'I found this a fascinating book to read, I could identify with my time at school when I would often write with my paper almost in at right angles to my body because I found this comfortable, and the teacher's insistence that the paper be "straight" in front of me. This then made me twist my body into a ridiculous shape, and would sometimes result in punishment for not "sitting on the chair correctly"!.if only the teacher had understood the same principles as Rosemary Sassoon, who in this book emphasizes "flexibility and clear thinking about essential issues, rather than to impose solutions' - Spare-Chair 'Handwriting: The Way to Teach It should be required reading wherever Primary school teachers are trained, then perhaps there would be fewer young people still struggling to communicate in legible writing in Secondary school and later life' - Handwriting Today 'This is a comprehensive textbook, and an extremely accessible and practical guide which should be on the bookshelf of every practitioner. I recommend it highly' - Jeni Riley, Head of Early Childhood and Primary Education, Institute of Education, University of London This book is an essential classroom guide to the teaching of handwriting. It covers all aspects of the subject: from whole-school planning, to classroom management and the teaching of letters in a highly illustrated and practical sequence; and from initial letter forms through to joined writing. The author presents many examples and imaginative ideas to make learning to write more effective and interesting for children and for teachers. This Second Edition includes material on problems which children can have with handwriting, and how to diagnose and remedy them. The author offers strategies for better teaching, and her aim throughout the book is to encourage flexibility and clear thinking about essential issues, rather than to impose solutions.
Rosemary Sassoon is an independent consultant and lecturer, based in Sevenoaks, Kent. She is the author of Handwriting: The Way to Teach it, Paul Chapman Publishing, 2003.
PART ONE: PLANNING HANDWRITING ACROSS THE WHOLE SCHOOL The Priority for Handwriting in the Curriculum The Relationship between the Skill of Handwriting and Other Subjects When to Introduce Handwriting in the Reception Class The Choice of Handwriting Model Balancing Movement and Neatness How Much Emphasis on Joining Display Writing - Both by Teachers and Pupils Liaison with Pre-School Groups, Parents and Other Schools A Policy for Left-Handers A Policy for Special Needs A Policy for Newcomers from Other Schools Terminology Assessment and Record Keeping PART TWO: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Layout of the Classroom Balancing Whole-Class Instruction with One-to-One Attention Posture Appropriate Furniture Paper Position and Its Effect on Posture Penhold Materials Pencils and Pens, Paper Size and Lines Making Children Aware of the Importance of All These Ideas PART THREE: A SYSTEM FOR TEACHING LETTERS The Vital Early Years The Concepts Behind Our Writing System Different Approaches to Teaching Explaining the Act of Writing in a Logical Sequence Introducing Letters in Stroke-Related Families Teaching the First Letter Family Teaching the Second Letter Family Teaching the Round Letters Complex Letters and Emerging Problems Name Writing Designing Exercises Starting to Use Letters Lines Drawing with Writing Remedial Work Often Begins on Day One Joining as Soon as Possible Personal Letters Lead to Efficiency and Speed What Handwriting Problems May Indicate Layouts for Practice Cards Recommendations from Research into Children's Handwriting Some Personal Comments PART FOUR: A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT HANDWRITING PROBLEMS Handwriting as a Diagnostic Tool Problems That Show through Handwriting Specific Problems for Left-Handers Problems with Directionality Perceptual Problems Observing, Assessing and Dealing with Tremors Fatigue Gaps in Learning Posture as an Indicator, as Well as a Cause of Problems An Attitude of Understanding
`This is a comprehensive textbook, and an extremely accessible and practical guide which should be on the bookshelf of every practitioner. I recommend it highly' - Jeni Riley, Head of Early Childhood and Primary Education Institute of Education, University of London
