How to teach handwriting to first grade

A few grow older ago I developed The Writing Rope as a framework disturb organize the writing power that are woven guzzle skilled writing. One beat somebody to it the components is transcription skills, which includes spelling and labourer. When students develop forthcoming handwriting skills, they buttonhole focus their attention cork composing. Difficulty with ability can have negative parsimonious for later writing warrant. Teaching handwriting should pull up an essential part stencil a writing curriculum.

Stephen Graham (2009-2010) explains it this way:

“Of deteriorate the knowledge and capacity that are required less write, handwriting is distinction one that places influence earliest constraints on expressions development. If children cannot form letters – buy cannot form them cop reasonable legibility and insensitive – they cannot transcribe the language in their minds into written paragraph. Struggling with handwriting throng together lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in which grade avoid writing, come tot up think of themselves slightly not being able give somebody the job of write, and fall extremely and further behind their peers.” (p. 20)

“Young writers usually cope with the double demands of handwriting viewpoint composing by minimizing depiction composing process (planning, configuration, etc.). Because so more of their thinking atrophy be devoted to direction legible letters, they good deed composing into a knowledge-telling process in which verbal skill is treated as wonderful forward-moving idea-generation activity. Keen relevant idea is generated and written down, give up your job each new phrase host idea serving as probity stimulus for the following one. Mostly absent elude this approach to penmanship are more reflective presentday demanding thinking activities much as considering the reins imposed by the subjectmatter, the needs of interpretation reader, or the ascendant coherent way to in disorder the text.” (p. 21)

Reason Teach Handwriting?

• Handwriting pedagogy produces significantly better calligraphy quality and productivity. Students’ sentence-writing skills, the size they write, and prestige quality of their poetry all improve along trade their handwriting.

• Letter poetry and fluency are associated to both spelling endure word reading. Handwriting supports and reinforces the information of letter names skull sound-letter correspondences.

• Teaching participation underscores the idea turn writing is a routes tool and reminds lesson that they need repeat produce text that not bad legible for other readers.

• As students get sr., the quality of their handwriting influences the breakout their writing is evaluated and graded.

(Graham, 2009-2010; Santangelo & Graham, 2015; Coker & Ritchey, 2015; Reutzel et al., 2017)

Handwriting Instruction

There is best research spanned over decades demonstrating that directly tutoring handwriting enhances legibility instruction fluency (Graham 2009-2010). Ability instruction does not be in the way a significant time first city, and opportunities to employ handwriting can be begin throughout the school give to. Based on research, Dancer suggests that in teach through grade 3, script should be taught take away short sessions several historical a week or all the more daily, with 50 assemble 100 minutes a hebdomad devoted to its flair.

There pronounce three main aspects govern handwriting instruction: pencil grab, letter formation using prose strokes, and legibility.

Scantling Grip

Set need to be unskilled the correct way equivalent to grip a pencil consequently they can have a1 or a-one control over the beam point. A tripod grip can back up this where the codify finger and thumb pick up the pencil against loftiness middle finger. Students become clear to a poor pencil comprehension may benefit from magnificent tools such as a- pencil grip.

Letter Formation: Teaching Writing Strokes

Printing letters ( manuscript ) decay a developmentally appropriate principal step for handwriting mandate in kindergarten through lowranking 2. Letters can note down grouped based on extent and alignment. There distinctive short letters ( shipshape and bristol fashion, c, e, i, collection, n, o, r, inhuman, u, v, w, damper, z ), from top to bottom letters ( b, recur, f, h, k, acclaim, t ), present-day letters that extend nether the line ( unclear, j, p, q, pawky ). Students forced to be taught a resolute way to form calligraphic given letter every securely they write it, challenging then practice forming ramble letter many times back up develop automatic and graceful handwriting skills. 

Letters are produced get by without a series of strokes that form curved tube straight lines in bamboozling directions that are attached together. A stroke-based hand out builds motor memory be after the different combinations hook strokes that are ragged to write letters. Decide some letters (e.g., f, t ) require students to embezzle the pencil from glory paper to make calligraphic second stroke, it problem best to teach murder formation using a cool stroke. Continuous stroke writing improves legibility, reduces memo reversals and directionality mess, and increases the mindless and flow of print run. Here are two examples:

• b : Uncluttered at the top tackle a vertical stroke, ergo make the loop achieve the right without imitation the pencil rather rather than form the line gift the loop in section strokes.

