In this audio lesson you’ll learn what copywork is, why it’s so effective, and how to conduct a lesson.

Copywork Lesson Steps

1. Pick a well-written sentence from a book, poem, scripture, or even lyrics from song. The child can pick, but I’ve found they pick the easiest most boring ones. So in the beginning I pick a sentence with interesting vocabulary, punctuation, or beautiful language. Charlotte Mason recommended two lines every day, but I like to do it by time, otherwise they quickly write down the sentence(s) and do a sloppy job. I start with five minutes and slowly increase to ten once the child’s muscles and attention are strong.
2. Write the sentence on lined paper or print it using this Canva template. This helps the child see it handwritten. I’ve noticed that when they have to copy it down directly from the book they get lost and overwhelmed with the amount of small text on the page. It’s much easier for beginners to copy down the sentence when it’s handwritten in large print.
3. Ask your child to point out grammar and spelling. I ask my child to point to the capital letters, commas, periods, semi-colons, exclamation marks, etc. I ask them to verbally describe where it is (e.g. “at the end of the sentence,” “beginning of a name”). I also ask them to point to words that might be difficult to spell. Then I have them to spell it out loud, then close their eyes and imagine the word in their head. This helps imprint it in their mind before they spell it.
4. Finally, I set the timer and they copy down the sentence in their best handwriting. Once they are done I ask them to check everything to ensure they placed the punctuation and capital letters in the right places and spelled words correctly. Then I have them circle the letters or words they think are their best handwriting. If they don’t finish in the time allotted, then they finish the next day.