Handwriting Policy

Handwriting POLICY

PURPOSE

To develop neat and legible handwriting skills in our students with Nelson’s handwriting script.

SCOPE

This policy applies to all TCSI students

POLICY STATEMENT

To develop a uniform writing pattern across the school representing high standards of TCSI and encouraging teachers and students to recognise that handwriting is an essential form of communication.

PROCEDURE

Teaching the Skill of Handwriting

• The skill of handwriting is taught to our students by teachers. Our teachers assist students with writing by focusing on the correct formation of letters, the spacing between letters and words, correct forms of joining, and speed and legibility of writing.

• In practice, it is the English teachers' responsibility to ensure that students develop fluent, fast, and legible handwriting.

• It is also essential for all staff in the school to be thoroughly conversant with the Nelson script, be able to use it fluently, and be able to assist and guide students in this regard.

• At our campuses, all captions, headings, and labelling are in Nelson Script.

• The Nelson handwriting script is downloaded and available on all school computers, and all worksheets and other resource material (e.g. flashcards, floor games) are prepared using Nelson Script.

Key Progression Stages

Nursery

In Nursery, the focus is to develop gross and fine motor skills through play and mark-making activities. This includes daily activities to develop the correct pencil grip.

Kindergarten

In Kindergarten, we develop writing skills through physical play, markmaking, and eventually using phonic knowledge to write words. Students use Nelson Handwriting workbooks in small groups to practice before moving on to early letter formation.

Year 1

Students continue to learn how to sit correctly at a table and hold a pencil comfortably and correctly. The writing emphasis is on the form of lower-case letters in the correct direction.

Year 2

Students begin to use joined handwriting. Students learn to form lower case letters in the correct size and ensure that capital letters and digits are the correct sizes. They also learn to use spacing between words which reflects the size of the letters.

Years 3 and 4

Students learn to use diagonal and horizontal strokes to join letters and understand when it is best to leave with words unjoined. They increase the legibility, consistency, and quality of their handwriting (for example, by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; the lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch).

Years 5 and 6

Students use Nelson Cursive (Joined) Script consistently in all their work and can write with increasing speed. They also learn to choose the writing implement and style best suited for the task.

Year 7 onwards

Students continue to use Nelson Script to demonstrate the importance of a clean and neat presentation to communicate their meaning effectively.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The School Heads are responsible for implementing this policy in their schools.

Reporting

No additional reporting is required.

RELATED POLICY AND DOCUMENTS

Refer to Curriculum Documents

Appendix 1- Guidelines for Handwriting

THE AIM OF TEACHING HANDWRITING

In primary schools, the aim of teaching handwriting is to teach each child to write legibly, without strain, and with sufficient speed. Handwriting is still a necessary skill in our society, and the development of an efficient, individual style depends on the mastering of basic skills, which can be achieved only by competent teaching and regular practice.

Modification of letters may vary from child to child; however, the essential form of letters should not be distorted. Teachers need not rigidly insist on the precise standardised reproduction of model letter shapes but should emphasise the way the pencil or pen is held to ensure efficient movement for correct letter formation.

The main areas of handwriting at junior school are:

• teaching pencil grip, letter shapes, and movement

• teaching joins

• increasing speed and endurance without the loss of quality

Advice to Teachers

1. To raise standards in writing across the school.

2. Adopt a common approach towards handwriting by all teachers when writing in children’s books, on the white boards or on display/ resources.

3. Provide regular handwriting lessons to Classes 5, 6, and 7.

4. Emphasize correct posture.

5. Emphasize correct letter formation from the earliest stages in both printing and cursive writing.

6. Handwriting difficulties identified and corrected:

• incorrect letter formation

• inconsistent height of capital letters

• variable slant

• incorrect joins

• incorrect spacing between letters or words

• slower than normal speed

• poor presentation

NURSERY AND KINDERGARTEN CLASSES

Students show their readiness to be taught how to form letters correctly through their physical dexterity, their ability to copy on their own, and by their request for assistance. This is the best time to teach them.

It is a mistake to try to teach students before they are ready. Do not make the writing task too demanding as it defeats the purpose of teaching.

The two important elements of handwriting are movement and shape. A typical handwriting lesson for young students should include verbalization of movement exercises to practise handwriting movement, instruction, the practice of specific letters, and the application of letters taught.

There are a variety of ways in which letters can be introduced. One method is to group letters based on similar movements. Teach letters with straight lines first because young students can make these more easily than others.

