Are you looking for strategies to help students who cannot form letters correctly while writing? If so, keep reading.
1. Make sure the student is instructed in each letter formation, giving the student oral as well as physical descriptions and demonstrations.
2. Give the student physical prompts by moving the student’s hand, giving them a feeling of directionality.
3. Utilize arrows to show the student directionality when tracing or using dot-to-dot to form letters.
4. Inspect the student’s writing position. A right-handed person writing in cursive should tilt the paper to the left so the lower left-hand comer points toward the person’s midsection. As writing progresses, the paper should shift, not the writing ann.
5. Utilize color signals for lines (e.g., red for the top line, yellow for the middle line, green for the bottom line) to indicate where letters are to be made.
6. Draw simple shapes and lines for the student to practice writing on lined paper.
7. Highlight the baseline or top line on the paper to help the student remain within the given spaces.
8. Make sure the student sits in an appropriate size chair with feet touching the floor, their back pressed against the back of the chair, shoulders slightly inclined, arms resting on the desk, and elbows just off the lower edge of the desk.
9. Get the student to practice tracing letters at their desk.
10. Get the student to practice tracing letters on the smartboard.
11. Get the student to practice forming letters correctly by tracing over a sequence of dots.
12. Inspect the student’s pencil grasp. The pencil should be held between the thumb and the first two fingers, one inch from its tip, with the top pointing toward the right shoulder (if righthanded).
13. Get the student to practice tracing with reduced signals. Write the complete letter and have the student trace it. As the student shows success, slowly give less of the letter for them to trace (e.g., dashes, then dots).
14. Find those letters the student does not form correctly. Get them to practice the correct form of one or more of the letters each day.
15. Consider using one of the apps on one of our best writing apps lists:
The Tech Edvocate’s List of 31 Grammar & Writing Apps, Tools & Resources
Ten Apps to Help Learners Develop Writing Skills
10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Elementary School Learners
11 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for High School Learners
10 of the Best Grammar and Writing Apps for Middle School Learners
