Teaching Handwriting to English Learners (ELL, ML, SLIFE, Newcomer)

When you learn a new language with a different script, handwriting can be very frustrating! It is even harder when you do not know how to write in your own language. This is the predicament faced by many Newcomers. To make matters worse, they are often too embarrassed or unable to ask for help with handwriting.

Handwriting is a skill that is rarely taught to English learners above the age of nine. They are often expected to write their name and other English words on their first day of school without any handwriting instruction.

Two groups of students benefit greatly from learning handwriting. Newcomer students who are non-literate, preliterate, or have limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) and students whose first language has a different handwriting script need handwriting instruction. English learners who speak Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Pasto, Urdu, or Kurdish are accustomed to writing from right to left. Hindi, Khmer, Thai, and Burmese speakers use beautiful curvy scripts that are very different from the English script. 

English learners often guess how to write letters because they do not know the order or the direction of strokes. Some students copy letters they see in books or on worksheets. The letters a, t, and g, and the numbers 4 and 9 appear different in print. English has uppercase and lowercase forms of letters. Manuscript and cursive forms only add to the confusion. Handwriting in English can be very perplexing without instruction.

When I learned Chinese, I watched and imitated my teacher writing the initial words. Then my teacher taught the stroke order and direction for writing all Chinese characters. This method enabled students to write new, unfamiliar characters quickly and accurately. 

English handwriting can also be learned by stroke order and direction. This is an old method and was used to teach kindergarten and first-grade students for many years. However, stroke order may be unfamiliar to current instructors. This method establishes the direction of strokes and reading: top to bottom and left to right. Numbers are included because they are written differently in other languages. Teaching handwriting by stroke order is easy and efficient.

Before beginning instruction, the writing guides must be explained. All uppercase letters touch the top guideline. Lowercase letters are smaller and touch the middle dashed guideline in some way. All letters sit on the bottom guideline. 

Use the pencil down method rather than the multiple-stroke method.  For example, the letter a is written with the pencil constantly down, not raised and lowered for two separate strokes. Likewise, the letter m is written using one smooth, flowing motion with the pencil continually touching the paper. Teach handwriting the way you write letters. This is how most English speakers print. It is more fluid, rhythmic, and efficient.

Handwriting by Strokes introduces letters from the simplest to the most difficult to write.  Horizontal and vertical lines are taught in Lesson 1 (Line 1), followed by diagonal lines in Lesson 2 (Line 2). Lesson 3 (Line 3) combines letters with horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. Next, the humps/bumps are covered in Lesson 4 (Line 4), and curves are introduced in Lesson 5 (Line 5). The last two lessons (Lines 6 and 7) include partial or full circles. These can be taught as 2 o'clock letters (using a clock) or as letters that begin with the letter c.  Emphasize the up motion from 2 to 12 o'clock (the middle) before the around movement for these letters. These seven lessons quickly teach all English letters and numbers. 

Instruction should always include modelling how letters are written, practicing letters together, and ending with students writing independently.  Verbal chanting of the stroke direction, letter name, and sound reinforces both the stroke order and direction as well as the letter/sound correspondence. For example, when teaching the letter combination L l, one might say, "Down, right, down. L says /l/." Gross motor movement, such as air writing or tracing large (8"-12") letters, and tactile methods, such as writing on sandpaper or in a pan of cornmeal, can also be incorporated. A few students will need additional exercises to develop their fine motor skills and coordination to write correctly and comfortably.

Students should write each letter or letter combination 10-15 times on a piece of paper or whiteboard. After all the letters in the lesson have been learned individually, practice writing all the letters in the lesson together several times. Monitor each student to ensure the letters are being formed correctly. Generous encouragement and praise are key ingredients when teaching new skills. Lessons should last for about 30 minutes.

Emphasize the significance of the height of a letter (Ww, Vv). Tall lowercase letters that touch the top line (b, d, f, h, k, l, t) and those with descending lines that go below the bottom line (g, j, p, q, y) should also be highlighted.

Teaching one lesson/line per day allows literate English learners time to practice their handwriting skills. Non-literate, preliterate, and SLIFE students usually require more than a day for each lesson. After learning the individual letters and numbers, students should practice writing all the uppercase letters in alphabetical order and the lowercase letters in alphabetical order. Lastly, practice the uppercase and lowercase letters together. Pangrams, sentences that include all 26 letters, are also excellent for reinforcement. (The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.) 

All ages of English learners benefit greatly from handwriting instruction. Literate students, who write in their first language, quickly acquire English handwriting. Non-literate, preliterate, and SLIFE students develop handwriting skills slowly and require more practice. 

Learning to write by hand correctly reduces hand fatigue and stress, increases legibility, and creates confidence. In addition, it enables English learners to focus on other aspects of literacy. Numerous studies have shown that handwriting improves letter recognition, decoding, spelling, and other reading skills. It empowers multilingual students and provides them with a valuable skill for success in their new language and academic pursuits.