• i t l u y j k (line and anti-clockwise arch)

• v w x z (letters with diagonal strokes)

• n m r h p b (line and clockwise arch)

• c a d g o q e s f (anti-clockwise circular letters)

The basic movement in each of these groups of letters must be maintained. Letters with descending strokes and tails could be grouped too. The above groups of letters are arranged according to common movement, but students can discriminate more easily between letters, which are different.

Confusion may be reduced if teachers emphasize the distinctive features of letters and provide contrasts. Letters may be distinguished by their ascending or descending strokes, by bridges (as in ‘m and ‘n’), and by under curves (as in ‘u’ and ‘y’).

Class 1

An integrated approach has been adopted beginning with a print script, with minor modifications gradually leading to joined writing. As the onus of developing a standardized writing pattern falls largely on the shoulders of PreJunior teachers, they have a responsibility to master and practice this writing pattern so that they can set an example for their students.

Class 2 onwards

Introduction to joined script

The objective for classes 2 onwards is to teach students cursive writing by the addition of joins or ligatures. The achievement of this objective depends on a child's readiness. Some students may be capable of joining letters in junior classes; others may not achieve this skill until later on.

Although some students may begin to link letters without being instructed to do so, it is desirable to teach students how to do this for such joins or ligatures are the basis on which fluency and speed are built.

Students are not required to join every letter of a word nor, conversely, to keep every letter separate. They should join those letters that can be connected readily in rhythmical units. This permits them to reposition their hand and arm and provides a momentary rest for hand and fingers.

TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING

Letter formation

1. Provide demonstration when introducing and teaching letter shapes. Whiteboards and overhead projectors are useful for this.

2. Observe students while they practice. This enables the teacher to recognize and correct faults as they arise. Giving immediate feedback is vital to prevent incorrect forms. Common faults-include.

• Faulty pencil/pen grip

• Incorrect letter formation

• Faulty paper positioning

• Heavy pressure on the paper

3. As the teacher demonstrates the skills of handwriting, it is important to describe the movements involved, for example, start at the top, round, down, up, stop. Encourage students to verbalize what they are doing from time to time. This gives a ‘window’ into the thought processes while writing. Verbalizations include reference to the starting point, directions of stroke, and stopping point.

4. Writing is a visual and motor skill. Use the following ideas to reinforce letter shapes before writing on paper with a pencil:

• Encourage students to form letters by drawing them in the air

• Finger trace over tactile letters, on the desk or the tabletops

• Draw round templates

• Write in the sand with a finger or a stick

• Write with chalk on a chalkboard

• Write letters boldly with a wax crayon

• Form letters with pegs on a pegboard or with beads in plasticine

Whole class and group teaching

• In the early stages, it is appropriate to give handwriting lessons to small groups of students with similar levels of readiness and motor control. Individuals within each group may require specific help.

• Later, as students come to understand the concept of written language and show evidence of developing control, it may be efficient to work with large groups and whole classes.

Regular practice

Regular practice is essential for the development of writing skills in primary schools where class teachers are generally responsible for teaching handwriting to their classes. There are many opportunities to practise the skills of handwriting in the course of writing. It may be helpful to provide extra lessons when the joins are being introduced. With young students, it is appropriate to have short daily lessons, while older pupils may benefit from one or two longer lessons each week.

THE MECHANICS OF HANDWRITING

Writing tools

Students should experience writing with different tools, i.e. pencils, chalk, and crayons. In the early stages, a soft pencil with a thick stem may be most appropriate. A thinner pencil offered too soon, may result in too tight a grip. The standard pencil should be introduced as the student’s motor skills begin to improve. At the beginning of junior school, a student’s main writing tool will be the standard pencil. In the second term of class 5, the students begin to write in ink using a fountain pen. Pencil grips, thicker pencils, triangular pencils and wider lines will be used by children who experience problems writing.

Paper

In the early stages, students should be encouraged to make free-flowing movements and to produce large patterns, letters and words on large sheets of plain paper. As their motor skills develop, the size of writing should decrease. Exercise books can then be used for handwriting reinforcement.

GETTING READY TO WRITE Atmosphere

Try to create a relaxed atmosphere. Wrist-shaking exercises, scribbling and doing writing patterns all help to loosen up muscles ready for writing.

Seating and posture

The student’s chair and table should be at a comfortable height. The table should support the forearm so that it rests lightly on the surface and is parallel to the floor. Students should sit up straight and not slouch. Ideally, left- handed pupils should sit on the left of their partner so that their movements are not restricted.

