Handwriting and Written Composition
Foundation Skills: Efficiency in handwriting is a foundation skill on which spelling and writing connected text rest. Many students have not developed efficient handwriting techniques for manuscript or cursive writing. Frequently, they have not learned to use a tripod pencil grip. By improving the efficiency with which they can write, the amount of time necessary to complete school and homework assignments is reduced. Using the techniques of Precision Teaching, students learn to:
- maintain a tripod grip (movement of pencil maintained by the thumb and middle finger; pressure
controlled by the forefinger);
- increase the speed with which theyare able to move their fingers by making downward strokes
and/or upward-curving and downward-slanting strokes;
- write manuscript or cursive letters, categorizing them according to initial strokes;
- write numbers;
- increase the speed with which they are able to write words and sentences containing the various
combinations of strokes
Composition Skills: Many resources and programs are used for written composition. Instruction is preceded by exercises to determine the appropriate level of instruction. For example, it is important to determine if students already use complete thoughts when structuring their thinking. Both evaluation and instruction are guided by a technique called text construction which is based on students' oral language ability.
Students write a few or several sentences about a known topic or what has been read. Sentences are analyzed for grammaticality as well as capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. A logical order is determined. The relationshps between and among the sentences are examined and instruction in using words and phrases to signal the relationships is provided. Developing topic sentences is taught. Especially for students who demonstrate strong expressive skills in oral language, this technique leads to an appreciation of written language structure. Moreover, this technique makes it possible to evaluate students' ability to write and to develop interventions which for them is both appropriate and meaningful. |
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