Reading before copywork?

[Truman School]

DD is 5, will be 6 fairly soon and I can't remember with my older kids whether I waited until they were reading before starting copywork.

 

She knows her letters and most of her sounds, but is a beginning reader at this point.

 

I have both FLL and WWE and am wondering whether to start them when we start back to school at the end of the month, or wait until mid year when she is reading better.

 

What have you all done?

[LlamaMama]

How is her handwriting? My understand is that copywork in the early stage is more dependent on handwriting rather than reading maturity.

 

My daughter is reading well, but is just starting to develop her printing skills. We'll be doing FLL orally. Then I'll add WWE when she can write letters without struggling. Perhaps in six months, but more likely in a year.

[Strawberry Queen]

I think that copywork will be more useful to her if she can read it. If she can't read the words, she'll just be "drawing" the letters. In other words, copying them without meaning. I would wait until she can read the words she is copying.

 

I just started my 5 almost 6yo on FLL and WWE. They fit really well together with the copywork in WWE reinforcing the grammar concepts learned in FLL. We're just on the 2nd week and it's blending really well. You could start FLL and then do WWE later, but I like how they work together.

 

HTH

[Truman School]

That's sort of what I was thinking. That doing copywork when you can't really read what you are writing isn't really helpful. I may have her just do a little copywork from the readers she can read, as she loves to print and save FLL and WWE until mid year.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

I think that copywork will be more useful to her if she can read it. If she can't read the words, she'll just be "drawing" the letters. In other words, copying them without meaning. I would wait until she can read the words she is copying.

 

I just started my 5 almost 6yo on FLL and WWE. They fit really well together with the copywork in WWE reinforcing the grammar concepts learned in FLL. We're just on the 2nd week and it's blending really well. You could start FLL and then do WWE later, but I like how they work together.

 

HTH

[Mom-ninja.]

I have a different perspective. If I waited until my ds could read what he was copying he still would not be doing copywork at age 7.5. He is a very reluctant/struggling reader. I have him do copywork anyway. He practices and hones his fine motor skills and learns how to write with copywork. Also, I do feel that copywork can actually help his reading.

[woolybear]

I had been thinking that copywork might help with reading.....??? Not sure, but it seems like they would be focusing so much on the letters and if you tell them what it says, it might help them learn reading too. I read somewhere that for the younger ages, they should do just one word or so.

[JFSinIL]

At this stage I'd be having her copy - to practice fine motor skills/handwriting - simply sentences YOU create that are about her, her pets, siblings, etc. That way she should know/recognize some of the words, and be interested in learning the others.

 

"Susie was a pretty girl who helped Mommy"

 

"Fluffy the cat jumped on Susie's bed for a nap"

 

"Dora came to explore the backyard with Susie"

 

you get the idea.