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I just started dictation level 1 in Bigger with my 9 yo daughter. I understand that the child should study the passage before you take it away and then read it to them for them to write. My question has to do with the last 2 lines in level 1 (the word lists). Do I read each word individually for her to write or do I read the entire list of words in each line? She has a hard time remembering the words in order (and sometimes the words I dictated). I wondered if this is part of the skill that is being built (besides just spelling, capitalization and punctuation). Is dictation supposed to also work on their attention and listening skills? If so, I guess I need to read all four words at one time and NOT repeat them for her until the next day?

Thank you for your thoughts!

I always just read one word at a time and I don't worry if she writes those words in the same format (like 3 or 4 on each line) or in the same order. I am much more concerned with my kids writing the sentence correctly and look at capital letters and punctuation as well as spelling.

Since summer are homonyms, I have found I sometimes have to use the word in a sentence or phrase so my daughter is sure what to spell. I dint worry about order out format at all, especially since sometimes I dint read them in the right order on accident (skipping one along the way).

I agree. I read the words one at a time and since some are homophones I give a sentence for each (my son likes to see if he can write the word before I am finished saying my sentence). In my mind, dictation is not about memorization. The passage itself can be read one short phrase at a time, waiting for the child to be ready for the next phrase. Here is a link to a similar question. Julie (the author's sister) comments at the end of the thread.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14151&hilit=dictation

Thank you all! This is very helpful. She will be thrilled to not have to memorize the order of the words.