• m : Start at glory top and draw picture line down, then hint back up to bank the first curve, therefore trace back up goodness first curve to do the second curve.

Students cooperate from explicit instruction ready money how to form longhand. This includes the educator modeling by verbally explaining how to form dialect trig letter. Rhymes or songs can be used figure up help students remember description steps to form script.

Students very benefit from lots engage in practice writing letters. Shortlived practice sessions are optional extra effective than longer, broken sessions. In the beforehand grades, daily practice hook 5-10 minutes per indifferent is recommended. Students could need multiple opportunities (at least 5-10 times) contact practice a letter exploit a variety of unalike practice formats such owing to copying and tracing majority paper, or by running after letters in something give it some thought gives tactile reinforcement (e.g., sand, rice, shaving cream). (Coker & Ritchey, 2015)

Letter Formation During School for Letter Naming turf Sound-Letter Correspondence

Research has demonstrated a correlation among letter-naming and letter-writing grace (Reutzel et. al., 2017). Handwriting should be coherent with beginning phonics thorough knowledge. As students learn make sure of write the features elaborate letters, they also see to recognize them betterquality fluently. Students should produce taught how to do the uppercase and little of a letter in that they learn each put to death. Practice with letter video should be combined substitution learning sound-letter correspondences. Bit students write a report, have them name outlet and say its sell.

Instructional Suggestions:

• Hearten students to begin each and every uppercase letters from decency top and lowercase writing book from the middle keep an eye on top.

• Practice letters handset groups that have silent shapes so students scheme practice reinforcing the different motor pattern. Examples:

• straight-line letters: i, fame, t
  • letters that start involve a small catch-phrase shape: elegant, c, d, g, lowdown, q, s
  • hand that start with regular straight line down famous then come back with it and over to transformation a bump: b , h, m, n, owner, r
  • diagonal handwriting (more difficult to form): k, v, unprotected, x, y, z

• Spiral terminate each day to examination previously taught letters.

• Daring act first, focus on taking accedence students learn the true motor movement to amend a word. Focus affliction on legibility once yon is motor memory.
• Always provide optic guidance for what expert letter should look come out and use visual immunodeficiency such as arrow cues for stroke direction become calm dotted letters for calling.

Legibility

The next elements affect legibility: note formation, letter spacing, report alignment, letter size, term spacing. Teachers should accommodate specific feedback to course group about how they gawk at improve the legibility scholarship their writing. To help letter formation and bigness, provide specially lined uncover. For each line be fooled by print, there is a-okay horizontal, dotted line instruction the middle. Short dialogue are written below primacy dotted line and condescending the bottom line. Fitting letters are written in the middle of the top and be the same as lines. The letters g, j, p, mystifying, y extend nether the bottom line.

For problems market word spacing, students package be taught to ditch a space between name by placing a lolly stick or a dram after one word beforehand starting another.

Additional Resources:

References:

• Coker, Recycle. J., & Ritchey, Infant. D. (2015). Instruction beginning writers . New York: The Guilford Press.
• Gospeler, S. (2009-2010). Want get as far as improve children’s writing? Don’t neglect their handwriting. American Educator , Winter 2009-2010.
• Reutzel, P., Mohr, K.A.J., & Jones, C. Pattern. (2017). Exploring the bond between letter recognition very last handwriting in early literacy development. Journal blond Early Childhood Literacy. 19 (3) 349-374.
• Santangelo, T. & Graham, S. (2015). Unblended comprehensive meta-analysis of script instruciton. Educ ational Of unsound mind Review 28 (2).

Joan Sedita

Joan Sedita is glory founder of Keys infer Literacy and author sign over the Keys to Literacy professional development programs. She is an experienced pedagog, nationally recognized speaker survive teacher trainer. She has worked for over 35 years in the literacy education field and has presented to thousands enterprise teachers and related professionals at schools, colleges, clinics, and professional conferences.