Handwriting

Without Tears®
The Hands-On Curriculum
for Student Success
Presented by:
Corinne Tuck, BSc.OT, OT(c)
Angela Rath, BSc.Kin, BSc.OT, OT(c)

Edmonton Regional Educational Consulting Services (ERECS)

 Objectives – What we will do

| Provide an overview of the HWT

curriculum
| Accommodations and practical strategies

| Reflect on your current handwriting

practices
| How the HWT curriculum could be
applied in your classroom
Objectives – What we won’t do

| Detailed training of the HWT

Curriculum (www.hwtears.com)
(If you want detailed training, talk to
your OT or check the website for
workshops near you!!)
Handwriting Curriculum
Survey
| What printing curriculum do you use?
| How is printing currently being taught
in your school?
| How do you currently teach printing to
your students?
Zaner-Bloser

| www.zaner-bloser.com
| Long standing (100 years)
| Step by step approach
| Continuous stroke, vertical manuscript
| 4 lined paper with red baseline, dotted
midline and blue headline and a blue line
below the baseline
| Students use this interlined paper up to
Grade 4 and then transition to double line
paper in Grade 5 and on.
D’Nealian Manuscript

| www.dnealian.com
| Slanted print

| Most letters formed with one

continuous stroke
| Most lower case letters are pre-
cursors for cursive
| Varied starting places
Handwriting Without Tears®

| www.hwtears.com
| Manuscript vertical style

| Double lined paper used from

beginning to end
| Multi-sensory
 Letter Style

| Print Style

| Cursive Style
Letters

| Take out a piece of lined paper and a

pen/pencil…
Developmental Teaching
Order - Printing
Developmental Teaching
Order – Cursive
Three Stages of Learning

| Imitation: The teacher demonstrates the

letter formation. The child imitates the
teachers.
| Copying: Children are asked to copy a
model of a practice word by looking at the
word.
| Independent Writing: Children are asked
to write a word without demonstration and
without a model. They have to write from
memory.
HWT® is Multi-sensory
Hold on…you have to teach…
Posture

| Posture Stomp | Correct Posture

Paper Position
Looking out for “Lefties”
Pencil Skills

| Tripod | Quadropod
 Page Layout
The more you do, the worse you get
phenomenon!

Copy one
model at a time
Double Line Paper
Take a look at space…
Double Line Paper

http://www.hwtears.com/aplus
Line Generalization
Review & Check Strategies
Screening

| Screener of Handwriting
Proficiency
z Universal/whole class screening tool
z Determines where students are
succeeding and where they are
struggling
z Allows for focused handwriting
instruction
z http://www.hwtears.com/screener/abou
t-the-screener.
Assessment
| Print Tool
z Complete printing evaluation for students
that are identified as needing further testing
z Not standardized assessment
z Assesses capitals, numbers, and lowercase
letter skills.
z Determines where students are succeeding
and where they are struggling
z Allows for focused handwriting instruction
z Skills evaluated: memory, orientation,
placement, size, start, sequence, control,
and spacing
Handwriting Difficulties

| Results of an assessment (Print Tool

or other assessment) allow
handwriting instruction to target areas
of difficulty
Special Populations

| HWT can be used with various special

populations
z Autism/Aspergers Syndrome
z Down Syndrome
z Poor Vision
z Cerebral Palsy
z Dysgraphia
Handwriting Accommodations
| Recommendations put in place to help a
child with writing tasks and achieve
academic success:
z Adaptations to handwriting
• Adapted worksheets/paper, specific
handwriting curriculum, classroom seating,
writing surface, pencil type/modification, etc.
z Alternatives to printing
• Scribe, digital voice recorder, word/phrase
banks on cards, keyboarding, software
considerations (writing grids, graphic
organizers, word prediction, etc.), etc.
Functional Printing

| What is functional printing?

| What are the goals for printing for
students with disabilities? For
regular students? For at risk
students?
 Integrating:
Handwriting & Reading

| Language arts program of studies includes

handwriting in several general outcomes
across all grade levels
| Language arts & handwriting teaching
strategies:
z Separate handwriting and reading teaching
orders
z Integrate handwriting and reading teaching
orders
z Follow the reading teaching order
Ways to use HWT® in your
classroom
| Whole class
| Small group

| Individual instruction

| Whole school

| Cursive
 Success with HWT®
| Students Succeed
z Children of all learning styles and
ability levels learn to write neatly and
efficiently.
z Handwriting becomes a natural skill.
z Students can focus on content of their
work rather than the physical act of
writing.
z Handwriting success fosters student
pride and interest in learning.
z Children who write well enjoy school
more and perform better in all
subjects.
| Parents are Proud
z Handwriting is the most visible
expression of a child’s performance in
school.
z Parents are excited with student
success.
z Papers start going up on the
refrigerator.
z Excitement breeds parents’
involvement, interest, and support.
| Teachers are Excited
z Little time is needed for class
preparation.
z Easy for both new and
experienced teachers.
z Short lessons that get results.
z No more wasted time reviewing
illegible papers.
z Teachers are pleased with
improved student performance
and interest.
| Administrators see
Results
z All students succeed using HWT.
z Continuity and consistency exist
across all grade levels.
z HWT supports and integrates with
other Language Arts curriculums.
z HWT reduces need for
remediation.
z Student workbooks are affordably
priced.
Useful Handwriting Resources

| Handwriting Standards – “produces

legible handwriting” is this enough?
http://www.hwtears.com/standards.
| OT On-Hand
http://www.capitalhealth.ca/Especially
For/OTOnHand/default.htm.
Questions??

| Feel free to contact us….

z Angela Rath, ERECS

angela.rath@epsb.ca
z Corinne Tuck, ERECS
corinne.tuck@epsb.ca