Brave Writer Dart Guidelines
Brave Writer Dart Guidelines
GUIDELINES
Welcome
to the
Dart
The Dart Guidelines are your handbook for
making the most of your Darts.
New to the Dart? Grab a cup of tea, busy your kids with
a movie or other diversion, and read—highlighter in
hand, jotting notes in the margins.
French-style dictation
Reverse dictation
DART GUIDELINES 2
Table of Contents
04
Limits to the use of the Dart
10
Putting the Dart into practice
05
Managing your Darts
13 Sample routines
05 Reference materials
14
Copywork and dictation
practices
06
Brave Writer principles
to guide your sessions
17 Practical tips for copywork
09
Dart planner and skills tracker
24 Writing activity
DART GUIDELINES 3
ATTENTION:
LIMITS TO THE USE OF THE DART
At Brave Writer, we regularly field questions about copyright and
duplication with respect to our products. Here is what is permitted and
what is not. We are grateful to be part of such a conscientious, ethical
community.
This is your copy of the Dart. All rights of this publication are reserved,
including resale rights. You may not forward, photocopy, or resell the
contents of the digital issues of the Dart, nor duplicate the Dart for
members of a co-op class. Brave Writer offers a co-op discount for
multiple users.
You may use your personal copy in order to teach in a co-op setting.
You are free to print copies for your family’s use.
If your hard drive crashes or you forget to pick up an issue of the Dart
and you’ve purchased the year-long program, sign into your Brave
Writer Account to download released guides.
REFERENCE MATERIALS
To aid you in exploring topics such as punctuation and grammar,
Brave Writer recommends Nitty-Gritty Grammar and/or More Nitty-
Gritty Grammar by Edith H. Fine and Judith P. Josephson, published
by Ten Speed Press. You don’t need both. More Nitty-Gritty Grammar
alphabetizes the grammar/punctuation principles, making it an easy-
to-use reference. These two books have very helpful explanations
combined with comics that are easily understood by children; you
might find them useful to have at home. Both of these books are
widely available online and in major bookstores.
DART GUIDELINES 5
BRAVE WRITER
PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE YOUR SESSIONS
seriously
Take pain
smile
Make eye contact, sit close,
Help
helps
Take
breaks
DART GUIDELINES 6
GETTING TO KNOW THE DART
U
se Darts in any sequence. Each guide is a self-contained unit.
arts offer about four weeks of content. Feel free to move more
D
quickly or slowly, as suits your family.
P
rint the Dart or read it on a tablet. Passage sheets and French-style
dictation and reverse dictation sheets may be printed individually.
S
pin and Spiral (alternative to scope and sequence) that gives
an overview.
F
our passages with detailed notes to be used for copywork and
dictation.
A featured Literary Device.
A Writing Activity to explore the literary device.
B
ig Juicy Questions about themes, characters, setting, and
writing (see details below).
B
ook Club Party Ideas to celebrate the book.
our printable copywork passage pages.
F
A printable French-style dictation page (for Week Two).
A printable Reverse dictation page (for Week Four).
E
ach passage includes four types of notes:
W
hy this passage: Explains why the selected passage makes a
nice choice.
W
hat to note: Helps you see the passage’s literary power, notable
punctuation, spelling challenges, and/or grammar concepts.
H
ow to teach the passage: Provides tactics, tips, and techniques.
(Each week a different copywork or dictation practice will be
highlighted for optional use.)
S
potlight (grammar or punctuation): Isolates one grammar or
punctuation concept drawn from that week’s passage to explore
with your children three times a month.
DART GUIDELINES 7
BIG JUICY QUESTIONS
The target students for the Dart are young. They are just learning to
explore themes, plot, and characterization in books, through natural
conversation. To aid you in your desire to draw insight and narrative
skill from your children, the Dart offers a set of questions to explore for
each book. Remember: your child doesn’t need to answer them all,
and this isn’t a quiz. Chase the ones that lead to rich conversation.
Ignore the ones that fall flat.
