Meaningful Minutes: Copywork

Are you concerned about your child's handwriting?  Try copywork.

Do you have a young one who just can't spell well?  Try copywork.

Do you wish your kids read Bible verses, fantastic quotes, poems or at least knew a few maxims? Try copywork.

Concerned about grammar?  Try copywork.

Want to move from print to cursive?  Is your child interested in calligraphy? Try copywork.

Want your child to memorize important information?  Try copywork.

Although it sounds a little "old fashioned" copywork can do all this and more.  Yes, your child is literally copying what someone else has already said or written - as well educated people have done throughout history.

How to:

To begin students should have the line being copied and directly below it should be the space for them to write. If they are young (6 or 7) you can still have the guidelines for baseline, mid line and upper line.

As they become more confident you can move to having the passage at the top of the page and space below for them to copy.

Eventually they can copy from a board.  This is actually a DIFFICULT task because of the amount of tracking on paper, in the room, likelihood of distraction, etc.  So this is a GREAT way to prepare for the classroom.

Copywork should always be done as neatly as possible.  Children should check their own work.  You can also emphasize a point or two (spelling, grammar, word usage, etc.) if you like.  The actual copying should start with small pieces and maybe work up to 5 to 7 minutes.  If your child struggles to write - set the timer and let him be done at 10 minutes.

How copywork helps: 

Students can focus on handwriting because they aren't having to think about what to say or how to spell it - they can just look at the paper and form the letters properly.  It is also not tracing - which doesn't really teach them how to form the letters properly (have you ever watch a kid totally ignore the arrows and write it any which way).  That's why we start with forming a letter "perfectly" and then move on.  Muscle memory and such.

At first kids will probably copy letter for letter.  However, they should quickly move to word by word - but they have it right in front of them to check.  It isn't a test, it is practice with proper spelling. Eventually they should "transcribe" which means they read a few words and then write them and then go back for the next section. CM talks about asking children to "take a picture" of the word in their mind.  This reinforces proper spelling of a variety of words as they read excellent passages.  If you really want to focus on spelling you can talk about the phonics of the word (ay the two letter ay that can be at the end of English words, etc.).  Students can also immediately correct themselves without a sense of failure.  This might also sound like preparation for taking notes?  Who knew it can do that too!?

Famous quotes, Bible passages poems and sayings - all things worth remembering.  Writing it down in your own hand can help you remember it better.  Why not introduce these little gems to your child's life in a simple way? It also can help kids understand poetry.  When they slow down enough to copy it they can better recognize the rhyme, rhythm, alliteration and other techniques used within the poem.  Don't belabor the point.

Grammar.  Truth be told I still struggle with the right places to put the commas in a quotation. However, with copywork you do it and then check it and correct immediately.  It's not a test, you are just observing it done correctly - again and again - and then you know.  So pick passages that illustrate the difficulty your child is having and let them copy and check.  No pressure, but they will learn the right way to do it.

Copywork is a great way to introduce a new type of handwriting - typically cursive.  Again, the model is right in front of them and they are copying it.  Start with letters (correct formation is key) and then move into words and eventually sentences - worth knowing.  If your child is interested in calligraphy helping them find passages worth copying can allow them to focus on using the pen correctly to form the letters.  Plus, it means they will create something worth keeping.

Writing something down is one way to help you memorize and study it. Just don't do what I did in 4th grade and leave out a whole stanza of the poem you are supposed to memorize!!  Check your work! If you want to memorize, copy it more than once - if you want exposure, just do it once.

Eventually, copywork moves into studied dictation and common placing - but those are for another day.

Resources for copywork: 

Bible Verses: You can easily search for free ones.  I like the packs at Intoxicated on Life.  Use them as they best fit your needs.

History: I LOVE Writing Through History.  It is a bit more than copywork - it is a 4 year cycle program with 2 levels (1st - 3rd grade and 4th to 6th grade) and multiple fonts.  Each level includes stories, original documents, historical narratives and more from that era.  She then picks out passages for coypwork for your students.  So if you want to combine story, copywork and history easily - THIS IS IT.  I would highly recommend this as a summer resource.  Read for 10 minutes, narrate for 5, write for 5 and you have covered history, literature, composing and copywork all in one.  The pieces could easily be used for written narrations if you children are old enough to do that (9 yo+).

