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Copywork – Charlotte Mason Style

A Foundation for Excellent Writing

Have you tried Charlotte Mason style copywork yet? I have used it in my homeschool for over 7 years and I think it is one of the most helpful tools for developing my children’s handwriting and writing skills.

Copywork Is Successful And Simple!

Charlotte Mason Copywork is simply writing out by hand, or copying, from good quality written texts or models. Actually this method was not invented by Charlotte Mason, it is also recommended by Ruth Beechick and classical educators such as Laura Berquist and Susan Wise-Bauer. It has been employed for centuries as a technique for teaching writing. Copywork is much more than a handwriting programme!

Copywork begins with simple letter tracing and then progresses to writing out more complex passages. Although copywork is used initially for developing good penmanship, it is also useful for teaching other language arts subjects. How can this be? This is because when we choose excellent literature as models for our children’s copywork, we are giving them a subtle lesson in spelling, grammar, punctuation and literature appreciation.

Here are two letters I have recieved from mums who are using copywork in their home.

“Yesterday my 8yo daughter composed this beautiful, little poem. It got me wondering where the ability and know-how had come from, because I really don’t believe it has come from me, as I have done very little poetry with my kids. She has a natural talent in language and creativity, and has also been the one to spend the most time of all my children with your copywork books. She loves to read out her copywork passages and she ‘plays’ with the words and phrases.!"Michelle 14/10/08

"We began using the copybooks yesterday – and even my 12 darling son said he really liked them. Not only was his writing neater, he really enjoyed reading what he was writing and reading... He can’t wait to see what he gets today. ” Sandi

A Good Handwriting Model

Since copywork is as much about children perfecting their handwriting style, as providing quality literature, we want to make sure that they also have a good model for their handwriting. This is a subject in itself, so I’ve written another article for you on choosing a handwriting style.

Below is a quote from Charlotte Mason.

‘The earliest practice in writing proper for children of seven or eight should be, not letter writing or dictation, but transcription [copy work], slow and beautiful work...Transcription should be an introduction to spelling. Children should be encouraged to look at the word, see a picture of it with their eyes shut, and then write from memory.... A sense of beauty in their writing and in the lines they copy should carry them over this stage of their work with pleasure. Not more than ten minutes or a quarter of an hour should be given to the early writing lessons. If they are longer the children get tired and slovenly.’

Practice handwriting with copywork— not composition!

Handwriting practice consists of copying, not creating, letters, words and sentences. Remember that composition requires students to focus on content, organisation, spelling and punctuation skills. If handwriting perfection is also required, the frustration may be overwhelming leading a child to avoid writing altogether.

How Much Copywork?

After a child has been taught basic handwriting techniques, I find that the best way to improve their handwriting and writing skills is with lots and lots of copywork. Our children begin copywork at around 6 years old and continue using it as part of their homeschool day until they are around 12. At first they copy one or two sentences per homeschool day. Over time this becomes a paragraph per homeschool day. When they are transitioning to cursive writing I expect less until they regain confidence in letter formation.

Each copywork lesson takes less than 10 minutes to do. Their handwriting should be well presented and not sloppy.

Copywork Collection And Presentation

Many handwriting books ask the child to copy a silly sentence while practicing their writing technique. What a wasted opportunity! Choose your copywork wisely. Use fine literature, from great authors with excellent technique.

Copywork selections can be from Scripture, classic literature, poems or famous quotes. You can also choose from books that are relevant to what you studying in your homeschool.

At first you will need to present the copywork in a way that children can easily copy the passage. I learnt this the hard way. When I first started using copywork I was having my son (age 7) copy from the Bible and classic literature. It was too hard for him. The small writing and layout of chapters meant that he was constantly losing his place and it became quite an ordeal. To add to his frustration a paperback book would close if it wasn't weighted down. I then ended up typing out a quote or making a mark in the book. Although this often worked, it was time consuming and I was ruining some books with my highlighter.

Pre-Packaged Copywork Curriculums-What A Timesaver!

Finding suitable quotes and presenting them in a suitable format can become tedious. If this sounds like too big a job, you can use pre-packaged copywork, where passages have already been thoughtfully selected and are presented with a good handwriting model. This can save you a great deal of time and energy (something every homeschool mum needs!) It makes organizing your copywork simple and as the child grows in confidence and skill, you can introduce passages directly from books.

Our Classic Copywork and Downunder Copywork Series are pre packaged copywork curriculums that we developed for just this purpose.

The copywork books that I purchased from you are used every day by my 7, 11 and 13 year olds! It is so nice to have copywork readily available to use, especially on those days where I can't seem to get organized (too many days!) The passages that you have chosen are excellent. Kind Regards, Jacqui

I use pre-packaged copywork books most of the time. It’s so easy, it requires minimal forward planning and it is something they can do independently.

“By the way, though I'm sure you know it already - your copybook materials are tremendous. They have saved me mountains of time searching for suitable copybook material, particularly for my high school students. My older children, aged 12 and 14, have thoroughly enjoyed the content.“ Jennifer