Why Copywork Doesn’t Always Work for Teaching Spelling
Perhaps you’ve heard of using copywork to teach spelling. Maybe you’ve even assigned some spelling copywork to your children. Still, you may be wondering about the benefits of this popular homeschool discipline.
And more importantly—does it really work?
What Is Copywork?
Copywork is exactly what the name implies—an exercise of copying words from a written example or model.
For younger children, copywork may consist of copying the letters of the alphabet and single words. Older children copy sentences, paragraphs, and eventually entire pages. Content often comes from Scripture, poetry, historical documents, speeches, and other writings of historical or moral value.
The Primary Goal of Copywork
The primary goal of copywork is for a child to internalize the mechanisms of good writing—penmanship, spelling, grammar, and style—by copying a perfectly composed sample.
In theory, the more a child transcribes, the more proficient she will become in the English language. As she replicates good writing, the intent is that she will adopt the language skills found in the sample.
As a side benefit, the child is exposed to desirable character traits and virtues as she copies the chosen text.
Does Copywork Work?
Copywork is a rich and useful method of teaching many subject areas, but it isn’t always effective in achieving long-term retention in spelling. Here are a few things to consider before choosing to use copywork as part of your child’s spelling program.
Copywork lacks the direct spelling instruction that many children need.
Copywork doesn’t provide the phonetics-based approach that helps children make sense of spelling. Instead, copywork depends on memory to help a child learn to spell. If your child learns quickly and easily memorizes words through repetition, copywork may work well for her. Copywork can also be a good fit for kids who naturally find patterns in related words. But most children are better off learning to spell through direct phonetic instruction and systematic review.
Copywork emphasizes visual learning.
Copywork focuses on the visual learning pathway but doesn’t include the support that many students need. Even a student who is visually inclined may actually learn best when instruction comes through all three pathways to the brain—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic—instead of just one. The more senses we involve, the more learning occurs.
Copywork isn’t ideal for distracted students.
Since copywork offers limited sensory stimulation, it can be easy for a child to “go through the motions” of copying while gaining very few of the benefits. Such a child may get to the end of a copywork exercise with little memory or understanding of what he just copied!
For some children, doing copywork switches their brains onto “auto-pilot.” It’s not unlike driving to the store and realizing that you’ve arrived safely but with no memory of the drive.
Copywork may be especially detrimental for a struggling speller.
Since copywork doesn’t provide the hands-on instruction that many children need, it can leave them floundering even while giving the impression that they’re doing well. A beautifully copied passage does not always translate into long-term learning.
The Real Goal: Long-term Learning
When I teach, my goal is long-term learning with the least amount of frustration possible. As many of you know, I tried dozens of methods for teaching spelling before creating All About Spelling. I’ve made it my life’s work to help kids learn easily and permanently. So when I created All About Spelling, I made sure that it was based on solid research and that it included:
- Multiple ways to reach students using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic teaching methods.
- Strategies for actively involving your child in the lessons, so you can keep his or her attention with very little effort.
- Techniques for getting your child to recognize and correct his or her own spelling errors.
- And dozens of tips for the teacher to help you maximize your effectiveness on every level.
A complete and comprehensive spelling program provides children—even struggling learners—with an extremely effective method of learning that takes advantage of how the brain works. While copywork may be a part of that method, it must be combined with activities that take into consideration all the pathways to the brain.
Wouldn’t it be nice if spelling could be EASY? Our free report, “Six Ways We Make Spelling Easy,” takes you on a guided tour of All About Spelling and the elements that set it apart from other spelling programs.
Amber Z
says:I use copywork for handwriting practice with my son. We used a different spelling program last year & he wasn’t remembering anything. He is almost through All About Spelling Level 1 & we love it & he has come so far using the program!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’ so pleased to hear that All About Spelling is helping your son, Amber! Thank you!
Liz
says:I see this in my one son especially. He struggles to simply memorize the spelling of a word without a phonetic rule to attach to it.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceLiz,
Yes, many people have trouble learning to spell by visual memorization only. Learning to spell sound-by-sound is often a game-changer for such students. There are two other effective strategies for spelling as well. All About Spelling teaches all 4 Spelling Strategies You Won’t Want to Miss.
Julie T Pringle
says:Using all of a child’s modalities to help them learn spelling is definitely the best approach! Way to go…All About Spelling! You’ve done this with your program!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Julie!
Jessica Brown
says:Yes!
Felicia
says:Copy work definitely doesn’t work for mine. My daughter would still misspell words and I would get so frustrated, but we have since learned she has visual processing disorder and is undergoing vision therapy. Her spelling has improved SO much since doing therapy!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m pleased to hear that vision therapy has been so helpful for your daughter, Felicia!