TIPS
se the questions to help you (the parent) think about the book
U
more deeply so that you can pose questions to your child about the
story itself. Avoid asking, “How did the book make you feel?”
o out for milkshakes or discuss the book while your child bounces
G
on a trampoline. There’s no need to set up a “test” condition. Let
the questions arise in the course of your day as a natural part of
your relationship with your child.
our child may elect not to answer some of the questions. Sometimes
Y
an idea is beyond the scope of the child’s current understanding
or is simply not interesting. Pursue the questions that give rise to
satisfying exchanges and ignore the others—discernment is an
important skill in learning.
DART GUIDELINES 8
DART PLANNER &
SKILLS TRACKER
Find the Our Week with Dart planner and the Dart Skills Tracker at the
end of these Guidelines.
O
ur Week with Dart: a checkbox guide to walk you through the steps
of preparing and using the Dart with your child.
D
art Skills Tracker: a tool to keep track of a child’s progress in
mastering the mechanics of writing. Print one for each child.
Ask yourself
D
oes my child regularly apply this concept correctly?
Gets it
D
oes my child need more practice and teaching for this concept?
Learning
DART GUIDELINES 9
PUTTING THE
Read
DART into PractIce
Read the book aloud to your children at a comfortable pace. Finish before the
last week of the guide. Be sure to read past the week’s passage before using it
for copywork and dictation.
Dartbooks are selected to be read aloud to your family. Audiobooks work too.
Kids who like to read the books to themselves benefit from you reading the same
book on your own so you can discuss the passages, literary devices, and Big Juicy
Questions.
Weekly Plan
Review the Dart content for the week ahead, alone.
hoose which concepts you’d like to share with your children (you don’t need to teach every item
C
each week). Select concepts based on the skill level of the child—use the Dart Skills Tracker,
if you like. Your 8-year-old may be ready to learn about the periods in a passage, while your
10-year-old is ready to also investigate the em dash.
he notes are addressed to you, the parent. Read them, understand them, paraphrase them
T
to your child. In some cases, it may be appropriate to read the notes to your child. Often there
is more information than your child is ready to absorb in one sitting. That’s okay! Save some
concepts for another week, another time, another Dart!
repare for copywork and dictation practices (find information on these practices later in these
P
Guidelines).
InvestIgate
ead the passage with your child. Before teaching the notes, investigate
R
the passage as a family.
DART GUIDELINES 10
Stuff to ask
any passage
What do you notice about this passage (can be anything)?
What is the mood this passage conveys? Scary? Cozy? Nostalgic? (etc.)
Can you identify any interesting uses of the parts of speech? Show me!
I find dialogue—what the characters say—so interesting. See these curvy marks
(like apostrophes in the air)? Why do you think writers use these? Do you know
what they’re called?
I feel like if I were with the characters in that scene, I’d be cold. How about you?
Gosh, this cliffhanger made me want to keep reading. Remember when we read
Charlotte’s Web and talked about opening hooks? What do you think is going to
happen next? Why do you think this is a good hook? What makes you want to
keep reading?
DART GUIDELINES 11
PRACTICE
Ask your child to use one of the copying/dictation strategies for the passage.
Copywork
French-style dictation
Dictation
Reverse dictation
See the detailed guidelines for “Copywork and dictation practices” in this guide.
Select one dictation method to try later in the week with the same passage.
Note: Highlighted copywork and dictation practices are suggested in each week
of the Dart. Feel free to use the practices with any passage, not just the highlighted
week. Also, skip difficult practices (such as reverse dictation) until your child is ready.
Revisit them later as skills grow.
a day in the month to explore the literary device. (Suggestion: during the
Pick
week without a Spotlight).
Plan a morning or afternoon for the writing activity that goes with the
literary device. No revision necessary.
Big Juicy Questions are in chronological order. Have your kids pick one or
The
more to skip and discuss a few per week (over cookies and tea, if you like).
DART GUIDELINES 12
SAMPLE ROUTINES
These sample routines are here to inspire you. Use what you like, leave the rest.
