Dictation and Copy

Dictation and copy, as the name implies, has two parts. The first part, dictation, is done at school during the therapy session. Usually two sentences are dictated to the student, one at a time. The first one is proofread immediately; the second is not.

Copy is the second part of dictation and copy. For homework, the student is to copy the remainder of the paragraph. When it has been copied, he/she is then to proofread the sentences, beginning with the second sentence which was dictated during the therapy session. When proofreading, errors are not erased. Instead they are circled, and corrections are written in the space above. (This is the reason dictation and copy paragraphs are to be written on every other line.)

After proofreading has been completed, the student needs to choose the main idea of the paragraph. (Young students who use Let's Read, rather than Getting the Main Idea, do not need to choose a main idea.) The final task for the student is to review the paragraph. The student will be asked to restate the paragraph in his/her own words and give the main idea during the next therapy session.

The level of difficulty for a dictation and copy paragraph should be a bit challenging for the student. The student is not expected to write each dictated sentence perfectly. If there is always 100 percent accuracy, the student probably needs to be moved to a higher level of difficulty.

As a parent you can assist your child with dictation and copy assignments by listening to your child restate the paragraph in his/her own words. It can also be helpful for you to remind your child to proofread the paragraph. However, it is not your responsibility to identify the errors that have been made. Seeing the errors that have or have not been corrected can help the therapist identify the extent of application the student is making. Blue Book assignments can then be tailored to specific areas of weakness in application.

The emphasis and intent of dictation and copy tasks vary according to the specific needs of each student. Some students primarily need the practice in copying. Others need the opportunity to apply Blue Book rules. Others need to strengthen their proofreading skills. When done with diligence, dictation and copy exercises can be an effective tool in educational therapy.