You can also choose your own passages (from literature you are reading, maxims or sayings, etc.) and make your own at a site like this.  You could start with maxims from Benjamin Franklin or Washington's Rules of Civility.  Why not copy the Preamble to the Constitution, parts of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech" or a quote from your favorite book (actually my son always copies the joke or tricky part of the story)?

Copywork is a VERY simple idea that works on multiple skills at once and can create a permanent record of your child's handwriting development, books/ stories read, poetry they loved, verses they memorized, etc.  Of course, you can just have the children pick their favorite passages from what they are reading and help them to learn to record wisdom from others (but that is moving into common placing).

To show honor to their work I highly recommend getting a special notebook just for copy work.  This makes it easier to keep track of the passages you have worked on and is much better than papers scattered everywhere (ask me how I know?).   Even a simple composition book will do.  As they get older they might want something fancier.

If you want to read about how others use copywork you can check it out here, here (I love her jar idea) or here.

A.R.C.H.- Handwriting Skill Development

We have made it to the third part of A.R.C.H. This series is thoughts about how we can support our children and span the gap between school and home as they enter the second half of early childhood.

So far we have discussed:

The value of outdoor play
Imaginative play in the classroom and at home 
Reading aloud

This week we consider Coaching the Academic Skills.  I like this turn of phrase and first heard it from Andrew Kern.  The idea is that most activities that end in -ing are actually skills: reading, writing, calculating, handwriting, etc.  That means that there are steps that students can be led through towards success.  It also means that if you go at the child's pace and introduce the next step as it comes they will feel successful as they gain these new skills.  We are familiar with skills in sports and realize that there is an order and progression to their development.  The same is true of academic skills and by understanding their development and progression we can be great advocates for our children.

This week we will consider the skills of handwriting, reading and calculating.  My goal is that by equipping you with some step by step skill based resources you can better oversee your child's development and talk with teachers and others knowledgeably.  In the end, I like this reminder that you can only teach three things:  skills, knowledge and truth.

Handwriting

My mom constantly wonders if this is even worth our time since we normally use computers as adults. I say YES.  It is worth the time and investment.   Basically, the brain activates differently when we write - it is a motor skill that helps us become better readers and writers - the act of typing keys does not have the same effect.  Writing and reading used to be closely linked together in teaching because we waited until kids skills were developed enough to teach these items at the same time (around 7) but I digress. 

I honestly don't know if there are handwriting lessons any longer (I know many schools have removed cursive).  Have they passed this down to preschool as well??  Regardless, you should consider handwriting lessons at home.  The goal is to help your child develop writing that is comfortable and legible.  We are listening to a book on tape about the American's who discovered the Mayan ruins.  One of the primary laments of his education was his poor handwriting- he said it was very hard to correct (and he wrote over 1000 published pages in his lifetime).  Doing it right from the beginning, like most skills, is very helpful.

Peterson's directed handwriting offers support (a more in-depth look) and ideas about how to do this. Here are all of the resources available from Peterson so you can pinpoint where your child is in the process.  I do admit that this handwriting is not the "prettiest", but I find it very functional (here is the chart to show how to form vertical print and slant print). Children can develop their own style as they get older. He nicely outlines the 6 handwriting skills and order of their development.

1.  Form

2.  Downstrokes/ slant

3.  Size 

4.  Spacing

5.  Smooth Rhythm 

6.  Control 

Now that you know what skill development looks like and its order, you can help your child regardless of the program she is using?  It helps you pinpoint where they need instruction and support.  Do they not know how to form their letters?  Teach them the strokes.  Do they continue to start from the baseline and go up? Reinforce which letters are downstrokes,  Can they form their letters but they aren't the right size? Show children understand how to use guidelines to form their letters.  Most agree that it is better to do a few letters or words "perfectly" than to fill a whole page with chicken scratch.  

Honestly, working on letter formation should take less than 10 minutes a day and not all of it has to be done pen to paper.  Air writing while standing in line at the grocery store or while in the car - is another way to redeem time and help build skills.  Invest in a white board and dry erase markers - they can draw them or you can draw them and they can erase them (following the proper strokes). Other ideas are easy to come by, although some are for younger children, a change of pace is fun for everyone.  

