Copywork for the boys, 2012-13

Charlotte Mason wrote:

“A Child should Execute Perfectly. No work should be given to a child that he cannot execute perfectly, and then perfection should be required from him as a matter of course…Set him six strokes to copy; let him, not bring a slateful, but six perfect strokes, at regular distances and at regular slopes. If he produces a faulty pair, get him to point out the fault, and persevere until he has produced his task; if he does not do it to-day, let him go on to-morrow and the next day, and when the six perfect strokes appear, let it be an occasion of triumph. So with the little tasks of painting, drawing, or construction he sets himself--let everything he does be well done… Closely connected with this habit of 'perfect work' is that of finishing whatever is taken in hand. The child should rarely be allowed to set his hand to a new undertaking until the last is finished.”

The idea is quality over quantity, which is why last year I had the boys copy just one letter at a time, and execute that letter to the best of their ability just three times.  I used to go for quantity- (poor Ella!) but have since learned that everyone is happier if I assign less but expect it to be done WELL. (So even though I toyed with the idea of having them copy George Washington's Rules of Civility (we are studying American History, after all!), I decided against that and am stepping up from one letter a day to one word a day.)

I decided to do the books of the Bible-- something we've done in the past for memory work-- but this will serve as copywork for this year and a refresher on the books of the Bible.  Handy!

So, in their copywork jar are two copies each of each book of the Bible.  They'll each draw one out, find where it goes (I've lightly penciled in all the books of the Bible on the left-hand side, in order), they'll tape or glue their slip of paper over my word, and then write the word (once!) in the space on the right-hand side.  Eventually they'll have written all 66 books of the Bible, in order!

*UPDATE: Annie asked in the comments if I'd be willing to give this information out so that she could use these copywork pages, too.  I am completely willing, always.  (Honestly- I had thought about posting it but then was all, "Well- that's sort of presumptuous to think someone might want it." so I didn't.  But goodness!  Ask and I am always happy to share!  :))  But apparently it's impossible to post pdf documents in Blogger, so I've posted them into Google docs. (This is the first time I've done this, so I hope it works for you.  Please let me know if you try it and it does work.)


For the link for the copywork pages, click here. (you only need to print page 1.  page 2 is blank.)

For the link for the listed books of the Bible, click here.
*August 3rd UPDATE: Grr.  My little plan to post those into Google docs did not work.  Sorry!  If you're interested in the files, just email me and I'll email them to you.  Several of you have done so and that is working just fine.  :)  (If anyone knows another way for me to make them accessible here on the blog, let me know!)

Copywork for the boys

{I was going to blog about my plan for the boys' copywork this coming year, and realized that I had never posted about what they did this past year.  I found a draft of a post I'd started about their copywork, so I'll finish that up here and then in my *next* blog post I'll tell you what we're doing for this coming year.}

 * * * 

My goal this year for the kids' copywork was QUALITY over quantity.  I made the boys (Isaac- 2nd grade, Isaias- 1st grade) their own copywork jar, but reaaaaallly simplified it.  I just wrote out lowercase and uppercase alphabet letter sets for each boy (Isaac's on green paper, Isaias' on blue paper), and dumped them into a jar.

Here's what their copywork paper looks like

Each day, they pull out a letter and write it- carefully- three times.

 

Then once a week-- on Fridays-- I had something called "Copywork Draw", where they'd instead draw a short word, and then a draw a picture of that word.

And that was it.  Super fun to see their illustrations, especially.  I love their drawings so much. 

Recap of our first day

Or rather: Recap of our first week.

{an especially squinty Audra}

It's actually been a great week. I am really glad to be so organized this year, because that has made things go more smoothly. I'm satisfied with how much we're getting accomplished each day, and am relieved that I didn't overshoot it. (I didn't plan too much.)

 

Things went pretty much according to my plan here, except that so far the girls have played (fairly) quietly during our reading time for History and so they've stayed with us and I've postponed their video time a bit later during our table time.

The only thing I may be unprepared for is how fast they're going through the books to read on their Assigned reading shelves.  (I selected several books for both Isaac and Ella over the summer that I wanted them to read throughout this school year, and I think they've read three books each.  This week.  Nice.)  I mean, I'm really thankful they're such avid readers, but I was sort of hoping those books would last them a little longer!

The dishes sit while we do school and the house is more cluttered.  The little girls have been in pajamas all day long this entire week, and I am exhausted by the end of the day.  But we're good.  We're reading and learning and relating and praying and singing and in each others way and by the grace of God, I'm handling those (many) interruptions well and we're all loving it.  Truly.  Is there anything better than being with these dear children every day?  I love them so much.  I feel so incredibly blessed.