Plan
Print guide or view it Print and fill out your Print and prep your Prep any copywork or
on your computer or Our Week with Dart Dart Skills Tracker French-style/reverse
tablet planner for each child dictation; print
Day 1: R
ead the passage aloud; ask it questions;
start copywork
Listen to the audiobook
Day 2: C
ontinue copywork; discuss items you selected, in the car.
use highlighter
Day 3: Take a break
Use a Big Juicy Question
Day 4: U
se passage for a version of dictation;
for writing and skip the
OR discuss the literary device
Day 5: D
iscuss the Big Juicy Question of the week;
writing activity that month.
PRO TIP: The Dart includes one printable French-style dictation page and one
reverse dictation page, but you may want to create these pages yourself for
various passages. To do this, copy and paste the passage directly from the PDF
to a blank document, increase the font size, and add returns to increase the
spaces between lines before proceeding to craft the necessary dictation page.
DART GUIDELINES 14
1. Copywork Copywork is highlighted in Week One of the Dart.
Step 2—Put the printed page of the passage where the student can easily see it.
Put the page in an easel document holder so that the passage is at eye level when your
student copies it. Alternatively, lay the page on the table so it is easy for the student to
read with minimal movement.
DART GUIDELINES 15
Step 4—Limit the length of the copywork practice.
Ask your child to focus and attend to the passage. When attention flags, it’s time to stop.
Try short intervals. Suggest that your child copy as much of the passage, as accurately as
possible, in the predetermined time limit each day (anywhere from a minute up to five or
six minutes). Then stop. Your child can resume where she left off the next time you work.
Gradually lengthen this period as your child reports feeling comfortable.
Most passages in the Dart are between one and four sentences—short enough to complete
in one sitting. Pay attention to what works well for your family. Adapt copywork to the needs
and skills of your child. For younger children or those with learning challenges, select a single
sentence or a few words. Ask your child how much she can write with full concentration and
attention to excellence. Start there. You may still discuss the full passage with your child.
Encourage the habit of attention and care. A single sentence (or word) per day is a valid
way to complete copywork, if needed. The goal isn’t quantity but focus and faithful
reproduction.
DART GUIDELINES 16
Practical Tips
FOR COPYWORK
Tracing: Write the passage in pencil; give your child a highlighter to
trace over the words. As the child gains control, write the passage
in highlighter and let your child trace the words in pencil inside the
highlighted letters (more advanced skill).
Sticky notes: Use a single sticky note to place underneath the part
of the passage the child is copying. The child may move it along as
the child writes the passage to keep their place.
DART GUIDELINES 17
2. FRENCH-STYLE When Julie Bogart lived in France as a college
STEP 1—USE THE FRENCH-STYLE DICTATION PAGE PROVIDED IN THE DART OR TYPE
THE PASSAGE TO CREATE YOUR OWN.
To craft your own page, create a new document on the computer in a large font with
triple spaces between sentences. Choose to leave blanks for several of the words in the
passage. Select words that the child knows how to spell, but which may provide some
challenge. On subsequent tries, increase the level of challenge.
Here’s an example:
He didn’t like being the center of all this fuss.
Step 1—Use the reverse dictation page provided in the Dart or type the passage to create your
own.
To craft your own page, type the passage into a new document without punctuation,
deliberately misspelling several words (choose a mix of ones your child knows and a few
that are likely to be tricky). Triple space and use a large font. Print.
Periods
Commas
Indentations
As your child edits the page, she can refer back to the list to be sure she has checked for
each category.
Step 3—Execute.
Student uses pencil or colored pen to correct the passage. His job is to:
underline all misspellings and rewrite them correctly at the bottom of the page
insert proper punctuation
be sure proper nouns and the first words of each sentence are capitalized
underline any titles
indicate the need to begin a new paragraph with a pilcrow—that’s this symbol: ¶
DART GUIDELINES 20
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR REVIEWING THE
REVERSE DICTATION EXERCISE
Step 1—Parent reads student’s work. Step 5—Identify the error.
Before showing the original If the student still can’t find the
passage to the student, sit mistake, parent runs a squiggly
together and read it. line under the exact location.
