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Dictation sheet maker

Paste a passage or pick a public-domain poem and print a student sheet of ruled lines and a teacher's copy to read aloud from.

Paste a few sentences from a book, a poem or a verse. Only the teacher's copy shows it; the student sheet is blank lines.
Bits end at a full stop, or at a comma once there are a few words.
Sheets to print
Size
Dictation: student sheet, page 1 of 1DictationNameDateFree at teach.peabody.kids
Student sheet ·
Dictation: teacher's copy, page 1 of 1The Gettysburg AddressThe Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, 1863How to use it: the child studies the passage first, then you read it a bit at a time while they write.THE PASSAGEFour score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a newnation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men arecreated equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether thatnation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.WORDS TO STUDY FIRSTfathers, brought, continent, conceived, liberty, dedicated, proposition, created,engaged, testing, whetherREAD ALOUD, ONE BIT AT A TIME (11 BITS)1Four score and seven years ago2our fathers brought forth on this continent,3a new nation,4conceived in Liberty,5and dedicated to the proposition that6all men are created equal.7Now we are engaged in a8great civil war,9testing whether that nation,10or any nation so conceived and so dedicated,11can long endure.Words in the passage: 54. Words written correctly: ______ of 54.Teacher's copyFree at teach.peabody.kids
Teacher's copy ·

To save a PDF, choose Print, then “Save as PDF” as the printer. Only the sheets print.

The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, 1863. Public domain in the United States (first published in 1863).

54 words, in 11 bits to read aloud.

How to use it

  1. Pick a public-domain passage to start, or paste a few sentences of your own.
  2. Choose how much you will read at a time. The teacher's copy cuts the passage into bits at the full stops and commas.
  3. Print the student sheet (blank ruled lines) and the teacher's copy. The teacher's copy also lists the long words to study first.
  4. Let the child study the passage, then read it one bit at a time while they write. Check it against the passage and count the words right.

Ideas for class

  • Study first: give the child the passage a few days ahead, and have them look hard at the long words. The page lists them for you.
  • Read each bit once clearly, and let the child say it back before writing.
  • Mark only the words that are wrong, and have the child correct them by copying the word three times.
  • Use a sentence or two from the book you are reading aloud this week.

Related

Questions

What is dictation?

The parent reads a passage aloud a little at a time and the child writes it from hearing. It practices spelling, punctuation and listening. Charlotte Mason families and classical families both use it, often after the child has studied the passage first.

Which passages are included, and are they free to use?

Poems and documents first published long ago (nothing after 1928) and three traditional sayings. Each shows its year and is in the public domain in the United States. You can paste anything else you have the right to use.

How does it split the passage into bits?

It ends a bit at the end of a sentence, or at a comma, semicolon or colon once there are a few words, and never lets a bit run much past the size you chose. You can read it differently; the bits are a guide.

Which words does it list to study?

Words of seven letters or more, once each, in the order they appear. It is a starting point. Add your own from the child's past mistakes.

Is my passage saved or sent?

It is kept in this browser and written into the address of this page, after the #, so a copied link reproduces the sheets. Nothing is sent to us. The page never asks for a name.

Your passage stays in this browser and in the link you copy, after the #. Nothing is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.