Cursive Handwriting (3rd) – In 2015, the Arkansas Legislature passed ACT 160 mandating that every public elementary school teach cursive writing by the end of third grade. Since the Bill contained no specifics related to effective handwriting instruction, districts should base their programs on evidence-based research.
Regardless of the program, it’s important to note that students should completely master manuscript handwriting before they move into cursive. Forcing a student to transition before he/she is ready can lead to lifelong poor penmanship.
Manuscript Handwriting (K-2nd) – Although ACT 160 (2015) says nothing about manuscript handwriting, it’s an important prerequisite to good penmanship. A written alphabet that reflects the manuscript text found in most children’s books can help avoid cognitive dissonance, especially in children with the characteristics of Dyslexia.
According to one landmark study (Farris, 1997), “By age 3, children produce drawings that are composed of the same lines that constitute manuscript letters: vertical lines, horizontal lines, and circles. Because of such early experience, most 6- and 7-year-olds can create these lines more easily than the relatively complicated connections associated with slanted manuscript or cursive handwriting. In addition, because vertical lines are made with a straight up-and-down motion, and horizontal lines by left-to-right motion, they rely predominantly on already acquired gross motor skills.”
Correct letter formation can also be a challenge for young children. One helpful tool for teaching letter formation is treehouse. This graphical aid helps children quickly visualize correct letter size and placement. Once students become familiar with the Treehouse, you can continue to use it to enhance instruction. For example, you can say “Be sure your lowercase C touches both the ceiling and the floor,” or “The tail of the lowercase G goes all the way to the ground.”
References:
Asher, A. V. (2006). Handwriting instruction in elementary schools. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 60, 461–471
P. J. Farris. Language Arts Process, Product, and Assessment, Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark, 1997
Koenke, K. (1986). Handwriting Instruction: What Do We Know?. Retrieved from https://www.ericdigests.org/pre-924/know.htm