Emily B
says:Very interesting! I’ve been wondering when to start copywork to our homeschool, this helps!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this helps, Emily!
Becky
says:This way of teaching makes so much sense!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Becky!
Monique Finley
says:Informative article! I homeschool my 3 children and tried the copywork technique with them multiple times and found that they were easily distracted and bored. Now, I know why my children did not respond well with the task and that i should keep in mind the more senses involved the more learning will happen! Thank you for sharing!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Monique. Thank you for sharing your experiences with copywork with your children.
Stephanie
says:Copywork is great for handwriting practice. I think it can be good for aiding memorization for some learners, but yes I don’t see how it could lead to authentic learning when it comes to spelling. Thanks for this article!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Stephanie! Yes, I think copywork can be really helpful for handwriting, but it just isn’t as effective for learning spelling.
Cindy
says:I’m going to stop copy work work. This is such an interesting article. What do you do about older kids that have already been doing this for so long?
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGood question, Cindy. It depends on what your older students need.
Are they still struggling with spelling well? Do they often have many misspelled words in their writing, even after they have self-edited it? If so, they would benefit from All About Spelling. It is highly effective, and older students will simply move through the levels much more quickly than younger students will. Our Using All About Spelling with Older Students blog post will be helpful.
On the other hand, if your older kids are spelling well, then they probably don’t need All About Spelling. One option I have done with teens that are spelling pretty well is to take a year to study the 500 (or so) most misspelled words in English. I give them a pretest on 12 or so words at the beginning of the week, and we don’t worry about all the ones they know how to spell. Then we study the ones they misspelled, looking at the root of the word, why it is spelled as it is, and other things that may be helpful for them to learn the proper spelling.
I hope this helps, but let me know if you have additional questions.
Olga
says:Thank you for this article. I like the idea of doing Copywork but that strategy has always left me wondering how exactly kids are supposed to learn spelling so it sticks. I like the idea of a well rounded approach to learning!
SV
says:Copy work definitely hasn’t been helpful for my seven year old. Looking forward to trying AAS.
Vera
says:Copywork does not work well with my 2 kids with learning disabilities. Hands on curriculum like All About Spelling is perfect for my kids!!!
Thank you!!!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Vera.
Elizabeth H.
says:We still do some copywork, but the spelling program I tried that heavily utilized copywork didn’t work at all for us.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceElizabeth,
I still used some copywork with my kids as well. I found it helpful for teaching things like punctuating dialog or great metaphors in writing. But copywork was never helpful for my kids for learning spelling either.
MJ
says:Enjoyed the blog. Thank you!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceGlad you enjoyed it, MJ! You’re welcome.
Tessa Braddy
says:Writing is so tedious for my son. He hates it. He’s a kinesthetic learner through and through and the AAS/AAR approach is perfect for him!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m pleased to hear that All About Reading and All About Spelling are working well for your son, Tessa! Thank you.
Samantha
says:Great read! Thank you!
Linda
says:Super helpful thanks!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this is helpful, Linda!
Laurel
says:Thank you for everything you t
Kimberly
says:My daughter has struggled with reading and spelling ever since starting school. Shes been held back twice now; both times being our choice. She had SPD – Sensory processing disorder; which affects her more on an auditory capacity as well as becoming overwhelmed easily if theres too much external stimuli. Therefore regardless if its copywork, phonetics, or dictation she still seems to struggle a lot in regards to spelling and reading if its in a book/physical platform. However, if shes using a phone or pc, then she seems to comprehend & retain the information better. Ive been told this is in relation to her neurodivergence. Opinions anyone?
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry, Kimberly. I do not have experience with someone that struggles with reading on paper but does better on a screen. In fact, most learners are very much the opposite, needing physical materials to master the content and struggling with reading digitally.
My one thought is the possibility of a vision issue. It may be worthwhile to schedule a comprehensive eye exam for your daughter. Please note that a child can have 20/20 vision and still have a vision issue. A standard eye exam addresses only how each eye functions separately, but vision can also be affected when both eyes are not working well together. We discuss this morning in our Real Moms, Real Kids: Vision Problems blog post.
I am sorry I’m not more help.
Patti O
says:Just getting started and looking at programs – this one looks super good and from other comments, it appears to work!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceIf you have questions or concerns, I’m happy to address them, Patti.
Also, we offer a one-year “Go Ahead and Use It” guarantee if you purchase from us. We never want anyone to feel stuck with a purchase, so we offer a full refund, excluding shipping, even if the materials are used.
Rachel
says:Thank you for this useful article. I can relate to the comment about copying in ‘autopilot’.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Rachel. Yes, I’ve seen that “autopilot” with copywork myself.
