Weird WWE dictation question . . .

[bnrmom]

DS10 is using WWE 3. The instructions say to watch him while he is writing and correct him immediately if he makes a mistake. However, he likes to write all crunched up over his paper, and can't stand me (or anyone) hovering over him while he's trying to write, so I can't really see it very well until he's done.

 

Dictation is tough for him, as is spelling, so he usually makes a few errors. Do I really need to insist that I see him as he's writing, or is it okay to correct it when he's done?

[freerange]

I do with mine. The frustration of being nagged to sit so I can see what they're writing is less than the frustration of having to re write the whole thing if they make an error.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I made my ds (when he did WWE4) sit at the kitchen table. I sat in the seat across from him and could see everything he wrote with out hovering over him, which personally I would find annoying. Sure I had to read his work upside down but it was doable. Maybe try that.

[bnrmom]

I'll try another position but he bends over his paper and scrunches up so much that it's hard to really see much of what's going on in there! I've found when I'm too far away, or reading it upside down, I can't catch certain errors. His handwriting also isn't the greatest, which makes it even harder to read from a distance. For instance, yesterday he was writing a sentence with the word "thought," and I didn't see that he had reversed the o and the u until he was done.

[robsiew]

I would give him two choices...

 

1. Sit so that I can correct you as you go.

 

2. Have a good attitude about fixing your mistakes when I correct your writing after you write it.

 

Let him decide which he prefers. :001_smile:

[2squared]

We go over spelling before beginning the dictation so I don't have to hover on top of dd. If dd has spelled something incorrectly while writing the dictation, she has to correct it after I review the dictation.

[boscopup]

Does he have a vision problem that makes him hunch over like that?

[WeeBeaks]

I would correct the posture. I say that because I used to do that and got into the habit. It is hugely uncomfortable when in the habit of bad posture and need to write longer and longer things. I had to relearn to sit better and with a more relaxed frame to be comfortable writing in high school and college.

[bnrmom]

Thank you. Today I had him sit up more, and changed my position again, and it worked a little better. I'll keep fidgeting with it until we get it to work.

 

As a note: If they do have to make a correction in dictation, do you make them rewrite the whole thing as dictation, or just correct their mistake?

[happyhomemaker]

I try to go over words dd might have trouble spelling before we begin (especially proper names she might not know). I do not interrupt her when she is writing. She has a hard time getting back on track with the dictation if I do. I would rather have her remember the dictation correctly than spell all of the words correctly. I do make her go back and correct misspellings, but I don't make her write the whole thing over. I guess I would if her writing were riddled with errors, but it's usually just a word or two at most.

[redsquirrel]

I don't make a big deal about spelling errors in dications. But, I do correct other mistakes as they happen.

 

I can often pick out the words that I think will give spelling trouble and I say things like "Let me know when you get to through and I will help you spell it."

 

I might try finding ways to help him with better posture and writing position in general. Is his chair high enough for him to sit properly? Are his feet dangling in the air? Is the table low enough that his arms can rest comfortably?

 

My younger son has some coordination issues and I am amazed at how much better his writing gets when he is seated properly. He gets less tired and complains a lot less as well. I started using the same tactics with my older son and his handwriting improved so much I could not believe it. He also complains much less about writing being uncomfortable, hand getting tired etc.

[kalanamak]

I do with mine. The frustration of being nagged to sit so I can see what they're writing is less than the frustration of having to re write the whole thing if they make an error.

 

:iagree: He eventually caught on.

[LAS in LA]

. . . correcting errors immediately. I'm slowly working through Charlotte Mason's Home Education and she firmly recommends the same thing. If the child writes down a word incorrectly, the misspelling is "imprinted" on his/her brain, making it difficult to remember the correct spelling in the future. She also suggests (as PPs have) going over any potentially confusing words before starting the diction. HTH!

[Colleen in NS]

DS10 is using WWE 3. The instructions say to watch him while he is writing and correct him immediately if he makes a mistake. However, he likes to write all crunched up over his paper, and can't stand me (or anyone) hovering over him while he's trying to write, so I can't really see it very well until he's done.

 

Dictation is tough for him, as is spelling, so he usually makes a few errors. Do I really need to insist that I see him as he's writing, or is it okay to correct it when he's done?

 

My daughter is the same way. I do insist upon watching her, so I try to sit across from her while dictating. I also correct as she goes along, but I try to do it quickly and painlessly. If I see her starting to misspell, I quickly and quietly spell out the word for her. I also try to write down what I think might be difficult-to-spell words for her beforehand.

 

As a note: If they do have to make a correction in dictation, do you make them rewrite the whole thing as dictation, or just correct their mistake?

 

Just the mistake. I don't want to make her hate writing - I can't see any reason why she should write the entire thing over again.

[GingerPoppy]

I try to go over words dd might have trouble spelling before we begin (especially proper names she might not know). I do not interrupt her when she is writing. She has a hard time getting back on track with the dictation if I do. I would rather have her remember the dictation correctly than spell all of the words correctly. I do make her go back and correct misspellings, but I don't make her write the whole thing over. I guess I would if her writing were riddled with errors, but it's usually just a word or two at most.

 

:iagree:totally!