books and literature. They look at each word, then look away and try to write the whole word from memory. This is a great introduction to spelling and is best for kids in middle elementary grades.
- Dictation: students copy longer sections from literature that they hear out loud to practice spelling and grammar. These assignments are for kids in upper elementary grades and older.
- Narration: students in Charlotte Mason homeschooling summarize what they have learned through a process called narration. Younger kids, starting at age 6, are expected to talk about what they are learning and answer questions. By age 10, kids begin to write their narrations down as another form of copywork.
Handwriting vs Copywork
At first, I thought that copywork sounded a lot like handwriting practice. After all, in both handwriting and copywork, students concentrate on forming letters correctly and try to copy the model letters exactly. However, copywork lessons take handwriting practice to a whole different level. In copywork, students are also learning about writing and grammar as they copy passages from larger works of literature. Copywork exposes kids to these sources of quality literature while they write, while handwriting practice is just focused on forming letters.
Related Post: Handwriting Without Tears Curriculum Review
Benefits of Copywork
Doing copywork lessons can be very beneficial for homeschool students! Here are some of the benefits:
1. Improves handwriting
While doing copywork, kids focus on writing with their best handwriting. They are also studying models of good handwriting that they are copying. This emphasis on handwriting helps their own handwriting to improve.
2. Builds muscle memory
As kids practice forming letters, they are building muscle memory that allows them to form their letters correctly and write neatly.
3. Improves attention to detail
Kids must focus on copying each letter perfectly. This kind of focus helps them get used to paying attention to small details accurately.
4. Increases focus
Doing copywork requires a tremendous amount of focus for kids. This level of focus can be increased with practice.
5. Improves memory
As kids begin to copy full sentences and even longer texts, more and more memory is required to be able to copy the words without looking back at them. This practice helps kids build memory skills.
6. Increases vocabulary
Kids are exposed to new words as they copy great works of classic literature.
7. Improves grammar
Kids have the opportunity to explore and experience the rules of grammar as they are applied in the works they are copying. Kids can begin to learn grammar by osmosis, just by copying literature that follows the rules of grammar.
8. Improves writing skills
Kids who are exposed to high quality writing will naturally begin to learn writing skills for themselves.
9. Exposes kids to writing styles
Copywork is an opportunity to expose kids to a variety of different writing styles. As they explore different styles, they will start to develop their own unique style for their own writing as well.
10. Exposes kids to great literature
Copywork is a wonderful opportunity for kids to read and study Bible verses, famous speeches, great works of literature, and famous poetry. Copying these works of literature will allow kids to experience them in a new way.
Does Copywork improve writing?
Copywork is actually a great way for kids to improve their writing skills. It helps to expose kids to great writers and the ways that they use language. By copying the works of other writers, kids are practicing writing high-quality literature. And, they are able to practice writing without having to come up with their own creative ideas to write about! Copywork has been used by many great authors to help improve their craft, and has been shown to improve writing skills.
What Should Students Copy?
It is very important to choose copywork passages for your homeschool carefully. Your child will be studying the passages in depth and modeling them, so it is critical to choose passages that are good examples.
First, a passage for copywork should be well written. The passage should use correct grammar and mechanics. But, the best passages will also include challenging vocabulary words, teach kids something new, or encourage them to think about how they use the English language in a new way.
It is also important to consider the topic of the passage. Copywork is a great time to inspire a child with the perfect quote right from the source. Kids can memorize Bible verses or lines from famous speeches as they copy them. Parents can tie in other subjects by including quotes from a historical figure or facts about a topic that kids are studying as well.
How Old Should My Child Be?
Kids can start doing simple copywork once they have learned to read and write their letters, usually in the lower elementary grades. Most kids will be ready to start doing simple copywork by 1st or 2nd grade, although the age will vary depending on the child.