 "Snapshots" from the week that stand out in my mind:

*Isaac snuggled up to Adelia on the couch with a stack of picture books- reading aloud to her during their buddy time.

*Ella's first dication lesson: complete with tears at the start, but by the end of it? "I really love this, mommy!  This is fun!  Can we do this every day?"

*Pointing to a blank US map and quizzing them on states and capitals.  They SO know more than I do.

*Isaac announcing how much he loves math and he wants to order the next book.

*Daily readings from this book:

(You know how sometimes you just find the perfect book for your kids' ages and imaginations at that particular time? This is it. They are so captivated by this story, all of them- and it's been really fun to read aloud.)

*Audra's new term: "Pocka does" (otherwise known as "polka dots"), and how many times a day she says it.  Apparently she loves pocka does right now.  And I love her.

*Adelia's desire to be apart of every.single.thing.we.do- including asking all sorts of seemingly studious questions about our picture study piece.  Love that lively girl. 

*Lessons on my bed with Ella, then Isaac~ for one-on-one English time, and Ella's cheery, "I'll bet most girls don't get to snuggle up all cozy on their mommy's bed to do English!" 

*Reading lessons at the table with Isaias, and how delighted he was when he read a whole sentence!

I am blessed.  So blessed.

School after breakfast: Math

Math was always my least favorite subject in school. Ugh. That and Science. I was much happier working on an English or History paper or even an art project. I think I'll safely be able to get our children through Geometry, but when it comes to Algebra or anything beyond that: we're doomed.

That's exactly when Mark will take over the math in this house.

So far, though? We're handling it quite well.

A couple of years ago we started with Math-U-See, and Ella just never "took" to it. I'm not exactly sure why- I still think it's a great curriculum- but I could tell she dreaded doing it whenever I pulled it out. Based on my own experience, I so did not want to start her down that road.

One of the many reasons I love homeschooling is that I have the privilege of figuring out how my children learn best, and then with that knowledge, I can tailor our learning to best teach them.

So when Math-U-See wasn't panning out, I shelved it (in the hopes that my boys will use it at some later date) and began all over again. I purchased workbooks from Rod and Staff (she's currently working through the Grade 2 set), and ta-da: all of a sudden she loves Math.

It's a very straightforward book, and she is able to do most of it on her own with little help from me. She has to do three pages in her workbook every day, and she can do it on her own time. Most of the time, she is anxious to finish up with school and play with her brothers and sisters, so she often asks: "Mommy, can I do math on my quiet time?" So she does.

This right here is my favorite part of math-at-our-house:


Ella leaves me notes in the margins because she knows I'll be by later to check her work. So we leave little notes to each other throughout the pages of her math book.

What else? Oh. On Saturdays (and usually one other time during the week), she goes through her flashcards.

And that's math at our house.


Next up: Read-alouds

School after breakfast: English

When the chores are done and Audra is down for her nap, and if it's a Tuesday, Thursday or a Saturday, Ella and I work on an English lesson together.

We use Rod and Staff, and we really like it.

One of my favorite things about Rod and Staff is that the text and exercises are based on Bible stories and there is a focus on character traits we value: obedience, respectfulness, cheerfulness and hard work.

I usually have Ella read her lesson to me, and then we go over the instructions together. Then she works independently until she completes the exercises. (Maybe 20-30 minutes.)

After I get Ella working independently, Isaac and I do some Kindergarten work together.

This is where it gets a little tricky with Adelia (and Audra if she happens to be awake). I don't think we have a good system for this time of our day yet. All I know is that Adelia always.wants.to.do.what.the.bigger.kids.are.doing. When Ella and Isaac are at the table, she would like to be right there beside them. If they are holding a pencil, she would like to be holding a pencil, too. As a matter of fact, that very pencil Ella is holding!

We've tried different things. Sometimes I pull her onto my lap and try to school with her there. Except for the thing about Adelia is that she does not sit still for longer than 45 seconds. So then it becomes a battle to keep her there.

I've had her help me with things in the kitchen (washing dishes, cleaning up, etc) so that we can be near the table. I've had her in the Ergo at different times, but she doesn't always want to be there for long. I've set up the pack-n-play near the table, but that's usually a battle, too- and then I feel guilty for containing her when she was just strapped into her seat for all of our breakfast school time.

There are times I release her and Isaias to "go play nicely together" (which is brave of me to hope for, truly)~ but it works sometimes. The thing about that plan, though, is that they have to go downstairs because I don't want them playing in the living room because they'll get too rowdy and noisy for a napping Audra. So then they're completely out of sight so I end up being really distracted with checking in on them.

