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Dictation difficulties


ehanway
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Hi,

 

 

I'm new to the forums here but hope someone has some advice.  I have been using Writing with Ease with my 10 y/o daughter who is now at Level 4.

We have never had problems until the last few weeks.  The dictation selections have been getting longer and a little more complicated.  DD now just

seems to quit because she's made up her mind she can't do it.  She just shuts down. I end up having to read her the selection more than the recommended amount of times and prompt her too often. 

Level 3 was fine.  I really like the selections and the way the book works but the dictation has become a very frustrating excercise for both of us! :(   The selections only get harder from here.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Elizabeth 

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Switch to something else? Seriously, although I loved the idea of dictation, it just never worked for us. We switched to using a more traditional spelling and grammar and dropped it altogether. If you really want to stick with it, I'd have her COPY the entire selection once and then pick a PART of the passage for dictation. Then slowly increase the length of the passage you use for dictation.

 

Susan in TX

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I agree with Susan.  Ditch it!  ha!  That's what we did, but other's have had success, somehow.  We're just using Rod and Staff spelling lists (found on the sample pages :)) put into Spelling City for practice and tests. Totally reprobate in the WTM circles, most likely. :P  We're also using CLE reading for study skills and stuff rather than WTM narration and dictation.  

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We also stopped doing it with my oldest because it became a huge issue. With my younger one I have done more guided dictation (I'm not sure if that's the correct term). I let him look at the passage first, then I dictate and then he writes. Or I dictate but slowly, so one sentence at a time. I find both work well for us. 

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Even SWB says that the WWE4 dictations are too hard for some children and that it may or may not be necessary to complete level 4 before going on to WWS or another program. If you haven't already, I would read her suggestions here: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/509138-if-youre-using-wwe-or-wws/.

 

That said, we had a very hard time last year with our first experience with dictation. We started with WWE3. DD could not remember even the easiest sentences. I was beyond frustrated, because I knew she was more than capable of the work. Turns out that the problem was really me. (I'm NOT saying that's the case for you!) I highly recommend looking up SWB's videos on YouTube, "Dictation with Dan," in which she demonstrates dictation with one of her own sons. The process is not nearly so rigid as the book would lead you to believe. We are now in week 6 of WWE4 without having had a single problem. I have been blown away by how much easier it is for both of us now that I have perfected the technique.

 

 

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We also stopped doing it with my oldest because it became a huge issue. With my younger one I have done more guided dictation (I'm not sure if that's the correct term). I let him look at the passage first, then I dictate and then he writes. Or I dictate but slowly, so one sentence at a time. I find both work well for us. 

 

Studied dictation.

 

Here's an interesting thread about the difference between studied dictation and the dictation done in WWE.

 

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Thanks for all the input everyone!  I think it is definitely time to re-evaluate how I implement this part of the curriculum. 

I sometimes have trouble letting go of something that isn't working and I really need to be able to recognize that if that is the case I need to move on.  So, yes, it probably is me :001_smile:

Anyhow,  I will back off because we are both tired of the frustration that goes with the dictation.  I will also check out the video for pointers.

 

Thanks again!

 

Elizabeth

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We have had problems about 1/3 of the way into WWS4. I break the selections up. I think dictation is very valuable, but when it turns into a test of short term memory of a paragraph, then I just don't see where that is going to help writing. I could be wrong about that. I do think that at that point, remembering their own sentences compod in their own heads about material frm their own studies is a little different than remembering longer passages of someone else's words.

 

Studied dictation.

 

Here's an interesting thread about the difference between studied dictation and the dictation done in WWE.

 

And we do some of this, too. I think it helps with spelling, punctuation, and all of those harder-to-define things that make copywork and dictation so beneficial.
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