Tiffanie
says:We are really enjoying AAS and I am learning while teaching them, which is a plus and is preparing me to teach my younger child once she is ready to start the program. While my kids do benefit from copywork, they enjoy a more hands-on approach or adding in fun activities, such as letting them copy their words on the window in dry erase or washable paint, or using a free online program that allows me to create different spelling worksheets using the spelling words. We just recently discovered doodle notes, so as they are taking notes on the lesson they can incorporate pictures that help them remember the spelling rules from the lesson. Any way that my kids can learn and do it in a fun way is always a win for us!!!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you for sharing, Tiffanie! Your doodle notes sounds especially intriguing.
Deborah
says:I think if the brain is going on auto-pilot, then your child has been at it for too long. The habit of attention needs to be trained in any person to retain anything, including explicit phonetic rules.
After reading through some of these comments it made me want to make a comment on people using both a handwriting program and copywork. I think it would be wise to not use a handwriting program along with copywork, I would use only the copywork, using both would be too much for a young child.
I’ve used level 1 AAS and halfway through level 2 of AAS, but we aren’t very consistent with it yet.
As with any method, copywork or phonetic instruction, the child needs to slow down, read the word out loud and pay attention to what sound they are hearing and how the word is spelled. Yes, knowing rules is helpful. But again, it still has to get in their memory and stick.
I would still say copywork, for us, is still using all the inputs mentioned, the child is hearing the words, as they are to read what they are to copy, they’re seeing it, paying close attention to how it’s spelled and then they are writing.
This is part of the same approach I use for AAS as we don’t always use the tiles. Hear, read, pay close attention to how it’s spelled and then write and then yes they have rules – but again, sometimes all the rules can be overwhelming – as we have just about finished AAR4 and rules can be well, just sometimes too much! Haha, even for me – I get overwhelmed with all the rules I have to memorize along with them – and then when the rules don’t work is frustrating. So anyways…
I would say, I use copywork more for handwriting, punctuation, grammar and some spelling.
Whatever you as a parent choose for your child, make sure you have the child’s attention and work for short periods of time to hold his attention.
I’m sorry, I just started rambling.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you for your rambling, Deborah. Good thoughts.
I did find copywork very helpful with my children for learning punctuation, especially complicated things like how to punctuate dialogue.
J Ruhkala
says:This blog entry described my experience with my children. Direct phonics instruction was needed to make sense of copywork. I like the use of dictation in AAS to practice the spelling rules that have been learned. Thanks for creating excellent resources.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you! Yes, dictation is a great bridge for children between spelling individual words and writing sentences they come up with themselves.
Jana
says:My son struggles with copy work on spelling. I have to orally call out his spelling list to make sure he is retaining it.
Kristin W
says:I have struggled with spelling and have resorted to just memorizing the best I can. It has made my handwriting sloppy, because as a kid, if it was a little sloppy, it was harder to see the spelling mistakes. Copying words was pretty much all my spelling instruction, so I know that is less than helpful. My husbabd also really struggles with spelling. I’m looking forward to using AAS with my kids. My daughter should start AAR1 this fall, so it will be a year or two. I’ve even joked with my husband that we’ll all do spelling together!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKristin,
There is a bit of truth about learning to spell better while teaching our kids. I know I’m a better speller now that I’ve finished level 7 with three of my children. ?
Andrea D
says:I only recently learned that copywork can be a tool used for spelling (not just exposure to good literature and a chance to practice good handwriting), so it is good to also hear the other side of the story! Thank you for sharing.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Andrea. Let me know if you have any questions.
Amanda Pelletier
says:My 9 year old is a proficient reader, but has struggled with almost incomprehensible spelling for most of her schooling. I’ve tried many different approaches, including copywork, but had the same suspicions about the true benefit of it. We started her on Level 1 Spelling and it’s made a noticeable difference. She learns best through movement, so I have her jump from our indoor “riverstones” for each letter sound I dictate, then she has to figure out what word she just spelled. Spelling has been less of a battle lately.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI love that you have your daughter jumping “riverstones” for spelling, Amanda! What a great way to keep it fun and active. I’m very happy to hear that All About Spelling is helping to make a difference.
Rachel
says:We are a family that tried copywork as a spelling method first, and I am SO GLAD that I moved my kids over to All About Spelling. I was noticing that my 1st graders were getting the same words wrong over and over again when they tried to spell anything independently–and these were words that were being used frequently in their copywork passages (they were definitely in the “auto-pilot” category, with one struggling speller). With only a few months of All About Spelling their spelling has turned around, I now have the tools to offer spelling reminders as they work on other projects, and even their 3 year old brother is recognizing spelling rules (though he is still a pre-reader).
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThank you for sharing this, Rachel! I’m very pleased to hear that All About Spelling has made such a difference in a short period of time.