SPE 423 Handwriting

INSTRUCTOR TO DO: All: Bring up Bb with folder Spelling:

INTASC STANDARDS: 2(h) The teacher understands students with exceptional needs, including those associated with disabilities and giftedness, and knows how to use strategies and resources to address these needs. 2(l) The teacher believes that all learners can achieve at high levels and persists in helping each learner reach his/her full potential.

TAP RUBRIC ALIGNMENT: Teacher Content Knowledge Teacher Knowledge of Students

Today: Agenda: 1) Review Assignments5 min 2) Mini Lesson Presentations – Spelling 20 min 3) Handwriting methods30 min 4) History of the Language40 min 5) Spelling Methods50 min 6) Closing and Next Steps5 min Purpose/ Objective: SWBAT learn and apply Handwriting Methods History of the Language information Spelling method That supports struggling learners

REVIEW ASSIGNMENTS

Today: Agenda: 1) Review Assignments 2) Define and identify the characteristics of dysgraphia 3) Identify the developmental stages of writing and discuss why it is important for a special education teacher to understand these 4) Learn a researched based method for teaching handwriting 5) Exit Ticket and Next Steps Objective: SWBAT identify the characteristics of students with handwriting problems and what should be included in an effective handwriting program.

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia… ACTIVITY: Materials on your table: a star sheet and a mirror One person will draw the star but only by looking in the mirror. The other team member will hold the mirror at a 90 degree angle. See what happens

Dysgraphia… what is it? 1) Go the link to Misunderstood minds 2) Click on the Writing button and read through the information on the page 3) At the top of the page are activites and a video. Work through both of the writing activities and then we will watch the video clip together.

Dysgraphia… What is it? What are the warning signs?

Today: Handwriting Agenda: 1)HANDWRITING METHOD 2) Identify the developmental stages of writing and discuss why it is important for a special education teacher to understand these 10 Min 3) Learn a researched based method for teaching handwriting (OT METHOD) 20 min Objective: SWBAT identify the stages of writing an apply an effective handwriting program that supports struggling learners.

Developmental stages of writing Let’s take a look at these

Researchers agree that children go through certain developmental stages of writing – these stages may vary in length from child to child. Development typically spans from 2 or 2 ½ to 5 years of age – from the late toddler stage to the end of the preschool years. (Baghban, 1984; Clay, 1987; Schickendanz, 1990)

Stages of Writing Drawing Scribbles Letter-like Forms Letter Strings Copying Environmental Print Invented Spelling Conventional Spelling

During scribbling, children learn to distinguish writing from drawing. Scribbles start out as random marks and transform to marks with meaning!

Children begin to produce letter- like forms that show some similarity to letters. Some children will use the lines and shapes that they are observing and learning about letters and make “mock letters” during this stage.

As children learn the names and shapes of letters, they begin to produce letter strings. Letters from children’s names often begin to emerge during this stage of writing.

Once children are able to form letters, they can look at environmental print (such as food labels or a grocery list) and copy the letters and words.

As children develop they will start to use invented spelling; they may use one letter to represent each word they want to communicate. Eventually, children move to conventional spelling and writing.

Stages of Writing Drawing

Stages of Writing Scribbles

Stages of Writing Letter-like forms

Stages of Writing Letter strings (letters reversed)

Stages of Writing Copying environmental print

Stages of Writing Invented spelling and conventional spelling (first name)

What kinds of activities do children need to participate in to develop the fine motor skills that will help them “prepare to write”? Object-handling activities that emphasize motor control, precision, and accuracy of movement.

Developmental Stages of writing… INSTRUCTOR: Add whatever slides or materials here that you are comfortable using. See the notes below this slide and the resources listed on the lesson plan for more information.

Handwriting methods

INSTRUCTORS: Teach a method that you have used to work on handwriting with students who struggle with handwriting. If you don’t have a program, the methods used by OTs is in the following slides and there is a link to an LD online article that describes this system in the lesson plan that accompanies this ppt. Another possibility is to use the link to the “Handwriting without Tears” website (also in the lesson plan). This program is used often in special education classrooms and the website has sample materials and videos showing teachers working with students at different grade levels.

Today: We are going to look at Handwriting through a –Multi-sensory Handwriting Program

Multi-Sensory Handwriting 1. Developed by the Occupational Therapists in the state of Arizona 2. Uses proven strategies to develop effective handwriting for students who struggle with fine motor control. 3. Frequency: 2 to 3 times per week for 15 to 20 minutes. 4. Can be used by regular and special education teachers, paraprofessionals and parents.

Pencil grips: FIRST… How do you hold a pencil? Everyone grasp their pencil or pen and look at your writing grasp. Compare it to the ones that I will show you. There are efficient pencil grips and inefficient pencil grips Why should we try to encourage young children to develop an efficient pencil grip?

