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spelling dictation?

Read through the passage together out loud.
Review any new (bolded) or tricky words.
Discuss punctuation and capitalization.
Put the passage away.
Speak each section slowly and clearly to the child.
Depending on the age and ability I say 3-5 words for a younger child or one new to dictation. As they finish writing the last word of the phrase that I just said, I say the next phrase or section. For an older child they can hold more in their mind while writing so as they grow used to dictation I begin lengthening the phrases as they write.
The child checks his or her work against the original and marks corrections.
Sometimes we discuss what they missed. Other times they realize their mistake and are more careful the next time.
Repeat the same passage daily until they get it correct.

Maadrose wrote:Read through the passage together out loud.
Review any new (bolded) or tricky words.
Discuss punctuation and capitalization.
Put the passage away.
Speak each section slowly and clearly to the child.

We do the same as above, except before putting away the passage, I give my son time to study it. For us, that has made a big difference in how well he does with the dictiation. I usually read a sentence at a time to my son (who is 10), unless the sentence is very long and I feel it is necessary to break it in half. I only read the sentence one time, which has taught him to pay attention when I read it..

Are you *allowed* to repeat things several times if the student asks?

It is your homeschool, you can do what you wish. but i like the lesson of attention as well. They need to pay attention closely the first time or they get it wrong. Trust me after that happens once or twice they no longer ask for repeats. The only time I repeat a passage is if I am distracted or if I messed up the passage. In that case the mess up was my fault so I repeat it correctly.

Maadrose wrote:They need to pay attention closely the first time or they get it wrong. Trust me after that happens once or twice they no longer ask for repeats.

I couldn't agree more. I was amazed at the difference in my ds when he knew he'd have to repeat a passage the next day, if he missed it due to not attending as he should on the first reading. A few times of that and he was "cured" of his inattention.

You, of course, will need to discover how much your child can hold in his head. There's a difference between not attending and not being developmentally able to retain a lengthy passage. I think you'll discover that pretty fast.

One other thing I forgot to mention in my previous post is that after I have read a passage, I have my son repeat the section back to me before he starts writing it down. That not only helps to rivet it in his head, it also assures me that he retained what I read.