Don Potter provides a plethora of handwriting research resources.  There has been a lot made of handwriting over the years. Concerned about pencil grip - 140 pages of research! Want more practical ides for pencil grip.  For the long term writing well being of your child this might be a fight worth having.  Here is a great overview of pencil grip development. I can hardly watch my husband write his grip is SO horrible (I know his mom tried).  If you are looking for flashcards that have both print and cursive letters here is a set of free ones.  I have also found using the "clock face" for teaching when to turn and change direction in writing is helpful. Here is another link to clock faces for writing.  I try to shy away from straight tracing because it doesn't always help the child to think through the strokes necessary for writing.  To me, it makes more sense to spend more time on proper letter formation so that they have that down pat, than to keep moving forward just so that they can write words.  

I personally advocate for cursive first (here is someone even more passionate than myself).  There are a few key reasons for this: 

-   much less likely to reverse b and d because of the way they are formed

-   always begin and end in the same spot (almost), and starting at the baseline instead of somewhere else

-   over the long term it is much faster writing 

-   there are just a few key strokes (4 to 8 depending on the program you use)

-   being able to read cursive means they can connect with the past 

There are some downsides though: 

-   cursive writing is better when they can hold one whole word in their brain - rather than going letter by letter

-   not everybody can read cursive 

Obviously, your child will probably start with print in school- most likely with something like "Handwriting without Tears".  This is a great program.  However, if your child still struggles with reading and seems to be tending toward being dyslexic this font might be helpful.  Remember that until they start writing b, p and d are all the same figures - just facing different directions.  Not so in reading and writing.  

If you want the simplest way to teach cursive I recommend this little free booklet.  

Not all children begin crawling, walking and talking at the same time.  So lets remember that handwriting, reading and calculating are similar - children need to be developmentally ready to do these activities.  Knowing the stages of development can help us identify where they are and identify the next step they need to take towards mastering the skill at hand.

As children move beyond learning to write you might want to consider copywork for the next stage. Here is an introduction to help you move from handwriting to copywork.  Truly, it is an expansive topic for another time.

Tomorrow we discuss some key ideas about coaching reading.  

Wednesday with Words (Revived): Office of Assertion

Over the summer, I missed Wednesday with Words.  I was afraid that upon Cindy's retirement from blogging that would be the end; however, the torch has passed on to Ladydusk.  So now I can be challenged to read something more intellectual and continue to learn from what others are reading. They started a few weeks ago but I haven't had much to add.

Today I'd like to share insights from the book given out during the Classical Conversation Practicum this year: The Office of Assertion by Scott F. Crider.  This little book is meant as a primer for college students on how to write a college level essay.  Most of what he discusses I somehow picked up along the way (except the grammar lessons).  How nice it would have been to have it presented to me in a neat little package.  However, I think I would have been too prideful in college to actually have received it as the gift that it is.

The books' purpose is to provide a concise overview of invention, organization and style (grammar and syntax) along with thoughts about revision for college students.  Honestly, it would be a great text to use in an Introduction to Composition connected to a Humanities course.  Here are a few ways I could see using it before college:

1.  As a launching pad to help improve your own writing.  He has helped me to realize some of my own gaps and given me enough information to begin filling in the gap.

2.  With younger students it is a resource for mom. It provides a vision of what you are working towards with your child (good writing is good thinking - even if they don't become English or history majors).  His section on grammar is particularly helpful as he connects grammar with style in a brief but understandable way.  I can see using some of his points as I talk with my mid elementary aged student about why we are learning sentence structures and design.

With high school students:

3. It can be the next step in paper revision because he numbers the sections for easy reference.  When your child was younger you might have written symbols for misspellings or paragraph breaks.  Here, you could write section numbers, so that the student can reference the book and you all can discuss how to improve their work.

4.  It also could provide prompts for more advanced copia work, playing with words and forms.  He often explains and provides quick examples of four types of X.  You could have a student develop each of the four types around a similar argument.  This would also help them to see that some types of arguments lend themselves to different approaches.  Some of this is probably covered in good high school composition curricula - but if not you can easily introduce it.

5.  This book could also be used to provide vocabulary for students to better analyze arguments they read.  Crider does this a few times in the book because through analysis you can better understand how the work was constructed - so that you can then try and copy that approach.

