Charlotte's Web Copywork (Free Printable)

Copying beautiful selections of text from rich literature is an excellent tool to help kids become good writers. This Charlotte’s Web Copywork (Free printable!) contains the best pieces from the book Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Your children will love copying these adorable storylines as they read along with the book.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

One of the reasons I love to read Charlotte’s Web to our kids in the autumn season is that the story ends at the county fair, just at the time when all the local fairs are open in our area.

When Fern saves Wilbur’s life because he is born the runt pig of the litter, readers immediately sympathize with her, hoping she will be able to keep him. Although he moves to her Uncle Zuckerman’s farm, Fern visits the barn regularly. Through her visits, the readers learn about all the animals on the farm. One tiny eight-legged creature, a spider named Charlotte, vows to find a way to save Wilbur from becoming the Christmas ham.

By weaving carefully selected words in her spider web, Charlotte makes Wilbur highly esteemed in the eyes of the townsfolk, and Zuckerman decides to enter his famous pig in the county fair.

Ultimately, Charlotte dies at the end of the story, but she manages to save Wilbur’s life through her ingenuity and industry. Wilbur asks her, “Why did you do all this for me? I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.” To which Charlotte replies, “You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.”

Using Copywork in Your Homeschool

What’s so special about copywork? Why is it so effective?

Think about it. How do we learn almost everything?

We observe and copy other people who are doing it well!

What should a child copy?

Kids should copy selections from high-quality literature like poetry, Scripture, hymns, notable quotes, fables, fairy tales, and novels.

How often should a child practice copywork?

Daily! When kids copy the works of great writers as a daily habit for many years, they acquire a sense for how words flow together. They learn to discern the best ways of expressing thought.

What skills are learned through copywork?

Handwriting
Spelling
Punctuation
Vocabulary
Good sentence structure
Writing style and form

How long should it take a child to complete copywork?

Short lessons are key. If it takes more than 15-20 minutes for a child to complete copywork, the text is either too long or the child is not ready for copywork.

How We Practice Copywork In Our Homeschool

In our home, our kids practice. copywork every day. In my fifteen years of experience homeschooling our kids, I’ve seen excellent results from this daily habit. Copywork teaches kids spelling, vocabulary, handwriting, sentence structure, and so much more.

When children copy the best pieces from excellent authors, they become familiar with rich language. They can easily distinguish between well-written text and sloppy text.

As soon as our kids can write words, they begin daily copywork. As a general rule, I assign our kids 1 sentence a day for 1st grade, 2 sentences for 2nd, and so on.

Our kids use a simple wide-ruled or college-ruled notebook to write in each day.

They write the abbreviated date in the margin. (Younger kids write the full date above each entry until they learn how to write the abbreviated date.)

I print out the copywork selections that I want them to copy from, three-hole punch them, and put the papers into a three-hole punch pocket folder or half-inch binder.

I have several blog posts thatdr explain how we use copywork in our homeschool to help our kids learn to write well.

Everything You Need To Know About Homeschool Copywork

Step-by-Step Guide to Homeschool Writing

Extensions of Charlotte’s Web Copywork

These are some of the extensions we have added to copywork to teach other skills.

Typing

When our kids are ready to type independently (after completing the free online typing program we use), I have them type their copywork selection in a Google Doc after they have handwritten it.

Cursive

If it is important to you that your kids learn to write cursive, you can require copywork to be done in cursive once they have mastered the initial skills. I like our kids to be able to read and write in cursive so that they can read historical letters and documents.

Vocabulary Words

Look through your child’s copywork and pull out vocabulary words for them to learn. I like to write a list of words and their pages and have the kids read the vocabulary word in context to see if they can guess what it means. Here are some great vocabulary words from Charlotte’s Web.

runt (chapter 1)
vanish (chapter 2)
perspiration, slops (chapter 3)
occupation, glutton (chapter4)
“salutations!” (chapter 5)
jubilee (chapter 6)
anesthetic (chapter 7)
unremitting (chapter 8)
spinnerets (chapter 9)
gullible (chapter 10)
languishing (chapter 11)
idiosyncrasy, slogan (chapter 12)
radiant (chapter 13)
incessant (chapter 14)
versatile (chapter 15)
dragline, stowaway (chapter 16)
pickpocket, midway (chapter 17)
humble (chapter 18)
magnum opus (chapter 19)
sundry, phenomenon (chapter 20)
trifle, sentiments (chapter 21)
updraft, pledge (chapter 22)

Dictation

If you want to see how well your kids can spell and understand sentence structure, dictate one of their previous copywork sections to them and have them write it out. This is a great way to discover their skill level and where they need improvement.

How to Access Charlotte’s Web Copywork (Free Printable)

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