The teacher moves around the room and observes each student's progress. Individual help can quickly be given. The sentence is slowly repeated until all students have the sentence written down. Some may need a bit of special help at first. Students should spell the best they can, and they can ask no questions.
All sentences begin with a capital letter.
As the sentences become more complex, the teacher makes sure the students are informed as to the proper punctuation. The teacher can use this time to give very brief mini-lessons, explaining why certain things are capitalized, why a certain punctuation mark is needed, and even incorporate literary devices in the sentence, such as similes and metaphors, and discuss them. If these explanations are provided as a part of the dictation session, students are not necessarily aware that they are receiving instruction in grammar or mechanics or content area concepts. It is just a relevant discussion. There are always students who zip along and write their sentences quickly.