Selection & Implementation of an Elementary
Handwriting Program
Stefanie Garber
July 2011, EDLD 655
GOAL
OPTIONS (cont’d)
By November 1, 2011 the staff of our Elementary will have
selected a building-wide Handwriting Program & have
established a year long action plan for implementation.
We will look at what the research says about why a handwriting
program is important and the standards for handwriting at
each grade level. Then, we will explore samples of the top
6/most popular and select one for our building.
Our elementary currently does not have a systematic plan for
teaching our students handwriting. I found that each grade
level does something different and thus when they reach 5th
grade, they are not able to complete assignments in cursive as
has been the requirement. While informally talking to teachers,
all grade levels expressed frustration except kindergarten.
4th gr. =
5th gr. =
July 19-
Order samples of the 6 top programs
August 31-
Present Plan to Elementary Staff
The articles we will use include:
teaches ball & stick without lined paper
teaches Handwriting Without Tears print
teaches D’Nealian print & cursive
practices D’Nealian cursive but students don’t
use it in class work
practices Handwriting Without Tears cursive, but
students don’t use it in class work
practices D’Nealian packets, but kids don’t use it
in class work
Welcome staff to reach out to other schools
and learn what they do & then bring this
back to the group. They could also
complete additional internet searching.
September 14
•Lana, Brenda. "Six Ways the Handwriting Process Benefits
Student Learning." Teachers and Parents Use - Feedback.
Web. <http://www.retrainthebrain.com>.
In small groups analyze the 6 different
programs (will get through 3)
September 21
Finish small group work completing
analysis of next 3 programs.
•Gentry, Ph.D, J.Richard, and Steve Graham, Ph.D. Creating
Better Readers and Writers. 2011. White Paper.
September 28
Have a meeting in which each person
comes with their top 3 in order, with pros
and cons written for each of the 3. Discuss
6 Questions Educators Should Ask Before Choosing
A Handwriting Program
OPTIONS
Teaching a slanted alphabet to young students seems like a
good idea. However, after several years of use in some schools,
research has found surprising answers to some key questions in
the ongoing debate of vertical vs. slanted.
There are many different types of handwriting programs
however no research was found on one being preferred or best
practice over another. Rather, several things to consider when
using a handwriting program.
October 3
Submit order for program
October 17
Hopefully receive program
October 19
Examine pacing guides & program.
“
1 Which alphabet is
developmentally appropriate?
2 Which alphabet is easier to write?
Monthly
3 Which alphabet is easier to read?
4 Which alphabet is more easily
integrated?
5 Which alphabet is easier to teach?
6 Does slanted manuscript help with
students’ transition to cursive?
POSTER TEMPLATE BY:
www.PosterPresentations.com
Time
Plan presented to staff & begin
implementation
Evaluate program implementation plan
& determine areas needing modification.
-Committee members
time to develop the plan
$$$$$
Final evaluation of the year’s work &
make suggestions for 2012-2013 school
year
Committee revises plan and has the new
improved plan ready for the 2012-2013
school year.
-Anywhere from $1,677
to $5187 for workbooks
depending on which
program is selected for
our 260 students
-Additional teacher
support materials or
trainings
Patience
Committee seeks feedback from staff at
each staff meeting
May 2011
-5 to 20 minutes at each
monthly staff meeting
-Outside of these
meetings time for
teachers to network and
research to learn what
other schools do
Establish small committee to write action
plan for implementation.
November 2
Activity
-10 Meetings with
teachers prior to
the deadline
Make the decision of which program we
will commit to.
QUESTION
There are 33 different “font families” however the ones below
are most popular in American elementary schools:
Resource
Examine State Standards for handwriting
•Asher, Asha V. "Handwriting Instruction in Elementary
Schools." The American Journal of Occupational Therapy 60.4
(2006): 461--71. Print.
•Kelley, Raina. "The Writing On The Wall." Newsweek 3 Nov.
2007. Web.
RESOURCES
Educate ourselves using articles about why
a handwriting program is important
•Bounds, Gwendolyn. "How Handwriting Trains the Brain." Wall
Street Journal 5 Oct. 2010. Print.
In addition, in examining the research about writing, if students
don’t have a set, script that they have mastered, they expend
their mental energy tending to the formation of the letters rather
than the content they are trying to get written.
Currently:
Kinder =
1st gr. =
2nd gr. =
3rd gr. =
THE PLAN for 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR
For all staff to get on
board (including teachers
and all support staff)
Additional Resources
COOL TOOL
A primary grade Special Ed teacher has developed a program to help reinforce handwriting lessons. It has an
animation of how to write each letter, both cursive and manuscript. http:/www.jjmdesigns.com
FONTWARE
Educational Fontware, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells handwriting fonts based on workbooks produced
by companies http://educationalfontware.com/
DIFFERENT PROGRAMS
http://www.zaner-bloser.com/Zaner-Bloser-Handwriting.html (Zaner-Bloser)
http://www.hwtears.com/hwt (Handwriting Without Tears)
http://www.bfhhandwriting.com/ (Barchowsky)
http://www.dnealian.com/ (D’Nealian)
http://www.calligraphylearn.com/palmer-method-handwriting.html (Palmer Method)
http://www.handwritingsuccess.com/italic-handwriting-series.php (Getty-Dubay)