Pencil and pen grip

Students should be taught to hold a pencil comfortably. The right-handers should hold a pencil lightly between the thumb and forefinger about 3cm from the point. The middle finger provides additional support. This makes a three-point grip. The book or writing paper should be placed to the right, tilted slightly to the left. The left hand should be used to steady the paper.

Left-handers need plenty of encouragement and support. Encourage them to hold their pencils far enough away from the point to allow them to see what they are writing. The three-point grip should be much the same as for a right-hander. The book or paper should be positioned to the left and tilted slightly to the right.

The ability of students to control a pencil or pen develops gradually and is assisted through simple exercises. Faults in holding a pencil could be:

• holding the pencil or pen too tightly

• holding the pencil too close to the point

• crossing the thumb over the pencil to rest on the forefinger

• holding the forefinger and middle finger on top of the pencil

• holding the ring and the little finger too tightly curled into the palm.

The Writing Process

Handwriting Patterns

Writing patterns that reinforce basic handwriting movements will help in developing fluency, control, confidence, and hand-eye coordination.

Focus

Each handwriting lesson should have a clear objective and should be discussed and demonstrated to emphasise key teaching points.

Practice

Motivated and directed handwriting practice is essential.

Fluency and Speed

The essential qualities of good writing are fluency, neatness, and speed. Students should be expected to develop greater control and fluency. Fluent handwriting is writing in which the pencil flows from letter to letter in a smooth and almost continuous process. Students should be encouraged to write at a reasonable speed to develop this skill. Teachers should provide activities to develop writing speed and to assess it.

Individuality

Students should not be expected to make exact reproductions of the letterforms presented as models. In due course, many students will likely develop individual variations on this style. These variations will give their writing character and, provided that the writing is legible, are to be encouraged.

Presentation

Students should have an awareness of clear and neat presentations to communicate their meaning effectively. Students need to consider the visual impact of their writing as well as its accuracy. Aspects of presentation also include spacing, margins, and borders.

Teacher’s style and model

It is essential that the teacher demonstrates basic script and joining style so that the samples of writing students see on the blackboards/whiteboards and wall charts provide as good models. The teacher must also demonstrate the correct movements for each letter and assist each student in mastering them.

Some suggestions for encouraging aesthetic presentation of written work:

• Hold a handwriting competition every term or year.

• Have a notice board on to display samples of good writing

• Encourage students to write individual anthologies of favorite poems and extracts along with illustrations.

• Produce a class magazine in which individual contributions are handwritten.

• Produce handwritten programmes for bazaars, concerts and parent’s evenings

Assessment

It is important to establish ways of assessing handwriting at several levels:

• whole school/class assessment

• individual assessment

• self-assessment

Whole school/class assessment

A regular survey of students’ writing allows for a general, impressionistic assessment and may indicate the need for a more detailed investigation. Criteria for assessing handwriting might include:

• Is the writing generally legible and pleasant?

• Are the letters correctly shaped and proportioned?

• Are the joins correctly made?

• Are the spaces between letters, words, and lines appropriate?

• Is the size of the writing appropriate?

• Is the writing properly aligned?

Individual assessment

To assess the progress of individual students, it is necessary to assess them as they write, as well as the finished product. Criteria for individual assessment should include:

• Does the child adopt the correct posture?

• Does the child hold the pen/pencil correctly?

• Does the child use the correct movement when forming and/or joining letters?

• Does the child reverse or invert any letter?

• Does the child write fluently and rhythmically?

• Is the writing legible?

• Is the writing speed appropriate?

Self-assessment

Students should be encouraged to evaluate their writing from an early stage. The teacher helps students identify inaccuracies in their style by comparing their writing to the samples.

Assessment, Monitoring and Moderation

The handwriting skills developed in this policy must be applied to all pieces of writing the children do. Teachers ensure the application of handwriting skills by:

• Reminding children of standards of writing and presentation at the beginning of lessons across the curriculum

• Ensuring children improve the presentation of their work if it falls below school expectations

• English Subject Leader and/or Senior Leadership Team to monitor handwriting and presentation in books from across the curriculum regularly and provide feedback to teachers

• Teachers model good handwriting skills at all times. They follow the handwriting policy when writing comments in children’s books.

• Children are rewarded by their teacher with a sticker if handwriting is consistently good in their books and rewarded with a certificate if handwriting is consistently good across a range of books.

• Children are rewarded by School heads or teachers with a pencil if handwriting is consistently good across a range of books.