HANDWRITING 101
Handwriting in our classroom is a yearlong project. We begin the school year by reviewing the correct process for writing each letter in upper and lower case form. Early on letters are practiced using worksheets that can be found at http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/printing.html While repetition is created with worksheets, we also apply correct handwriting skills in our daily journal writing. Please take a look at our writing rubrics to get an idea of what we are looking for when we write on a daily basis.
Below are some commonly asked questions throughout the first grade school year....
1) My child is writing his/her numbers and/or letters backwards, should I be worried?
**One of the most common questions about handwriting is whether writing numbers/letters backwards (reversals) is normal in first grade. This is very common to see in your child's handwriting. There is no need to panic. Reversals will begin to subside as the school year progresses. It is not uncommon to still have students in 2nd/3rd grade still writing a few numbers/letters incorrectly. We would be more concerned if students are writing whole words backwards. For example, instead of writing cat, they would write tac.
2) Should I correct my students backward letter/number writing?
**We never want to make a child dreadful of writing due to fear of having to redo all his/her incorrect letters. Occasionally asking your child what the backwards letter is and if it looks right is okay. We don't want to become the letter reversal police and have him/her correct every single letter that is backwards. The more writing your child does in addition to the increased frequency of reading books will help eliminate the backward writing.
3) What is the correct way to form letters when writing?
**Please refer to the following files to see some strategies for forming letters.
4) Where can I get some handwriting paper to help practice handwriting?
**Below is an example of some paper that could be used to practice correct letter formation. In my class we start the year referring to the sky or ground to help us keep track of where letters need to start and end. Paper like this can be bought at the Learning Ladder Store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa or at their online store at:
http://tinyurl.com/skygroundpaper