Efficient Pencil Grips:

Lateral Tripod:

Adapted Tripod:

Dynamic Quadrupod:

Static Tripod:

Inefficient grasps: Fisted

Thumb Wrap:

Thumb Tuck:

Index:

Let’s look at what you sometimes will see children do… Let’s talk about motor memory… –What do you do from motor memory

Handwriting program: Multi-sensory Handwriting developed by the Occupational Therapists. Use all of the steps of this program for young children, struggling writers and children with developmentally delays Used modified versions with all students learning handwriting Use it to give to parents for a student who needs the extra help

Step 1: Joint and Muscle Preparation These are activities to enhance shoulder and trunk stability. Oftentimes students who have difficulty learning to write in a traditional way, need to get their bodies ready to write. These activities exist to improve the student’s upper limb, joint awareness and strengthening. After using the ones provided, come up with some new ones…BE CREATIVE!

Step 1: Joint and Muscle Preparation Select one of the following for each lesson and repeat it 10 times: *Push-ups: Chair, wall or regular *Hand presses: hands together, elbows out, squeeze hands, release, squeeze, release * Animal walks: Bear walk - up on hands and balls of feet. Crab walk - up on hands and balls of feet, buttocks facing the floor, but not touching.

Step 2: Fine Motor Coordination Practicing fine motor muscle movement will develop good “in- hand” manipulation for effective dynamic control of the pencil A prerequisite for successful hand- writing is the development of coordination in the small muscles of the hand

Step 2: Fine Motor Choose one of the following daily (use pincer grasp fingers for all activities) *Practice snapping fingers *Pick up small objects and retain them in the hand *Sort 10 coins, one at a time with one hand *Walk fingers up pencil *Play Tug of War with a pencil *Roll tiny balls of clay between fingers

Step 3 and Step 4: Air and Vertical Surface Writing Practice letter formation in the air and on vertical surfaces using large, sweeping motions Writing on the vertical (chalkboards, walls with butcher paper, in the air) helps to reinforce good wrist positioning and motor memory for letter formation.

Step 3: Air Writing 1. Teacher writes letter and states verbal directions on a board of overhead. Students watch. 2. Using a straight arm with a 2 finger point, students air write the letter as the teacher gives the verbal prompt. 3. Students air write the letter 5 to 10 times. Use full arm movement. Two or three times should be with their eyes closed.

Step 4: Vertical Surface Writing This can be done if the teacher is working with 2 to 3 students. Teacher writes the on the vertical surface making sure that it is done with large motions. Student copies the letter 3 times Student writes the letter 3 times from memory.

Step 4: Vertical Surfaces Activity Examples Erase letter from a white board using 2 fingers Trace letters with paint or water on a wall Write in the air with ribbon streamers Darken the room, with a flashlight outline the letters with a light beam Rainbow write on the white board or large paper using 3 different colors of markers

Step 5: Tactile Media Practice letter formations using a variety of tactile media. This provides tactile and proprioceptive feedback to reinforce accuracy Again, students use 2 fingers instead of one.

Step 5: Tactile Media Teacher writes the letter 1 time Student copies the letter 3 times Student writes the letter 3 times from memory

Step 5: Tactile Media Examples Gel bags Plastic canvas Shaving cream Pudding Dry jello on a plate Salt or cornmeal on a plate Sandpaper Desk surface

Step 6: “Earth-Sky” and Traditional Writing Practice letter formations utilizing laminate “Earth, Grass, Sky” paper and follow-up using pencil and practice packets. This will provide practice using visual cues for letter placement and real classroom carry over using paper and pencil writing packets. Using traditional paper and pencil will begin practice controlling smaller finger muscle movements.

Step 6: “Earth-Sky Laminates Use “earth, sky, grass” paper to practice making proper letter formations. Have the student begin in the correct area to write the letter. An example-Letter g: “begin where ‘grass’ and sky meet, go around, back up where you started, then go down and make a monkey tail down in the ‘ground’ “ This gives visual and verbal cues to form letters within the writing guidelines.

Step 7: Review and Paper- Pencil use Review all letters studies so far: *Student copies the letters if needed * Student writes the letters 5 times from memory * Student circles his/her best effort Transfer skill to traditional paper-pencil packets.

Important Things to Remember 1. Provide students with verbal cues throughout the process 2. Desk and chair height is very important. The students feet should touch the ground or something (phonebooks) should be used to insure that his/her feet are flat. 3. When forming cursive, D’Neilain and many manuscript letters, teach the letter to be formed in one fluid motion. No stopping and starting or picking up the pencil unnecessarily.

Exit Ticket and Next Steps

Exit Ticket: Talk to a partner about one student that you can think of that could benefit from this help. How can you plan to implement a new writing program for this student?