Hand Writing and Written Language

1. Hand Writing and Written Language Megan Anderson Nicole Schumacher Kyle Schenkelberg Cassie Kowalenko

2. Introducing Writing Grades K-2 • Before starting to write: • Fine Motor Skills: • Cutting paper (shapes, letters, numbers) • Coloring (Builds muscle control) • Stay within lines • Chalk/White board (develops muscles in shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers) • Trays filled with sand (trace letters into it) • Shaving cream (trace letters into it) • Create stencils (for students to trace) • For Kindergartners: • Teachers should emphasis tracing, coloring, and copying letters

3. Problems with Writing for Younger Grades • Handwriting Problems: • Slowness • Incorrect • Spacing • Difficulty • Messiness • Illegible letters • Too much or too little of pencil pressure • Too much or not enough slant in letters

4. Things to look as a Teacher • Pencil grip (is it correct? If not how to fix it?) (gripper or Zaner-Bloser) • http://shop.zaner-bloser.com/c-3-handwriting-support.aspx • http://shop.zaner-bloser.com/p-24-writing-frame.aspx • Paper position • Sitting correctly • Same hand (while writing check to see if student is using same hands) • Do students seem frustrated, nervous or emotional when writing? • Does the student have a negative attitude while writing?

5. Traceable Letters (hand outs) • Upper case • Lower case • Cursive • Giving students lined paper • Hand out examples of students’ work • Compare how students have improved on their writing • White Board Writing • Use to practice writing names, words and such • Easy to erase and fix problems • Corrective Journals • Students write what they hear. Example: note, they write nt • Writing prompts • Free writing • Stamp books • Forces the students to use their fine motor skills in their hands. Still creating sentences, just not with a pen or pencil

6. Statistics about Writing • In a study of handwriting of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders • Of the 6 lower case letters (q, j, z, u, n, and k) accounted for 48% of the omissions, miscues, and illegibilities and when only non legible responses were consider 5 letters (q, z, u, a, and j) accounted for 54% of the miscues • Common numbers students write wrong or non legible were 6 looks like a 0, 7 looks like a 9, and 9 looks like a 4.

7. Transition into Cursive • Cursive is usually taught in 2nd or 3rd grade • The best way to teach students is to start with the general word and then add tails and connections • Ex. at • Ex. hand • There are four main strokes used also in cursive • Slant stroke • Understroke • Downstroke • Overstroke

8. Cursive Letter Families • The “e’ family: e, l, h, f, b, and k • The family with a handle to which the next letter is attached: b, o, v, w • The family that emphasizes the correct formation of hump shaped letters: n, s, y • The “c” family: c, a, d, o, q, g • The hump family: n, m, v, y, x • The family with tails in the back: f, q • The family with tails in the front: g, p, y, z

9. Modifications • Modification for students • Teacher creates name out of puffy pain in dots, students trace the name with figure (DCD) • Do same thing for the ABC’s • This allows students to use fine motor skills because the student was unable to communicate verbally. • Some one with cerebral Palsy might use a machine that can type out what they are saying so they can still create letters and create sentences

10. Hand Writing & Written Lang.3rd - 6th grade When writing becomes a form of meaningful self expression

11. Written Expression*requires complex thought processes* Five Components of Written Expression: • Fluency • Syntax • Vocabulary • Structure • Content

12. Activities: • Combine related sentences into one • Synonyms and antonyms game (www.enchantedlearning.com/synonyms/) • verbs-write past tense form noun-write the plural form do child ride boy eat deer sing hero walk story • Scrambled sentences- put in order

13. Activities continued… • Structure (mechanics-punctuation, capitalization, and rules of grammar)- DOL • Content (accuracy, ideas, and organization)-Scrambled sentences- put in order *writing prompts* http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/storymap/ Graphic organizers help students analyze and write a story **Fast-Writes**

14. Modifications • Descriptive Writing- Make a sensory chart • Organization- graphic organizers, organized lists, checklists (hand out) • Instruction in Writing- • Increase instruction time/review and edit time • Teach written language as an integrated process • Coordinating written language activities with different content areas

15. Written Expression Grades Seven Eight and Nine http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Academic_Standards/Language_Arts/index.html

16. Thinking and Writing What do you think? -Do we write to discover ideas? -Which comes first: Thinking or Writing

17. Minnesota StandardsGrade Seven • Types of Writing • Poetry • Stories • Essays • Editorials • Letters • Directions • Research reports

18. Why do we write? • Social Letters • Description • Composition • Comparison • Persuade • Review • Speech • Answer a question • Narrative

19. Elements of Composition • The student will engage in a writing process, with attention to context, organization, focus, quality of ideas and a purpose. • 1. Create multiple paragraph compositions • 2. Create narratives • 3. Create informative reports • 4. Employ composing processes to develop writing • 5. Consider the intended audience when composing text.

20. The Writing Process • Five Stages of Writing: • Prewriting • Writing the 1st Draft • Revising • Proofreading, Editing • Making the final draft/publishing

21. Seventh Grade Standards Continued • Spelling Grammar and Usage • Research • Handwriting and Word Processing • Write legibly • Keyboarding skills

22. Spelling & Grammar ACTIVITIES!!! http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/6_8/ • Grammar Blast

23. http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/6_8/ • Grammar Blast • http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Academic_Standards/Language_Arts/index.html • Minnesota Standards

24. Standards 9-12 • Writing -Narrative, expository, descriptive, persuasive, + critical modes. • Handwriting -Locally determined • Focus on real life events -Business letters, Lists, Job Application

25. Research • Instruction needs to be clear and organized. • Instruction must provide: -Individualized support -Repetition -Progress monitoring -Feedback

26. Tests of Written Expression • Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III) -Measure short response only -Subtest include: -Writing samples -Writing Fluency -Editing • Test of Written Language, Fourth Edition (TOWL-4) -Contrived writing -Spontaneous writing

27. Test of Written Expression • Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, Second Edition (KTEA-II) • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (WIAT-3) • Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS)

28. Myths about Written Language • Written language is separate from oral language • Handwriting is not important