Working with

students
resistance to
writing

Overview
This is Sam. Sam is frustrated. He is
frustrated because, despite being intelligent
and knowing what he wants to say, he just
cannot get it down on paper the way it should
look so that others can read it. Sam has
difficulties with handwriting.. He is not alone.

Problems face by
teachers
In your group :
Brainstorm the problems I face everyday in
teaching writing
List them down
You have 10 minutes

Writing Standards
Master the
mechanics of
writing

Learn to write
at word,
phrase, and
sentence levels

Handwriting

Writing

Pre-Writing
Body Stability
Motor development proceeds from head to toe
and from the trunk to the extremities (hands
and feet)
Control of body moves from head and neck to
the shoulders, the trunk and the hips and legs.
It also develops first from the trunk and then
outward.
The joints of the body need to be stable before
the hands can be free to focus on specific
skilled fine motor tasks.

Pre-Writing
Fine motor skills
When certain amount of body stability has
develop, the hands and fingers begin to work
on movements of dexterity and isolation as well
as on different kinds of grasp.
Hand dominance development.
Eye-hand coordination.

Basic Writing Exercise

Basic Writing Exercise

Why lines and circles?

These lines are the foundation lines for all 26

alphabets and number 0-9

How to practice?
In your groups:
Develop a technique / idea on how to teach
writing
Present your ideas
You have 10 minutes

Writing
Gross-Motor

Finger/Hand
Arms
Body
Multiple bodies

Fine-Motor
Finger-painting
Pencil/pen
Paintbrush
Play dough
MiniWhiteboard
Chalkboard

Teaching Handwriting
Concerning:
Poor letter formation
Letter sizes
Incorrect use of upper- and lower- cases letters
Space
Alignment
Fluency/Speed
Reversal

Things to ponder..
Reversal
What you should know:
Reversals are common before the age of 6 and
7.
A few continue to reverse numbers and letters
after the age of 7 and may need direct
intervention.

Components Of
Handwriting
Legibility
Legibility is the most important goal of
handwriting instruction, and incorrect letter
formation is the most frequent interference.
Fluent writing
Just as not knowing how to read words fluently
impairs reading comprehension, inadequate
fluency in writing letters and words impairs
written expression and the quality of written
responses. (Spear-Swerling, 2006)

Trainer NOTES
Slide 1

Even pupils with high literacy skills face writing

problems.
Audience share their experience with their pupils
handwriting
Slide 2
Ask the audience to go back into their groups.
Ask them to list down problems they face in teaching
writing.
E.g alignment, spelling, pencil grip, penmanship, left
to right, reversed letters, spacing, pressure on pencil.

Trainer NOTES
Slide 3
Tell the audience what the writing standards are.
Slide 4
Tell how body stability affects the big joints in

the body.
Slide 5
-Tell coordination of what the eyes see and hand
are able to do what they see
e.g playing badminton, drawing, copying

Trainer NOTES
Slide 6 & 7 is the example of pre-writing

exercise.
Slide 8 Tell them the lines and circles are the
basic of writing.
Slide 9 Tell them to practice, need/can use
clay, plasticine, tracing dots, pencil grip, write
in the air, scissors grip, sand etc.
Slide 10 Tell difference between developing
gross motor vs fine motor skills.
Slide 11 Tell audience, problems teachers
face in teaching handwriting list of the

Trainer NOTES
Slide 12 Tell audience, pupils with reversal

writing must be help if they still face the

problem after year 1.
Slide 13 Tell audience, the component that
must be achieved in teaching writing
END-