Handwriting

  • “How legibly and quickly students write letters influences their success in school.”

                                            - Dr. Steven Graham

    Handwriting is a foundational skill for literacy which boosts writing and reading proficiency.   Since most school work is still done by hand, instruction for this skill is necessary. Additionally, prompt attention to formation of each individual letter will help to achieve the desired results.  There is an age-old adage that “practice makes perfect.” With regard to reading and writing instruction, “practice makes permanent,” and students need correct instruction to achieve the best long-term results.

    There are several components needed for legible handwriting: 

      • Good posture
      • Correct pencil grip
      • Proper paper position

    There are also four elements which contribute to legibility, they are:

      • Shape- The appearance of the strokes

      • Size - The height of the letters

      • Slant - The angle of the letters on the paper

      • Spacing - In between letters, words, and sentences


    Handwriting develops over time and with repeated practice.  Fifteen minutes of instruction per day is sufficient to provide this guided practice and monitoring.  Daily handwriting instruction and practice occurs in kindergarten classrooms in both small and large group settings.  In other grades, handwriting is practiced 5-15 minutes per day .

    Zaner-Bloser is the type of print used for handwriting in grades K-2.  For grades 3-5, cursive handwriting is taught and practiced. Though handwriting is not part of the Common Core Standards, it has been added to the Utah Core Standards.  Please visit this link to the Utah State Board of Education for more information about handwriting: USBE- Handwriting.

    To help with handwriting at home, encourage proper letter formation and pencil grip.  If you are not sure about how to form the letters correctly, please refer to the attached documents or ask your child's teacher.  When practicing handwriting with your child, it is best to keep sessions short. Five minutes each day is actually more beneficial than 30 minutes once per week.  Before coming to Kindergarten, it is best to help your child learn to write his/her name with only the 1st letter capitalized and the rest lowercase.

Cursive Writing

  • The Importance of Cursive Handwriting

    Teaching students to write using cursive handwriting is still an important part of our upper elementary school curriculum. The Utah Core Standards for Language state that students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades will independently and legibly write all upper- and lower-case cursive letters and produce grade appropriate text using legible cursive writing.

    The related benefits of learning good handwriting skills include:

      • Increased brain activation

      • Impact on performance across all academic subjects

      • Providing a foundation for higher-order skills

    (From the book Handwriting Research – Impact on the Brain and Literacy Development – Zaner-Bloser)


    Short periods of quality instruction time, modeling, and practice of cursive handwriting occur on a daily basis. As students become more fluent and proficient with the mechanics of cursive handwriting, this will carry through across the curriculum, helping them to achieve success in all academic areas in school.
     

Handwriting Documents and Links