Okay, so this is not supposed to be about my words, but the authors.  Here are some of my favorite quotes: 

Your essay is like a map of a territory: the smaller the map, the smaller the territory that can adequately represented by it. A map of the earth is not a map of America; a map of America is not a map of your state; a map of your state is not a map of your city; a map of your city is not a map of your university.  If one wanted to find a classroom on your campus a map of the state would be useless because it would lack the focus needed.  As with maps, so with essays. The writer must ascertain what is possible with respect to the circumstances, in this case the circumstance of scale (he is talking about short answer prompts and 2 to 3 page essays). 

In rhetoric, problems are resources.  

Even so, one vividly drawn example will be more persuasive than a catalog of less vivid ones.

 Major yet unclear terms weaken most students writing. 

To explicate a text, you must analyze part of the text and synthesize its parts with each other. 

Analysis dives down into a part of the text; synthesis swims across the whole of it. 

He is not a fan of the 5 paragraph essay and begins the discussion of arrangement explaining its faults.

Its most powerful limitation is this: it supplies one shape to all arguments, regardless of their nature. 

From there he introduces the classical oration as an initial alternative but tries to emphasizes that, over time, the argument you are making should shape the organization of your paper.

Clarity is not at all dull; indeed, little is as intellectually thrilling as lucid design. 

He also takes on the thesaurus and encourages pupils not to reach for it and pull out a word.  He encourages the study of Latin, reading widely and listening to professors on the subject to help you hone your word choice and diction.  He says that if you must use a thesaurus make sure you have a dictionary handy so that you are choosing the right word.

I honestly can't even begin to quote from the grammar section.  It is to the point but so helpful in showing why we need to know the 4 types of sentences, how to use conjunctions effectively, etc.

They chose quite the book to pass out this year!

See what others are reading this week at Ladydusk.

Weekly Resource: Primer to Composition, Rhetoric and Literature

I realize that this week I said we'd cover more full fledged Latin curricula; however, I got sucked into google books this week.  I also ventured into Half Price Books (a serious temptation) and found one book on Composition and Rhetoric from 1917 for a dollar.  How can I pass that up?   I did wonder if it was on google books - and it is.  So you too can enjoy this great resource for FREE.

I was looking for something that gave the background to the way they used to approach writing, composition and rhetoric and this book delivers.  This book is so much more than that though!

Composition, Rhetoric and Literature a Four Year's Course for Secondary Schools
Book One: First and Second Years

From the Preface 

This book is based upon the belief that a human being learns by imitation, by repetition, and by challenge to increased exertion.   

It (this book) follows a special arrangement in presenting the subjects: Narration, Description, Exposition and Argumentation. 

 The overall goal

The subject is presented in the belief that what students need is not novelty and intellectual vaudeville, but sustained effort and the discipline which seeks to teach future citizens how to read appreciatively, how to think clearly, and how to express their ideas vividly, rationally, and with straightforward directness. 

Notes to the Teacher  

I.  Apportionment of Time.
First Year:  four recitations a week devoted to Rhetoric and Composition; one recitation to Literature
Second Year:  three recitations a week devoted to Rhetoric and Composition; two recitations to Literature

I think you see the pattern.

Writing Composition - It is expected that every student will write a theme every two weeks during his first two years, and one theme every week during his last two years in the secondary school.  (later he defines themes as short explorations of a topic)

In his suggestions on working with themes he includes these two:

The irksome task of rewriting themes should be insisted upon.
The corrections placed upon themes should be very definite, explicit and yet kindly. 

As regards corrections he says

The first criticism should, of course, be criticism of the arrangement of thought, and every student should be trained by constant vigilance to see unity, coherence, and emphasis in his compositions.  The student's success in the whole theme should be stated first, followed by detailed, specific criticism of faults in grammar, punctuation, diction, sentence structure, and paragraph structure.  (We are talking about high school students here.)

They also discuss reading aloud as a class and discussion and make the point

Training of the Imagination - Training of the visual imagination is something that becomes more and more important in these days when copious illustrations of books leaves little for this faculty to do.  

They end this section by focusing on how to help students best appreciate literature.  

