Writing

What writing looks like in my classroom...

There are always writing materials available to the students, including paper, pencils, markers, and crayons. We also have small chalkboards/chalk, and white boards/white board markers.

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During table time, there is always a table that involves some sort of writing such as tracing over names, letter stencils, letter practice, etc. We encourage children to practice tracing or writing the letters in their names. It is important to provide children with many different opportunities to engage in writing and explore writing materials. At the young preschool level it is all about getting the children familiar and comfortable with writing materials and get them exposed to writing so that as they learn and develop they will be ready to write.

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We center uses a Handwriting Without Tears Program. Our class incorporates the program into literacy through activities such as making letters out of playdough, writing on chalkboards, and singing songs from the Get Set for School Sing Along CD. This program works well in my classroom because it is a multisensory approach which young preschoolers respond very well to.  Below is a little more information about the Handwriting Without Tears program.

***Handwriting Without Tears is a program that was designed by an occupational therapist to teach children how to write without frustrating them to tears. It uses hands-on, multisensory materials and was designed in such a way that it introduces shapes, numbers, and letters in an order that matches the progression of children’s developmental abilities so that it is easier for them to practice, learn, and remember.***

http://www.hwtears.com/hwt >link to the program's website

A study was done in 2012 to study the impact of preschool Handwriting Without Tears instruction one year following intervention and it concluded that the use of a structure handwriting program helped those struggling most with handwriting skills to improve handwriting abilities and to be more on the same skill level as classroom peers. It could not conclude that this program was more effective than others.

(http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/bitstream/handle/10342/4064/Phelps_ecu_0600M_10799.pdf?sequence=1)

A study was done in 2011 to study the effectiveness of this program with students with special learning needs, and it concluded that the program had components that resulted in the program being effective, however it was only conducted with one elementary school.
(http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2011/2011hanewallw.pdf)