It is important to start small when starting copywork with younger children. At first, ask them to copy single letters or short words only. You can build up to longer passages as a child’s writing skill improves. If your child resists doing copywork or struggles to get through the page and makes lots of mistakes, that is a sign that you are asking them to do more than they are capable of.
For younger kids, you can use a large easel for copywork. Write one letter on the easel with very large print, so the letter takes up the whole surface. Then, ask your child to trace the letter several times using different colors.
Younger kids might also have more success using a small white board and a dry erase marker to do their copywork. The dry erase marker will move more easily across the white board, and require less fine motor muscle strength, than a pencil and paper would.
How to Make Your Own Worksheets
To make your own copywork lessons for your child, you will need:
- Handwriting paper that’s appropriate for your child. Younger children should use primary writing paper for their copywork (the kind with 2 solid lines and a dotted line in the middle). Older kids can use lined paper, or even a journal.
- Something to copy. Choose a quality source using the guidelines above.
- A pen or pencil, or a computer with a handwriting font.
Copy the word or passage in your neatest handwriting, exactly as you would like your child to write it. For younger kids, it is important to leave space right underneath the letter or word for them to copy it right below. For older kids, you can try writing the whole passage, and then leaving some blank lines for them to transcribe the passage.
You can use a computer to make copywork pages. It is important to use a handwriting font, and to pay attention to how the font forms individual letters. Make sure that the letters are formed the same way that you have taught your child!
You can also use an online worksheet generator like Handwriting Practice or Worksheet Works to create your own custom copywork lessons!
Related Post: How to Make a Lapbook
How to Use Copywork in Your Homeschool
Copywork lessons are easy to use. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Read the Model
First, kids should read through what they will be copying. Especially for longer passages, this helps give them context so that they can understand what they are copying.
Step 2: Copy the Model
It is important that when kids are doing copywork, they go slowly and make sure they copy the model exactly. Spelling counts, and so does grammar including capitalization and punctuation. Make sure that your child does not have too much to copy, because they can be tempted to rush.
Step 3: Correct Your Work
After kids finish their copywork, they should check their work to make sure they have copied the model exactly. It is good to get kids into the habit of checking their own work first, before a parent steps in. Parents can help kids learn how to find their mistakes by marking any lines that have a mistake, but not telling their kids what the mistake is. Kids then need to go back and find the mistake on that line.
It is important to move sequentially through copywork, starting with copying single letters. Once kids have mastered the steps to forming their letters, they can move on to copying words. It is also important to move slowly, and not to continue on to words until kids are forming their letters correctly on a consistent basis.
Over time, kids will be able to copy sentences, and then eventually whole sections of literature. Copywork is a great way for older kids to practice cursive handwriting, too. Copywork can be practiced daily for kids who are learning about handwriting, or several times per week for older kids who are learning about writing and spelling through their copywork.
What If My Child Hates Copywork?
There are many strategies that can help make copywork more fun for kids. Here are a few of them:
1. Modeling
Kids will be more likely to enjoy doing copywork if they have a parent who is doing, and enjoying, copywork too. Consider finding something of your own to copy alongside your child.
2. Fancy Supplies
Would your kids enjoy using a fancy journal for their copywork assignments? What about some special colored pens that are only used for copywork?
3. Add a Picture
After their copywork is finished, kids can illustrate their work with a drawing, or even add a fancy border around the edges. This is a great way to inspire kids who enjoy being creative.
4. Let them Choose
Kids will be more likely to enjoy copywork if they can choose the subject that they are writing about, or even the exact quotes to copy. Kids might especially enjoy writing down things that have meaning to them to save for later. Consider allowing your child to choose their own passages, or at least, looking for topics that they are interested in to write about.
5. Send Copywork to Relatives
Consider decorating completed pages, adding a note, and mailing them to relatives and friends. I am always amazed at the things my kids will do if they get to put it in an envelope and put in the mailbox when they are done! This has the added benefit of being fun for the relative who is receiving it, too.
