Handwriting Information Session for Parents ASHURST WOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL welcomes you to our Handwriting Information Session for Parents

Outline of the session Why is handwriting important? Progression in handwriting and the National Curriculum School approach Main issues that may arise How you can help!

Why is Handwriting important? More motivation to write Children are relieved of thinking about HOW to write when they want to write. Children who have better handwriting are usually better at spelling Helps children understand the importance of structure and organisation. Mark-making is basic to man. Symbolic representation for others to interpret is uniquely human and it is known that man has engaged in writing since cave paintings were first discovered. However, the production of the symbols of any writing system is not something which comes naturally, like walking or jumping. We cannot write unless we have been taught how to, a fact which is sometimes ignored.

Progression in handwriting and the National Curriculum Years 1 Pupils should be taught to: sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly begin to form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place form capital letters form digits 0-9 understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (ie letters that are formed in similar ways –c a d o g -) and to practise these Year 2 Pupils should be taught to: form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower-case letters use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters

Progression in handwriting and the National Curriculum Years 3 & 4: Pupils should be taught to: use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting, [for example, by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant, and that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch] Years 5 & 6 Pupils should be taught to: write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by: choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding whether or not to join specific letters choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task

How do we learn to write? Pre-writing skills Formation Legibility Fluidity and speed Handwriting is a very complex skill to master, one which involves linguistic, cognitive, perceptual and motor components, all of which have to be coordinated into an integrated fashion. Although we take it for granted, some people, young and old, find handwriting very difficult to perform and feel they need help to perfect the skill.

Pre-writing skills dance, football, cycling, balancing, Using play dough, clay, plasticine etc Encouraging pincer movements of the fingers such as sprinkling glitter, salt or sand on pictures by using tweezers to sort sequins, pick up rice grains etc. Using scissors to cut paper, card, fabric, felt, fun foam etc. providing sewing and weaving activities, Involving children in chopping and peeling whilst cooking, Providing opportunities to supervise children using pliers, screwdrivers and hammers. Providing a wide range of pens, pencils and brushes is important. dance, football, cycling, balancing, gripping climbing frames, using construction kits. This is the start of handwriting. Before children can start to write they need to be able to control the movement of their whole body and limbs. Balance and good posture are especially important in the development of witing In relation to forming letters, talk about the movements your child can make such as going round and round, making curves, springing up and sliding down, making long slow movements and quick, jumpy ones. In the very early stages of writing children need to use their whole arm to make letter shapes rather than pens or pencils. Fine Control. As children learn to master their bodies their control of smaller movements, such as of the hands and fingers, becomes more accurate.

Letter Formation At Ashurst Wood we teach a cursive script. This means that all the letters start from the line and have entry and exit strokes from the start. Capital letters don’t have entry and exit strokes and don’t join to lower case letters. Initially letters are taught as stand alone; digraphs sh /th/ ch are taught as joined units from the start.

Letter Joins 2. Horizontal join to letters without ascenders There are four different joins taught in this order: Diagonal join to letters without ascenders ai ar un in am ear aw ir hu ti ki du up ag 2. Horizontal join to letters without ascenders ou vi wi op ow ov ri ru ve we re fe fu ob ol wh rk rt ot of fl ft Computer fonts are difficult to reproduce –model on whiteboard.

Letter Joins 3. Diagonal join to letters with ascenders ul it ib if ub th ck ch it 4. Horizontal join to letters with ascenders ol wh ot ft fl of rt rk wh ol ob Refer to sheets available to parents.

Essential Points to help avoid issues that may arise: Pencil grip Correct Equipment Posture when writing

Pencil grip The ideal grip (tripod grip) looks like this: The left hand grip is the same but the pencil should be held higher up the barrel so the writing can be clearly seen. Children should have access to as many different writing media as possible; 2b pencils are softer than HB so are useful for left handers; similarly gel inks give smooth effortless writing -left handed writers have to push the implement across the page rather than pull so the smooth release of ink /graphite is important. In school, from reception children write with ink pens not jut pencil. In Eagles children have had a choice of pens so we can monitor which we should invest in in the future. Pencil grips may help young children who are not naturally holding their pencil correctly.

Posture when writing Sit upright with lower back supported by the back of the chair. Feet flat on the floor and thighs parallel to the floor. Table at elbow height. Left handed writers may need a cushion to raise their height so they can more easily see what they have written. Paper position for left handed children so that they can see what they have written and not smudge their work. Paper position for right handed children.

What are the main areas of concern? Legibilty ( all or most of the writing can’t be read especially out of context.) Specifically practise individual letter formation and then the four joins, one at a time. Then regular (daily) practise of writing out passages or dictated sentences. Neatness (handwriting is messy or poorly controlled.) For a short period use handwriting guidelines to practice the relationship between letters. Use alongside normal lines paper so child does not see handwriting as something only done on special paper. Comfort? (The child is experiencing pain, strain or discomfort when writing.) Check the child’s grip on the pencil: gripping too hard is a common cause of discomfort. Build up stamina by encouraging colouring –in activities; tweezer activities as well as practising writing. Pressure? (S/he is pressing too hard or not hard enough, or pressure within one piece of writing is variable.) Experiment with different writing implements. Speed? (S/he writes very slowly, producing too little writing, or too fast, becoming inaccurate.) Too slowly: build up speed by improving stamina; improve fluency by regular handwriting practice so child is not thinking about forming letters and joins correctly; Write short pieces against the clock to build speed. Too fast: praise for neat work not finishing quickly. Motivation/enjoyment? (S/he is reluctant to write or gives up too easily.) The more automatic the handwriting, the less of an effort it is for the child. Assuming you are all here as you have concerns about your own child’s handwriting (or maybe your own!), it worth thinking about these questions before approaching a class teacher to express your concerns. Answers to these questions can help to focus your thinking on the severity of the problem and what to do next.

Other issues: bask Sitting on the line Many children go through a phase of mirror writing: although more readily understandable in left handed children, it is not statistically more common for them to write like this nor does it have any connection with intelligence or dyslexia. Children grow out of it. To help them do so more quickly mark starting points on the left hand side of a page to start the direction of writing . bask Common problems are poor sizing of specific letters –k, s and w are commonly formed bigger than others even in otherwise even writing. To remedy use guidelines for a short while to understand relationship with other letters. Very rarely, a child has an eyesight problem so get an eye test to check that glasses wouldn’t help. Otherwise make the line darker, so it is really visible. Practice with ‘soil, grass, sky’ lines for a short while. Sitting on the line Reversals – Often incorrectly assumed to be Dyslexia. Writing letters and words backwards are common in the early stages of learning to write among average and dyslexic children alike. It is a sign that orthographic representations (ie, letter forms and spellings of words) have not been firmly established, not that a child has a reading disability (Adams, 1990). Size – can be supported with Sky, Paper, Soil paper – Sparklebox Spacing of letters – worth getting an eye examination, quite uncommon – but spacing between words is common: You can use a stamp or a sticker between the words to help with this. Fluidity and Speed – again – are there underlying issues? Egg timer, beat the clock, practise. Sitting on the line – visual difficulties? Sky, Grass, Paper – practise. Without spaces, handwriting is very difficult to read. Young children can use images of fingers or lolly sticks to put between words.

Sources of help: Letter formation: General help and advice: http://www.teachhandwriting.co.uk/letter-formation.html http://www.ictgames.com/writingRepeater/index.html General help and advice: http://www.nha-handwriting.org.uk/ http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/search?q=handwriting+