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You are welcome to forward this newsletter in its entirety.
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The Teaching Home E-Mail Newsletter # 35
Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement
Cindy Short and Sue Welch, editors
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Table of Contents
15-Part Series on Basic Skills: Penmanship
Why Penmanship Is Still Important
How Penmanship Training Enhances Education
Choosing a Handwriting Style
Writing Position
Handwriting Goals
Penmanship Teaching Methods
Tips for Teaching Handwriting
Cross Curricular Assignments
Recommended Resources
NorthStar Academy
Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Series
Beyond Phonics
AVKO Spelling & Dyslexia Research Foundation
Teaching Home Back Issues
Sunny Side Up: Humorous Anecdote
Greetings!
This issue is packed full of information and teaching tips to help
your child develop the useful lifetime skill of legible handwriting.
God also gives us some writing instructions in Proverbs 3:3-4:
Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
May the Lord richly bless your family for His glory!
Sincerely,
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian Welch
The Teaching Home is a 22-year-old, home-school family business.
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NorthStar Academy: Christian Online Education
* Uniquely designed for home learning in USA or abroad.
* Grades 7-12. Full or part time.
* Accredited. Diploma granting.
* Core and elective courses.
* To include advanced placement courses.
* Extended school year for completing the program.
* Use of all materials and orientation video provided.
http://www.northstar-academy.org
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15-Part Series on Basic Skills
by Cindy Short and Sue Welch, editors
Our 15-part series is written to help you evaluate your
children's skill levels and help them improve in those areas.
Topics are listed with the newsletter number in parenthesis.
These can be viewed in our Newsletter Archives at
http://www.teachinghome.com/newsletters.
1. Listening (#18)
2. Word Analysis/Phonics (#19)
3. Vocabulary (#21)
4. Reading Comprehension: Knowledge (#23)
5. Reading Comprehension (#25 & #26)
6. Reading Comprehension: Analysis & Synthesis (#28)
7. Reading Comprehension: Application (#29)
8. Reading Comprehension: Evaluation (#30)
9. Spelling (#32)
10. Grammar (#34)
11. Penmanship (This Issue)
12. Writing I
13. Writing II
14. Math I
15. Math II
Penmanship
The main purpose of penmanship instruction is to promote
legibility in handwriting so that we can communicate with others
(and ourselves!).
Penmanship is the art of writing clearly and quickly.
Handwriting is a physical activity that incorporates posture,
balance, visual motor, and fine motor skills as well as knowledge
of how individual letters are made and how they are connected.
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Why Penmanship Is Still Important in the Computer Age
* Legible and beautiful handwriting gives a warm personal touch
to personal correspondence such as thank you notes, invitations,
and letters.
* Grocery lists or notes to self and others are usually
hand-written and must be written quickly, yet legibly.
* Class or sermon notes and exams are written by hand.
* Clear handwriting is a valuable skill in the workplace,
enhancing communication and preventing misunderstanding.
* Legibility shows respect for the reader.
* Beautiful handwriting (calligraphy) embellishes written
communication.
How Penmanship Training Enhances Education
* It teaches attention to detail.
* It helps develop fine motor skills.
* It can increase interest in letters and words that can lead
to good reading skills.
* It is a useful teaching technique for children with special
needs who benefit from kinetic activity.
* Being able to print and write bolsters self-confidence.
* Good penmanship fosters an appreciation for words and language.
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Use the Program Homeschoolers Prefer!
Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Series K-6
* Effective because it makes sense.
* Legible because it’s loop-free.
* Smooth transition from print to cursive.
Mention this ad and receive free handwriting desk strip.
Toll-free: 1-866-647-7377
http://www.cep.pdx.edu/titles/italic_series/index.html
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Choosing a Handwriting Style
Using one specific handwriting curriculum can assure
consistency from year to year as children develop and improve
their writing skills and master the process of handwriting, a
skill that can easily become automatic and beneficial for life.
Different styles of writing have been popular at different
times and in different countries. In the mid-1800s, the
Spencerian form of penmanship became a standard. The style
taught in most American schools through the late 20th century
is called "Palmer Hand."
Handwriting methods vary based on letter shapes -- such
as elliptical without loops or vertical, straight letters that
resemble book print.
We recommend the elliptical italic style without loops such
as that presented in the Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Series.
Advantages include:
* Research indicates that ovals and slanted lines are easier
for children to form than round circles and straight lines.
* The difficult transition from ball and stick printing to a
completely new alphabet of looped cursive can be avoided by
starting with the basic italic slanted and oval-shaped letters
and simply adding a series of joins to turn precursive into
cursive. Using the identical letter shapes for precursive and
cursive means there is nothing to relearn.
* Eliminating many pen lifts off the page makes for smoother,
faster writing.