An appreciation of the music of poetry, of melody and cadence, ought surely to be fostered during the early years when the ear is sensitive, for a large share of the enjoyment of literature depends upon the proper cultivation of the love of harmonious sound.  If the same poems are read frequently, they will stay in the memory as guides in the future for judging poetic measures.  Wordsworth's I wandered lonely as a cloud and The Solitary Reaper, Blake's Ah, Sunflower, Burns' A Red, Red Rose, Marlowe's The Passionate Shepherd, Ben Jonson's "Drink me to only with thine eyes," the Shakespeare songs, Herrick's "Her eyes the glow worm lend thee" and Keats' La Belle Dame Sans Merci, may be cited as poems possessed of special lyric beauty.  

I think that gives you a great idea of the depth and philosophy of the book,  The first part of the book focuses on the history of the English language, word usage, and grammar basics (with lots of details).  It moves into sentences, then paragraphs, letter writing and then into aspects of narratives (description, characterization, plot, etc.) and arguments. Examples are drawn from published authors to illustrate points. The authors then provide exercises to help students focus on that aspect of writing.

Although I don't think that I would hand this book over for a high schooler to move through on their own, it is an excellent resource.  It touches on practical and poetic aspects of writing and provides simple ways to help students grasp concepts illustrated.  It truly is a step by step guide and resource to help students learn all aspects of writing.  I have not been able to find the second book (year three and four) but honestly, this volume covers much more than most programs out there do.  

If you realize that you don't know much about poetry (like me) you might want to check out the book on Poetics (aimed at college students).  It is a quick introduction (40 pages or so) to meter, types of poems, images and figures in poetry, poetic forms and the like.  Again, each term also has an example from a published poet for reference.  I don't think we need to analyze poetry in depth with young children, but it is nice as an adult to have some sense of these categories and types.

Weekly Resource - Peterson's Handwriting

I am a cursive first kind of girl.  I do realize that many people aren't even learning cursive anymore but learning cursive first has lots of benefits.  I like that the letters start and end in the same place - every time. Plus, you really can't confuse b and d when you write them in cursive.  My son's cursive is looking great. People are always surprised that he writes it.  Truly it isn't a big accomplishment - it is easier to learn than print if you start with it.  The problem is trying to switch kids midstream - that's what makes it difficult. Handwriting is important to us because my husband's handwriting is pretty much illegible.

I have started "writing" lessons with my 4 yo - at his request.  Although I own the cursive first book, I use Peterson's Handwriting techniques.  I do like cursive first's use of the clock face (loop around to 2 o' clock and then trace back) so I use that with my sons. Peterson has online workbooks (print and cursive) that show you the premise behind their program.  For both print and cursive the basic concept is to break down the letters into repetitive moves and then link them together to make letters.  The four basic moves in cursive are sharp top, loop top, round top and roll top.  I then teach a "bottom loop".  I also teach the r as a slightly pointed roll top - instead of a roof top- like they do it.   Really I just use their rhythm leader sheet (print and cursive) and teach it from there.

The writing is functional but not pretty.  I also don't believe in teaching kids through tracing pages - so we do other things to practice.  Montessori uses sandpaper letters and my older son used those when he was this age.  Right now we don't have any letters available (although you can make your own).  To start off I just wrote the form on our white board with a dry erase marker and named it - sharp top.  Then I had my son erase it using the pointer finger on his right hand while saying the form.   He is four so he is still working on small motor skills.  Soon I think we will move to the salt tray where he can make his own letters and erase easily. I am not in a hurry but he feels like he is learning something important and I feel like he is learning the correct form from the beginning.  Even my 7 yo wants to get in on the act and draw letter parts for him to erase.  The 2 yo thinks erasing is VERY fun.

At some point we will start typing but I want my sons to feel like they can write easily and legibly.  I am also pleased because all of the programs we use have copywork in cursive for the younger age group.  So he has had lots of practice.  A little bit at a time really does work!

Also, Lulu has a 14% off sale going on now.  If you are interested in Learning Language through Literature or Write Through History now might be a good time to get them.  I have also been reading a lot about TPR (total physical response) and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) or CI (comprehensible input) as methods for second language acquisition.  Lulu also sells I Speak Latin by Andrew Campbell (Latin Centered Curriculum) which uses TPR methods to teach the language. There is usually a 20% off sale around May - if you can wait until then.

