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Description
Providing a tactile, hands-on approach to handwriting, this approach works well for many types of students.
It is particularly helpful for children who are left-handed children or those who need a more interactive approach to learning. Children who struggle with motor skills or experience cognitive difficulties will also reap great benefits from this program. Unique to this program, practice pages use a two-horizontal-line format rather than the three-horizontal-line format typically found in writing programs, cursive has no slant and letters are formed using a very simple single-stroke, and it uses a multisensory approach to teach. Teaching and practice sessions are short (10-15 minutes), without a lot of meaningless busy work.
Each level of Handwriting without Tears consists of a workbook and teacher guide.Consumable Student workbooks have horizontal pages in Kindergarten through Grade 2. Grade 3 and up offers vertical pages. Workbooks may be used separately, although at the early levels parents of struggling writers may find the Teacher Guides extremely valuable.
Newly revised in 2018, the Teacher Guides provide additional teaching instruction and support, while the Student Books provide more writing practice for each lesson. While some of the content is the same from the 2013 version, the expanded content means the two editions are not compatible without considerable parental/teacher modification (depending on lesson and level). Please note, the Spanish Student Books are also now updated to 2018 editions. There are currently no Spanish Teacher Guides available. English Teacher Guides provide the overall teaching philosophy, techniques and applicable multi-sensory activities, but do not provide the daily lesson plans.
Teacher Guides include:- an overview of the program
- handwriting instruction
- the stages of learning and scope and sequence
- teaching guidelines
- weekly and daily schedules for each unit
- instructions on proper posture
- paper and pencil skills
Following these helpful "how to" sections are lessons corresponding to each page in the student book. Each lesson includes a reduced student page, lesson objective and introduction, lesson plans and enrichment, ELL (English Language Learner) support and Cross Curricular suggestions. The back of each teacher guide includes multisensory activities suggestions, remediation tips, additional strategies for English Language Learners and Children with Special Needs, handwriting standards, references and index. Inside the back cover is a letter formation template for that grade level.
Please note, many of the online interactive resources require an additional purchase and appear to be limited to schools. There is a 30-day trial of the publishers HITT (Handwriting Interactive Teaching Tools) with purchase of the Teacher Guide. While this online support may be helpful, it is certainly not necessary to use this excellent program effectively. Suggested manipulatives are listed with the recommended grade level and the grade level Teacher Guide effectively explains the manipulatives. sc. ~ Deanne
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Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.