Continuing with the dictation project, I’d like to try to answer some questions from readers. (You can access all posts in this series by clicking on the category the dictation project in the right column, or by clicking on the archives for September 2010.) Carrie recently left this comment: “I’ve been loving this series, but [...]

Yet another post in a month-long series. A cooperatively-transcribed story. He dictated part and wrote part himself. “You gotta hear this,” Mr. T said to me the other day. And then he proceeded to read, “The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car.” It was the first [...]

Taking dictation from kids is a great way to get them started with writing. It helps them leap over writing mechanics–the penmanship, the spelling, the grammar–so they can begin to see they have something to say. But if you keep at it a while, whole new benefits begin to reveal themselves. For one, kids begin [...]

Okay gang, I’m hoping to drum up some audience participation with this post. I’m posing a simple question at the end of this, the latest entry in a series, and I hope you’ll consider answering it with a comment. The other day I was talking to a mom about taking dictation from her son. As [...]

The next post in a series. Taking dictation is a technique that is often used in classrooms with young kids–say kindergarteners and first graders. It’s also a technique occasionally mentioned in books on writing for homeschoolers. However, dictation often seems to be treated as a temporary fix, as something you do for a short while, [...]

There isn’t one way to take dictation from a child. But there are a few tips that might help, so I’ll offer some possibilities. Most important: choose a favorable time to get started. My last post had ideas for this. the one with the windquist (see below) Written by hand or on a computer? For [...]