Wednesday with Words - About Imitation in Writing

I am really taken with Frederick Henry Sykes Elementary English Composition for High Schools and Academies (1905 edition) meant for the first and second year of high school.  The earlier edition lacks an introduction and a table of contents - which is a little annoying.  He makes up for that in this version.  His introduction truly speaks to what writing and composition should be about.  A few thoughts:

The pupil's own experiences are not enough.  He must read, and read aloud and be read to. And reading becomes most effective when the pupil commits to memory passages of standard literature that he reads.  Through reading especially, the pupil becomes possessed of the rich stores of the world's life and thought, preserved in myth and fable and history, and gets the stimulus that comes from the greater ideas of other minds and other times. 

Passages from our best authors rightly selected and wisely used, are the most valuable means and material for the study and acquisition of style.  

Oral composition should be a daily practice of the English class. Conversation between teacher and pupil, the oral repetion or summary of a story, brief oral descriptions of the incidents of the seasons or human happenings, or discussion of the daily news, can be made to conduce to the ready and effective use of language. 

We must, therefore, in elementary classes, begin with the primary literary interest, the story - with the fairy-tale and fable and anecdote.  By going from Narration to Description and Exposition, ending with Argumentation, including Persuasion, we follow the progressive stages in the intellectual powers.

He does end with a section on prosody.

Practice in outlining affords excellent training in analysis, and impresses on the young writer the need of sequence of thought and of logical order and arrangement in good composition. 

He also includes quotes from famous author's about their writing process and covers the grammar that good writing necessitates.  I will leave you to find that out in this short introduction.

Weekly Resource - Progymnasmata Programs

Recently I was reminded to be careful if I recommend resources I have not used.  If I haven't tried it - what can I really say about it.  This was wise advice.  My interest in pulling these resources together is to put my natural hunter/gatherer nature to good use.  I hope that what I do naturally can help assist mom's and others who don't have time or desire to search for different options. A listing here doesn't mean I've used it - it basically means that it fits in line with the direction of our homsechool.  Many of them are resources I will consider using in the future. It is meant to be a place for resources not necessarily recommendations.  Once you find a resource here it might be wise to check elsewhere to see what others say about it in use.

Now on to this week's resources - items that teach the progymnasmata or at least imitation in writing.   The progymnasmata is a series of exercises that use imitation to teach different genres of writing.  It is an ancient approach to teaching and there are a few modern day programs that follow this approach.  Here are a few of them:

Writing Tales - This program is an easy introduction to writing for late elementary students and just covers the Fable and Narrative stage (the first two of a 13 stage process).   It is intended to be a full program that incorporates vocabulary, composition, grammar and spelling.   Each lesson takes about two weeks (scope and sequence).  She includes notes on how to use this program in a coop setting as well. On her website she has full lessons for you to review.  This is a stand alone program.

Memoria Press's program Classical Composition -  This program,when it is complete, will carry students through all of the stages.  Currently the first three are completed and intended to be used starting in fourth grade.  There is a teacher's manual, a student's workbook and the first stage also has a DVD companion. This program uses MANY technical terms in teaching students writing and focuses on these terms more than grammar.   Just looking at the samples I learned new words!   They also have online classes supporting the first two stages - Fable and Narrative.  I expect this will expand as well.  This is part of their larger curriculum.

Classical Writing -  This is a full language arts program that provides a Primer before your student is ready for the progym in late elementary.  They also begin with Aesop (fables) and include some lessons in phonics in addition to composition and grammar instruction.  There are teacher and instructor's guides which cover 36 weeks.  Unlike other models they have completed work texts into the high school years.   The older levels do provide a full literature program as well as a composition program.  To help in implementing the program they have webinars and support groups.

Classical Academic Press -  Earlier this year they released the first stages of their Writing and Rhetoric program.  The first two levels cover the late elementary grades.  They intend to have 12 levels that will be completed by 9th grade (some of the areas are semester long courses).  They provide a student work text, teacher manual and MP3s that have the work read aloud for the student.   Their sample gives a great overview of the progym and how it compares to most modern approaches to writing.   They have three lessons for you to preview and there is more of a focus on understanding the moral of the fable and word choice with less of a focus on teaching grammar in their approach.

Imitation in Writing - This is a series of books that uses imitation to teach composition but does not engage the full progymnasmata.  It covers fables, fairy tales, Greek myths, Greek Heroes and Medieval Legends.  So, in terms of the progym it covers fable and narrative but doesn't go beyond those two introductory levels. From the samples it seems very formulaic in its approach and similar to IEW in using the same structure to really engrain outlining, story arc, etc. for children.  Although not a full progym program it does use imitation and literature as its basis.

