sillymommy Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 My 3rd grader just can't take dictation. We're at the end of WWE3, and ds cannot do the dictation exercises correctly. He can paraphrase if I give him only one sentence at a time, but taking dictation of the long, multi-sentence exercises is simply beyond him. So, where do we go from here? Repeat WWE3 next year? Are there recommendations for work we could do over the summer to bring him up to speed? Any tips for making WWE a bit easier for him? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I would not stress about it. Maybe do studied dictations after a break from any dictations at all, and then abrreviated ones, easing back in. No, it wouldn't be pure WWE, but it sounds like it would be less stressful. I would rather tweak it and work up to the goal of dictation than throw it out, or worse, frustrate my dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 My 3rd grader just can't take dictation. We're at the end of WWE3, and ds cannot do the dictation exercises correctly. He can paraphrase if I give him only one sentence at a time, but taking dictation of the long, multi-sentence exercises is simply beyond him. So, where do we go from here? Repeat WWE3 next year? Are there recommendations for work we could do over the summer to bring him up to speed? Any tips for making WWE a bit easier for him? Thanks! one sentence at a time is fine. That is ok for a 3rd grader. I would work on that one sentence at a time and make it solid. Then, as the dictations get longer in WWE4, try slowly increase the length. Slowly. If it doesn't work, then fall back. Make it about success. Have you seen the you tube video of SWB doing dictation with her older son? It might take some of the pressure off ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindygz Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I could be wrong, but I feel like somewhere SWB mentions allowing the child to read the dictations while you dictate. That can help some kids. My dd9 (almost 10, end of 4th grade) is just finishing up WWE3 as well and has a hard time with some of the longer dictations, though she has made good progress and can often surprise me by keeping two entire sentences in her mind. Sometimes I dictate them into my iPhone and allow her to replay them if necessary, since I get tired of doing it. My WWE4 just came yesterday, and skimming through it, the dictations are going to be a challenge for sure. But I am hoping she will continue to grow and get better at it, which I know she won't if we don't keep moving forward. Another thing we have done is to jot notes of key words in order when that is appropriate to the type of sentence. With the longer ones in WWE4, I am going to try having my daughter sketch things if that is relevant, as she is a very artistic kid. One more thing that seems to help is if I read the sentences with a LOT of inflection and variation in my voice. It seems to link the words to something so they aren't just long strings of words. I don't know if any of this is helpful. I know that SWB advocates doing what is necessary (even if you are repeating more than 3 times or whatever the text specifies. You might even just "trim" the dictations for a while so they are more manageable. As long as you can keep him making incremental progress, I think that is the main goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 my ds 10 (5th grade), is finishing up WWE 3, and can do it well. I would not continue with WWE with him at this point but plan to move to WWS. I don't think he could have done it this well two years ago... do not lose heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillymommy Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 Thanks for all the tips & encouragement. I especially appreciate the iPhone idea. I use voice memos for many of our memory pieces, but hadn't thought to use it for the dictation. This will free me up to do some thing with my other kiddos & give ds all the repetition he needs! I'll check out SWB video, too. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moniksca Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 I also find that taking dictation passages from their independent reading books help as well because they may be more familiar with the story or a funny passage from a favourite book. ds always seems to do better with those dictation then from a random book/story. He's in 5th grade and was only able to do WWE3 last year. The passages are quite long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 This very afternoon, I decided to drop the WWE3 dictation for my nearly-10yo. We still do dictation sentences in spelling and in Spanish. We still read good literature with solid vocab, grammar, and style. Combining the two was just proving way too difficult in our house. I'm good with it, knowing that neither aspect is going ignored! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Why not do the dictation as copywork alone or as copywork one day and then dictation the next? I would think that even using it as copywork alone would even be beneficial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I read the dictation once, then pause and give some organizational hints... Did you notice they ate five things? Read again and put a finger up as I read each item. Did you notice there were two actions? Did you notice...? Then I have them note the organizational rule (finger count or whatever) themselves on the third reading. After a few months of that strategy, they started figuring out how to hear patterns. My auditory processing D kid still struggles, and we work with that at his pace. I figure even though it won't be dictation, this skill will assist with taking notes in a live class down the line for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Have you seen the video of SWB doing ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.