More often, lately- we all move downstairs. The negatives are that we're away from the table and the dry-erase board, and we're in an area of the house that has a lot of toys, which can be super distracting for Ella and Isaac.

The positives are that my light-sleeper of a baby can have an uninterrupted nap, I'm not as frazzled trying to keep everyone quiet, and I can see and hear everyone.

It's a little crazy, though. I am increasingly aware of how patient both Ella and Isaac are. I can't tell you how many times I've said to Isaac: "Okay, I'm ready to do some Kindergarten with you now! Can you bring your pencil and book to the table?" And he scurries off excitedly to do so and then tells me he's ready and by that time I'm changing a diaper or dealing with a discipline issue with another child and then I'm answering a question of Ella's or thinking: "Oh, I have to photocopy that page from his book" so I go to do that and while I'm there I throw in a load of laundry and then I remember "Aack! I haven't taken out the meat to thaw for dinner", so I do that and I pass Isaac at the table and realize I've forgotten all about him. There he sits, patiently waiting. So I tell him, "Just a minute, budders. I'll be right there" only to hear Audra cry or Adelia yell or whatever and on it goes.

This is our life. I'm so thankful for how well the kids have adapted to this season of life with its unique challenges. I know they will be all the better for it.



Coming up: Kindergarten

School after breakfast: Copywork

The reason we have incorporated copywork into our school schedule is so that Ella can practice her penmanship and also learn to use proper grammar and punctuation by seeing (and copying) the written word.

We began by copying letters only. I instructed her on how to form the letter and then she would spend five minutes writing that particular letter of the alphabet. I encouraged her not to try to get as many done as she could within that five minutes but instead to try to copy as many perfect letters as she could during that time. I kept stressing that if it took her the full five minutes to write only three letters, that was okay. Once we made it through all of the letters (uppercase and lowercase), we moved on to other things.

Now she copies a poem or a verse or a short paragraph from one of her books. But if she has a book report to do, or a letter to write to her pen pal, or a thank you card to write, we utilize our "copywork" time for this, too.

I'm encouraged to see that her handwriting continues to improve. If I look through Ella's binder at the copywork she completed even a few short months ago, I can see that her writing now is much neater and her grammar much better. Great job, Ella!

School after breakfast: History

Usually by the time our breakfast is done and our chores are completed, Audra is ready to go down for her nap, and Adelia is ready to get out of her seat. [More accurately, Adelia is beyond ready, and has been persistently saying, "Done, done" for a bit already. But she's a good girl and truly very patient with us while we try to get as much school in at the table as we can.]

Okay, here's what is on our schedule after breakfast:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday
-History
-Copywork

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
-English
-Kindergarten for Isaac (on Tuesdays and Thursdays only)

Every day
-Math
-Read-aloud with mommy
-Read-aloud with daddy
-Bible with daddy
-Chores
-Character training (not actually officially on the schedule, but it sure does happen a lot!)

Occasionally (at least once a week, though not officially on the schedule)
-Narrations
-Speech with Isaias

I'll just start at the top and work my way down.

For history, we use Mystery of History and I love it. A couple of years ago we began with Hillyer's A Child's History of the World and I was trying to edit that text as well as incorporate biblical history into it's proper place, and I became frustrated with all the work that required of me. Thankfully, the author of Mystery of History has already done all of that footwork and I am so glad she did.

What we do:

I read the section from the book for the day while the kids listen (and Adelia wanders as I try to keep her as quiet as humanly possible so that Audra can actually sleep!) Sometimes we pull out the globe or an atlas or I look up something on the internet for a visual. Often we do an activity from the book, and then the kids do a card for our timeline based on what we've read. (The timeline card is required for Ella, but optional for the boys. However, Isaac almost always opts to do one, and occasionally Isaias does, too.)

This visual timeline of history happens to be my favorite part. We put up a strip of paper around the top of our living room walls and began with Creation on one end:


...getting a little squishy here above our door!


and finishing with the kids' birth dates:


I love having a very tangible sequence of historical events in a visible place for the kids. The only thing I wish is that we had the space available so that it could be more on the kids' eye-level. But this is the only place in our whole house that it would fit in one long continuous strip, and that's what we wanted~ so we decided to go with it!

A few weeks ago Mark quizzed all of us (yes, I played, too!) on our dates, asking us to stand beneath where we thought a particular event was on the timeline, and to point if necessary. I was impressed at how well the kids remembered these dates, even if it was kind of funny that we kept saying: "I know that one is above the front window", or "That one is above the door!"



Next up: Copywork