In the early stages of the Progym I don't believe it is necessary to have a curriculum.  A few of my favorite bloggers have discussed how they have approached this in their own home.

Afterthoughts has a series of posts that discuss how she incorporates some of the ideas with a Charlotte Mason approach to writing.   She has used Jim Selby's curriculum which has now been adapted by Memoria Press to get her familiar with the ideas.

Simply Convivial has actually put together a small coop class for her late elementary school children and blogs about their schedule and approach.

Of course, there are google books out there that have this type of approach to them.  Here are two that I have found:

Elementary English Composition (1905)- A great example of an older book that uses a similar model.  Each section has something to memorize for the lesson, a selection to read, exercises in grammar, vocabulary and composition (including teaching outlining).   The updates in the 1905 version are worth reading and considering.  He explains how imitation served writers of the past well - with quotes from those writers about how they imitated others or engaged in thinking that lead to composition.  It also more clearly follows the progym model (although not completely faithfully).  The earlier version does use different memory and examples and includes things like letter writing.  So, it might be worth reviewing both.

Composition from Models - Intended for high school use.  This book provides models in a variety of writing genres (not necessarily in keeping with the progym order).  The models are excerpts from authors you would recognize.  The assignments are general because there is an expectation that the teacher knows what he means by expansion, paraphrase etc.  However, if you want to look at different examples of writing this would be a great place to start and work on models.

If you are interested in learning more about the progym these are the resources I recommend looking into.

Elementary Studies from John Henry Newman

I found this work through a lukewarm compliment of the Latin Centered Curriculum.  The writer asserted that the curriculum outlined was not Latin centered enough.  He continued by claiming that a grammar approach to Latin would never develop the type of understanding of Latin that Campbell is aiming at in his book.  He referenced a section of John Henry Newman's Idea of a University to help further his case.  I was intrigued and decided to read the section entitled Elementary Studies (since it was free online).

John Henry Newman started as an Anglican in the 1800's in England and eventually became a Catholic bishop.  He is speaking about a Catholic education and its classical ideals and tradition in this piece.  I have only read this section on preparing for university entrance exams.  Here he creates exaggerated fictional characters in the midst of their exams.  He contrasts the father's responses to their son's exams, as well as the examiners comments about each boy's education.   The exams focus on Latin because during this era all entering university students were expected to have read many Latin classics in Latin.

As an introduction to Newman's overarching philosophy about the formation of the mind here are two thoughts:

Alas! what are we doing all through life, both as a necessity and as a duty, but unlearning the world's poetry and attaining to its prose!  (there is more context there but it is worth considering the implications)

The instruction given him, of whatever kind, if it be really instruction, is mainly, or at least pre-eminently, this, a discipline in accuracy of mind. 

Helpful to note

"Grammar" is now more commonly meant, as Johnson defines it, "the art of using words properly" [as opposed to literature studies as it was used in the past] and it "comprises four parts - Orthography, Etymology, Syntax and Prosody."  

That there could be your whole grammar curriculum!  Orthography  - spelling, Etymology - history of word, Syntax - word order and prosody - making it sound beautiful.

In studies of grammar he discusses that

To translate an English sentence into Latin is to frame a sentence, and is the best test whether or not a student knows the difference of Latin from English construction; to construe or parse is to analyze a sentence, and is an evidence of the easier attainment of knowing what Latin construction is in itself.  

First we are given a little background on how the "examiner" views his job where he uses

one single word as a sort of text, and show[s] how that one word, even by itself, affords matter for a sufficient examination for a youth in grammar, history and geography.   

Reading this example examination is a little painful.  It is obvious that the student isn't following where the examiner is leading.  If I was in his shoes I am afraid that I would end up looking like this failing student.  The student leaves frustrated because they focused on just one word when he was a acquainted with so  many more text and ideas that the examiner never discussed.  The exam is truly brilliant and does test if the student understood and connected with what he was supposed to have learned in the text.