* Letters shaped without lifting the pencil from the paper make
letter reversals virtually impossible for dyslexic children, who
can otherwise experience mirroring or reversing of letters.
* Children with ADD and other learning challenges may find italic
easier to learn.
Comparison of five handwriting programs.
http://www.cep.pdx.edu/samples/compare.pdf
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Writing Position
Posture
* Both feet resting on the floor (or on a box or block for
shorter children) with knees and hips bent at about 90 degrees.
* Back straight, supported by the chair.
* Forearms lightly resting on the writing surface.
* Desk surface at the correct height so that the elbows are
bent at about 90 degrees.
* Lean on the non-writing arm (leaning on the writing arm
restricts movement across the page).
* The writing hand resting lightly on the page.
Paper Position
* Slant top of paper counter-clockwise about 15 degrees for
right-handed students (as well as for left-handed students who
write with a hook, wrist above the writing line).
* Slant clockwise for left-handed students who write with the
wrist below the line of writing.
* Paper is held down by non-writing hand.
Hand Position
* Hold writing tool firmly, but not tightly, with the thumb and
index finger;
* Rest it near the large knuckle of the next finger.
* The fingers should be placed back away from the pencil point
so that the pencil tip is visible.
* Relax the hand from time to time throughout practice by
tapping the index finger on the pen or pencil three times or
putting down the tool and flexing hand as it hangs toward the
floor.
Paper
* Paper for beginners should have lines marked to show the
position and size of the letters, as well as lines for capitals,
ascenders, and descenders.
* The distance between lines will be greater for beginning
writers and gradually decrease to college-ruled lines in junior
high.
Writing Instrument
* Beginning writers may need fatter pencils, crayons, or a pencil
with a foam grip.
* Sometimes a small, short pencil is easier for a child to use.
* Older students should practice using either ball point or
calligraphy pens.
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Handwriting Goals
Handwriting is an art. It needs to be practiced. It is not
like a math fact that is simply memorized and applied.
Correct Shape. In a handwriting program, certain groups of
letters are made up of similar shapes such as straight lines,
curves, angles, and ovals.
The 8 lower case families are:
i, j, l
k, v, w, x, z
h, m, n, r
u, y
a, d, g, q
b, p
o, e, c, s
f, t
Strokes. Each of the letters is made with a specific sequence of
movements. The place to start, direction to follow, and pen lifts
(if any) should be the same every time the letter is formed.
* It may help beginners or dyslexic students to place your hand
on his to guide the pencil and verbalize the sequence for each
letter as it is formed.
Size. There should be a consistency in body and capital sizes and
ascender and descender lengths.
Slope. All letters should have the same slope, e.g., 5 degrees
(or as desired up to 15 degrees) for Italic Handwriting.
Horizontal Spacing. Letters within words should be closely
spaced, but not cramped; space between words should be about the
width of an n, or wider for younger ages.
Vertical Spacing. It is important for legibility that the
ascenders on one line do not touch the descenders on the line
above.
* Teach your child to leave a small, consistent space between the
top of his ascenders or the bottom of his descenders and the line
if he isn't skipping lines (double-spacing).
Speed. Words should be written fluently at a comfortable speed
and with a rhythmic motion.
Precursive to Cursive. Cursive means joined letters. Precursive
means the basic unjoined letters which are easier for a beginning
reader to identify with the print in his reading book.
Precursive is transformed into cursive by simply adding a series
of joins to the same letter shapes.
* Teach your child to recognize and read penmanship styles (e.g.,
looped cursive letters) other than the one he is learning.
We wish to thank the Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Series
for much of the above information.
Components of Handwriting: The Handwriting Checklist
http://wwwed.sturt.flinders.edu.au/DLT/2000/Motor%20Dev/writing.htm
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Teach Reading & Spelling Skills AS You Teach Handwriting
The AVKO Spelling & Dyslexia Research Foundation has
developed a manuscript and cursive handwriting program
that is based on a common sense order of presentation
of the letters. It may be used with Italic, D'Nealian,
or any style of handwriting you choose.
Visit http://www.avko.org
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Penmanship Teaching Methods
__ 1. Post an alphabet chart on the wall or an alphabet strip
on the desk for your child to refer to any time he is writing.
__ 2. Laminate an alphabet chart for your child to trace over
with a water-soluble pen.
__ 3. Teach the vocabulary of penmanship so that you can refer
to the parts of letter formation without having to define or
describe them each time. These include: base, waist, ascender,
descender, body, capital, downstroke, slope, join, serif.
__ 4. Teach and have your child practice the basic shapes first:
normal slant of downstroke, diagonals, counter-clockwise and
clockwise ovals, and arches.
__ 5. Next work on similar letter shapes by letter families (see
above).
__ 6. Continue to practice the basics, and slowly and gradually
add words and sentences.