Student makes correction on the
spot. (This is a great moment for
Step 2—Total the missed punctuation
a conversation, for modeling the
marks or misspellings.
way a comma might work better
If there is a punctuation mark or than the period currently in that
misspelling overlooked, mention space, for instance.)
that there are still X number of
remaining errors. (So for instance,
the parent might say: “There are Step 6—Optional final step.
three errors you missed.”) Student Student compares corrected
rereads the whole passage, page to original, locates
looking for those errors. the differences, and makes
corrections.
DART GUIDELINES 21
Be positive
IN YOUR RESPONSE TO THE FRUITS OF THIS EXERCISE.
“From what I can see, you have mastered the art of capitalizing the first
word of each sentence!”
“You’ve got the first quotation mark. Now let’s figure out where to put the
second one so we know when the speaker stops talking.”
The purpose of reverse dictation is to see how much your kids have learned
about punctuation and spelling. Some children enjoy knowing in advance
how many errors there are. Some don’t want to know.
Note: Some of your young writers will make punctuation choices that work—
but may not be the ones the author of the passage made. For instance, if
your child used a semicolon instead of a period followed by a capital letter to
begin a new sentence, her choice is a valid way of punctuating the passage.
Point out that your child’s choice is valid. Consult your grammar reference
books to confirm that the choice is, in fact, a viable one for that context.
DART GUIDELINES 22
Enchanting
COPYWORK AND
DICTATION
ive each child a candle to light. Child blows it out when copywork
G
is done.
hange the paper: butcher paper on the wall or rolled out on the
C
floor, lined sticky notes, mini Moleskine notebooks, a large easel pad,
paper with decorative borders, origami paper, black paper
rovide a blank book (no lines) for copywork, then illustrate the
P
passage (draw a picture to go with it). Put a lined sheet of paper
behind the blank page as the child writes the passage to provide
ruled guidelines.
DART GUIDELINES 23
LITERARY DEVICES
The Dart features a literary device each month. In that section, you will learn about
some of the elements of writing craft that enhance the power of the writing. Your
student can use these same devices to improve her own prose! Keep the name of
the device on a whiteboard throughout the month as a reminder to “pay attention”
to all the ways it gets used in everyday life, from billboards to supermarket flyers to
cartoons to radio ads.
You are free to pick any day of the month to learn about the literary device. If you
decide to read about it early in the month, you give your family more time to notice
it in the book and in other writing throughout the month.
WRITING ACTIVITY
Each month the Dart includes one writing exercise, game, or tip—often related to
the literary device. Most of these are meant to take a day or two, at most, and
aren’t intended to be revised (unless otherwise indicated). Enjoy them. Play with
them! Pick a day without other writing projects so that it stays light and easy. It
is also possible to do the activity collaboratively (in many cases) so that everyone
works together—you and your child(ren)—as a team.
DART GUIDELINES 24
NAME: MONTH:
Verbs Possessives
Adjectives Plurals
Adverbs
Conjunctions End Marks
Prepositions Period
© 2020 Brave Writer — Julie Bogart: This is your copy. It may not be help@bravewriter.com
shared outside your family or resold in either digital or printed form
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NAME: WEEK: OF DART
Read What to Note and How to Teach sections Highlight in an array of colors:
Pick concepts you'll skip this week (too Vocabulary and grammar
difficult, new, much)
Punctuation marks
Choose 2-3 concepts to share or review
Literary devices
Note a concept you learned
Prepare passage for one dictation practice Note them in other reading this week
(if desired):
French-style Dictation
Set copywork goals with your child
Reverse Dictation
_____ N
umber of words, sentences, days, or
Dictation minutes
Child completes
© 2020 Brave Writer — Julie Bogart: This is your copy. It may not be help@bravewriter.com
shared outside your family or resold in either digital or printed form
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© 2020 Brave Writer
help@bravewriter.com | bravewriter.com
© 2020 Brave Writer
Julie Bogart: This is your copy. It may not be shared outside your family
or resold in either digital or printed form.