Many students who struggle with handwriting eventually dislike all writing. Positive teacher attitudes can change students' attitudes and encourage them to improve their penmanship. Two activities can help elementary students enjoy writing while improving their handwriting. One has students practice common strokes in letter formation. The other…

Examines variables including handwriting, English mechanics, number of words written, average T-unit length, type of correct answers, and unrelated responses on which male and female adolescents in grades 7 and 10 were hypothesized to differ when producing constructed responses. Results suggest that further studies need to define and separate the…

To minimize the negative impact of handwriting and spelling difficulties of students with learning disabilities, it is proposed that explicit and systematic instruction, as well as incidental or natural learning approaches be used to maximize the development of these two basic writing tools. These approaches are examined. (Author/CR)

This article identifies possible causes of handwriting difficulties and suggests activities to facilitate the development of hand muscles and handwriting skills. It discusses handwriting readiness, wrist stability, hand development activities, pencil grasp, hand dominance, eye-hand coordination, basic strokes, general readiness skills, writing…

Examined the relationship between handwriting style and handwriting speed and legibility. Analysis of three writing samples (narrative, expository, and copying) from 600 fourth to ninth graders indicated that students who used a combination of manuscript and cursive letters were the most fluent handwriters. Papers written with mixed letters…

This article discusses the development of an assessment instrument for measuring handwriting ability and determining assistive technology needs. It includes a sample needs assessment that could be used to assist in the matching of a device to an individual who requires modification for the purpose of graphic output. (CR)

This article summarizes viewpoints expressed at a British special education conference on whether it matters if children acquire a standard pencil grip. Some participants felt children should be encouraged to use the standard tripod grip, while others believed children should be allowed to choose their own style of grip. (CR)

These pretests and posttests are designed for use with the curriculum guides and teaching guide in the Guam Community College English as a Second Language (ESL) project series (see note). Information on scoring and directions for test administrations are provided. A pretest and posttest are included for each of the six levels in the project. For…

The "Teaching Reading Sourcebook, Second Edition" is a comprehensive reference about reading instruction. Organized according to the elements of explicit instruction (what? why? when? and how?), the "Sourcebook" includes both a research-informed knowledge base and practical sample lesson models. It teaches the key elements of an effective reading…

Contrary to the beliefs of many, right-handedness is not a single factor existing in almost all people, with a few exceptions termed left-handed: neither extreme exists independently of the other. During the first 4 years of life there is a period of fluctuation between right and left-handed dominance. Statistics and findings vary in determining…

A study tested the effectiveness of precision teaching through a summer pilot project involving four male students between the ages of 6 and 7, all of whom had demonstrated some difficulty with basic reading skills. The 6-week program concentrated on those skills most important to emergent readers, namely, phonic analysis, sight vocabulary and…

Students with disabilities often experience particular difficulties with handwriting, and these problems can hinder their development both in school and in postsecondary settings. This paper addresses three issues: (1) the possibility of a prejudicial and potentially lasting first impression, based on the individual's handwriting; (2) the lack of…

This paper argues against teaching children to make letters using circle-stick writing. It contends that the circle-stick method requires continued pen/pencil lifts hindering rhythm or flow in the writing process and that there is little carry-over value into cursive writing as the two scripts are totally different. D'Nealian print, one type of…

A study was conducted to examine the interrelationships between drawing, early writing, and the context of talk in which both phenomena occur. Participant observation methodology was used in a self-contained public school kindergarten in order to gather daily data during a 3-month period. Specifically, children freely drew and wrote in an…

To determine the relationship between handwriting speed and syntactic complexity, a study examined the syntactic features of 60 students enrolled in either a basic writing course or a traditional college composition course. Fast and slow handwriting were identified from highest scores on any one of four writing "tests." The writing…