Newman's primary point is

This young man had read the Anabasis [the word and text he was using for examination purposes], and had some general sense what the word meant; but he had no accurate knowledge how the word came to have its meaning, or of the history and geography it implied in it.  This being the case, it was useless, or rather hurtful, for a boy like him to amuse himself with running through Grote's many volumes, or to cast his eye over Matthiae's minute criticisms. . . Nothing is more common in an age like this, when books abound, than to fancy that the gratification of a love of reading is real study.  (bold mine)

The examiner writes to the father with this criticism of his ill equipped son

he knows something about a great many things, of which youths of his age commonly know nothing. . . Our rule is to recommend youths do a little well, instead of throwing themselves upon a large field of study.  I conceive it to be your son's fault of mind not to see exactly the point of thing; nor to be so well grounded as he might be.  Young men are indeed always wanting in accuracy; this kind of deficiency is not peculiar to him, and he will doubtless soon overcome it when he sets about it. 

The father's response is basically that general knowledge will fit his son well for the world and that he should not be judged on such minutiae as the examiner was bringing to his attention.  The father then again makes the case that his son has a great general knowledge.  He then includes a poem and a short essay to help bolster his son's case - which do little to help the cause.  The analysis of this poor piece of writing is harsh!

Newman also presents a more capable candidate who "gets" his studies because he has learned the work deeply and in context.  Basically it is a discussion about a paragraph from Cicero's letters and he uses the language to communicate his thoughts - he is parsing.

The father of the better scholar has this approach to education

He knows the difference between show and substance; he is penetrated with the conviction that Rome was not built in a day, that a building will not stand without foundations, and that, if boys are to be taught well, they must be taught slowly, step by step.  

In critiquing the writing itself, the examiner offers this observation

The rule is, first think, and then write; don't write when you have nothing to say; or, if you do, you will make a mess of it.  

He then explains that a half a page of well written thought is better than a tome of empty phrases.

Next, he turns to Latin composition.  This is actually the reason why I wanted to read this excerpt and what the amazon critique was highlighting.  Here is the tutor's maxim for Latin composition

There are four requisites of good Composition, - correctness of vocabulary, or diction, syntax, idiom and elegance.  Of these, the two first need no explanation, and are likely to be displayed by every candidate.  The last is desirable indeed, but not essential.  The point which requires special attention is idiomatic propriety. 

Here he is emphatic that:

Hence, the most complete and exact acquaintance with dictionary and grammar will utterly fail to teach a student to write or compose. Something more is wanted, viz., the knowledge of words and construction, or the knowledge of idiom. 

The critique of Latin Centered Curriculum was on account of this assertion. The reviewer was concerned that by using a grammar based approach (like Prima Latina and Henle) that students would never learn the idiom of the language and therefore never truly "get" Latin.  The poster recommends Ortberg - which is what Visual Latin flows into.  I would assert that using interlinear texts, as Andrew Kern recommends, helps to accomplish this goal as well.

Basically, the rest of the section is an explanation of why we shouldn't teach Latin in terms of our English language - but rather understand it on its own terms.  He says that by learning just the grammar of Latin he was "aiming to be an architect by learning to make bricks."   Eventually he found a doorway that lead him to understand

beyond mistake what a Latin sentence should be, and saw how an English sentence must be fused and remoulded in order to make it Latin (sic). 

 I had now learned that good Latinity lies in structure; that every word of a sentence may be Latin, yet the whole sentence remain English; and that dictionaries do not teach composition.  

From this I gather that the problem is much like English composition. All of the phonograms, grammar jingles and word studies cannot make up for the student that has not been read aloud to and read widely on his own.  Finding your voice in English is connected to reading and copying sentences worth paying attention to.  Therefore, I would say that if you are just starting Latin it is necessary to understand the grammar and structure of the language - but do not forget to hear it aloud and read it regularly so that you understand its idioms and structure.  This piece helped me understand the Visual Latin approach to learning Latin much better.

 And finally, he has this to say

The great moral I would impress upon you is this, that in learning to write Latin, as in all learning, you must not trust to books, but only make use of them; not hang like a dead weight upon your teacher, but catch some of his life; handle what is given you, not as a formula, but as a pattern to copy and as a capital to improve; throw your heart and mind into what you are about and thus unite the separate advantages of being tutored and of being self-taught, - self taught, yet without oddities, and tutorized, yet without conventionalities.

Once again, all my thinking about teaching Latin is in a mess.  I am also chastised by his constant reminder to go deep and focus on doing a few things well.