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Tips for Teaching Handwriting
__ 1. Many normal childhood activities promote the abilities
children need to develop before they can write. See:
http://wwwed.sturt.flinders.edu.au/DLT/2000/Motor%20Dev/strategy.htm
__ 2. Have your child practice penmanship for at least 10 minutes
every school day, either in one session or in two shorter
sessions (especially while fine motor skills are still developing).
Free Penmanship award to print and give your child.
http://www.chartjungle.com/images/awardcharts/awardpen.html
__ 3. Supervise your child's writing practice so that he is not
practicing errors. Have him constantly check his writing with
the alphabet chart or strip and have him erase or cross out and
rewrite unacceptable letters.
__ 4. Hold your child to the standard of his achieved level
of penmanship skill in all his writing. If you cannot easily
read a handwritten assignment, ask that it be rewritten.
__ 5. Ask your child to respond to questions in workbooks either
orally or in writing as penmanship practice.
__ 6. Help your child learn how to legibly sign his name in
cursive. His signature should consist of his first name, middle
initial, and last name. (If he goes by his middle name, it
should be first initial, middle name, and last name.)
__ 7. If your child holds his pencil too close or too far from the
tip, you can wrap a rubber band around the pencil to remind him
where his fingers should be placed. You can also tell him to be
sure that his fingers are above the end of the paint on the pencil.
__ 8. If your child moves his entire arm when he writes, you can
correct this habit and help him put his wrist in the writing
position by having him lay on the floor to write. This puts
weight on the arms and stabilizes them. You can also have your
child write on a vertical surface.
__ 9. If your child writes with his fingers straight, you can help
him learn the correct position by having him hold a small object
like a sponge or marble in the palm of his hand with his last two
fingers while he writes for a short while.
__ 10. If your child applies too much or too little pressure while
writing, use the following to correct the problem.
* Check finger placement and pencil grip.
* Have him practice shading an area with a pencil light, medium,
and dark to become acquainted with different amounts of pressure
on the pencil.
* Have your child place his paper on a piece of Styrofoam so that
if he presses too hard he will poke holes in his paper.
For more information see:
http://teacherweb.com/NY/wcsd/DLS/h4.stm
The history of handwriting.
http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history
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Cross-Curricular Assignments Involving Penmanship
Handwriting skills complement other language arts skills
such as spelling, note-taking, composition, and editing.
Reinforcement and retention of any subject.
* Writing something down helps you learn and remember it because
of the strong impression the motor or kinetic modality makes on
the brain combined with the visual image (seeing the writing).
* Involving speech motor skills and the auditory mode by saying
and hearing the words as they are written reinforces the memory
even more.
* Write out spelling lists, Bible memory verses, history and
science facts, vocabulary words and meanings.
* Math facts and formulas can also be written to practice
numerals and symbols.
Copying exerpts from high-quality literature into a copybook is
not only good penmanship practice; it also expands vocabulary and
models good composition.
Art. Calligraphy means "beautiful writing."
* Italic handwriting can be easily turned into beautiful
calligraphy by using a flat-tipped ink pen or felt pen, which
produces the thick and thin strokes.
* Your child can use calligraphy to copy a verse, quotation, or
poem on special paper, decorate the border, and frame it.
* These uplifting works of art can be hung on the wall, given as
gifts, or saved in scrapbooks.
* Calligraphy can even become a home business.
Caligraphy Centre.
http://www.calligraphycentre.com/index.html
Calligraphy for the left handed.
http://www.clas.co.uk/lefthanders.html
* After your older child has learned the handwriting form that
you have chosen, he will be able to learn a variety of other
styles as well.
Composition. A journal is a very special way to develop writing
and penmanship skills. Provide a hardbound book and pen for your
child to preserve his writing.
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________________________________________________________________
Sunny Side Up: Teach You To What?!
One Lord's Day after worship services, our 6-year-old daughter
hurried to the car rather anxiously. "Mom," she said, "when will
you teach me to curse?"
Feeling rather weak, I sat down and calmly asked, "Why are
you asking this?"
She replied, "Sarah's mom taught her to curse when she was
only 6, and she showed me today in Sunday school. She curses
better than anyone!"
Feeling not-so-calm now, I called Sarah over to the car. I said,
"Sarah, I know your mother, and I know she did not teach you to
curse, did she?"
"Oh, yes, ma'am!" Sarah replied, and she pulled out a piece
of paper and a pencil and began to write with gracefully
connected letters: My name is Sarah.
We began cursive handwriting the following week!
Sent by Leighton and Katharine S., Monroe, Louisiana.
You are also invited to submit your humorous anecdote.
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God Loves You.
Because we were separated from God by sin, Jesus Christ died
in our place, then rose to life again. If we trust Jesus Christ
as our Savior and Lord, He will give us eternal life.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of
works, that no one should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).
http://www.TeachingHome.com/about/salvation.cfm
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