Copywork, Dictation, and Transcription

This is the second in a series of posts that attempts to demystify how language arts is taught in a Charlotte Mason education. Today we'll explore the written aspect of language arts—specifically, the physical skill of learning to write. This is distinct from narration, which is the mental act of composition and will be discussed elsewhere.

Copywork: Learning to Write

In the Charlotte Mason world, copywork is typically what we mean when we talk about teaching handwriting. Before a child can tackle more advanced writing skills—such as composition—he must first learn to write well.

Charlotte Mason describes the early writing process this way:

"First, let the child accomplish something perfectly in every lesson—a stroke, a pothook, a letter. Let the writing lesson be short; it should not last more than five or ten minutes. Ease in writing comes by practice; but that must be secured later. In the meantime, the thing to be avoided is the habit of careless work—humpy m's, angular o's."

The emphasis here is quality over quantity. Five perfectly formed letters are far more valuable than an entire worksheet filled with careless work. Short lessons are critical. When lessons drag on, we risk forming habits of inattention and sloppiness—habits that are difficult to undo later.

Learning to write fluently is a long-term goal, one that often takes several years to achieve.

Charlotte Mason continues:

"One letter should be perfectly formed in a day and the next day the same elemental forms repeated in another letter, until they become familiar… At this stage chalk and blackboard are better than pen and paper, as it is well that the child should rub out and rub out until his own eye is satisfied with the word or letter he has written."

Students continue practicing letter formations (and numerals) until correct strokes become habitual. Over time, they naturally progress to writing simple, meaningful words—such as their name, address, or words drawn from favorite poems and stories.

A Note on Age

Charlotte Mason typically delayed formal lessons until at least age six, and sometimes as late as seven or eight. This doesn't mean younger children should never learn to write. If a child asks how to write his name or wants to write a letter to a friend, that curiosity should be honored.

Charlotte Mason referred to this as "learning by the way." We should never withhold knowledge a child is genuinely asking for. At the same time, we must be attentive to signs of resistance or fatigue. Forced writing in the early years does more harm than good. Education is a life—it cannot be confined to formal lessons alone.

Copywork Leads to Transcription

Transcription is essentially advanced copywork (though many families continue to use the term "copywork"). Instead of practicing individual letters or words, students begin copying meaningful passages from beautiful literature or poetry.

The content matters.

Charlotte Mason explains:

"A certain sense of possession and delight may be added to this exercise if children are allowed to choose for transcription their favorite verse in one poem or another… But a book of their own, made up of their own chosen verses, should give them pleasure."

Again, the focus remains on quality rather than volume. Transcription should be done carefully, attentively, and beautifully. Keeping a notebook of favorite passages naturally leads to the habit of maintaining a commonplace book, or what Charlotte Mason called a book of mottoes.

Transcription also introduces intentional spelling and word study. Before writing, students are encouraged to look at the word, see a picture of it with their eyes shut, and then write from memory.

This process slows the student down and requires full attention. Transcription is highly adaptable: passages can be lengthened as stamina grows or shortened when a student struggles.

Through transcription, children develop:

Habits of attention
Writing fluency
Ownership of their education
Exposure to rich vocabulary
Delight in the written word

Transcription Leads to Dictation

Dictation is the next natural step and is typically introduced around Form II or III (roughly year four). Dictation is not primarily about testing spelling—it is about training the eye and mind to visualize words correctly.

Charlotte Mason writes:

"The whole secret of spelling lies in the habit of visualizing words from memory, and children must be trained to visualise in the course of their reading."

The Key Difference

In transcription, the student copies what he sees
In dictation, the teacher reads aloud and the student writes from memory

Prepared Dictation

Dictation should be prepared. The student studies the passage beforehand.

Charlotte Mason describes the process:

"The child prepares by himself, by looking at the word he is not sure of, and then seeing it with his eyes shut… Then the teacher gives out the dictation, clause by clause, each clause repeated once."

The teacher's responsibility is to prevent the student from seeing incorrect spellings. Charlotte Mason warns:

"Once the eye sees a misspelt word, that image remains… It becomes, therefore, the teacher's business to prevent false spelling."

This is why dictation should be gentle, deliberate, and carefully guided. Over time, the combined practices of copywork, transcription, and dictation are more than sufficient for developing strong spelling and writing skills.

Do I Need a Curriculum?

The short answer is no.

These methods require only one essential thing—high-quality living books. From these books, we draw passages worthy of contemplation and imitation. Copying a line from a beloved poem or transcribing a powerful paragraph from literature is far more meaningful than completing arbitrary handwriting worksheets or memorizing disconnected spelling lists.

There are excellent Charlotte Mason–friendly curricula available, and families are free to use them. But boxed curricula should remain servants, not masters.

No curriculum can fully account for the unique context of your home or the individual needs of your children. If we choose to use one, we should regularly ask whether it aligns with our educational philosophy rather than allowing it to dictate it.

References

Charlotte Mason, Home Education, pp. 234–243