handwriting without tears presented by: erin sears and jessica christmas
TRANSCRIPT
Handwriting Without Tears
Presented by: Erin Sears and Jessica Christmas
History
Jan Olsen: occupational therapist; founder and developer of the program
In 1977, her son, John, struggled with handwriting in 1st grade, so this program is a response to his tears
Olsen used her OT background to help come up with strategies to help John
History Continued
John’s teacher noticed his progress and asked Olsen to tutor other students, which developed into her first therapists’ guide
Used in grades K-5
There is also a Pre-K program
Purpose
Planned to help children learn handwriting skills in the easiest and most efficient way
Children can transition quickly from learning mechanics of handwriting to focusing on content
Provides developmentally appropriate multisensory tools and strategies
FeaturesCan be used in group
settings or individuallyFlexible curriculum, so
it is able to fit within any schedule
Only requires 15 minutes a day 5 minutes giving the
lesson 5-10 minutes for the
students to practice
Suggests teaching handwriting everyday to incorporate the new lesson with writing throughout the day
Use Friday’s as review days, with no new lessons being taught
Materials: chalkboards, magnetic boards, wooden blocks, workbooks, Mat Man pieces, clay
Features Continued
Instructional stages Prior to handwriting instruction: prepare children in
handwriting readiness During handwriting instruction:
First stage- show how to form letters, words, and sentences
Second stage- copying; students complete workbook and worksheet lessons; teacher provides direct help when the student has difficulty
Third stage- independent writing; should grow in proportion to a child’s mastery of handwriting skill
Print Developmental Teaching Order
CapitalsFrog Jump Capitals (F E D P B R N M)Starting Corner Capitals (H K L U V W X Y Z)Center Starters (C O Q G S A I T J)
LowercaseExactly like capitals but smaller (c o s v w t)High frequency that being with magic c (a d j)Rest of vowels/similar to capitals (u i e l k y j)They dive! (p r n m h b)Tricky (f q x z)
Cursive Developmental Teaching Order
Lowercase Familiar from printing
- c a d g h t p
Loop stroke pattern -
e l f
- u y i j
- k r s
Tow truck letters -
o w b v
Bumpy letters - m n
- x z q
Limitations There are a lot of materialsOrder of letters can be
confusingOnly uses bottom and middle
line, so students may get confused when using different paper
State Curriculum ConnectionCurrently incorporated in Arkansas, Georgia,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and New York
Approved by Howard County in MDAligns with Grade 1: Standard 5.0 Controlling Language
E.1. Produce handwriting that is legible to the audience A. Form upper and lower case manuscript letters B. control size and spacing of manuscript letters on
appropriately lined paper C. Use manuscript in daily assignments to build accuracy and
automaticity
Ideas for an Elementary Classroom
Fits into Response to Intervention strategies
Use to help inspire students to love to write, and to write neatly and proficiently
Provide practice through authentic writing experiences
References
Maryland State Department of Education. Using the state curriculum. Retrieved from http://mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/reading/standard5/grade1.html
Handwriting Without Tears. Why it works. Retrieved from http://www.hwtears.com/hwt/why-it-works