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Additional resources to support the implementation of The Hochman Method Ⓡ

Book Resources

Free access to The Writing Revolution (Hochman & Wexler, 2017) Book Resources for all educators. Which includes:

Customizable Templates

Activities for Students

Tips with TWR Webinars

And more!

Resource Library

Access is only for TWR-trained educators. Includes everything in our free Book Resources and more! Check your eligibility for access.

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Online Resources - The Writing Revolution

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Additional resources to support the implementation of The Hochman Method Ⓡ Book Resources Free access to The Writing Revolution (Hochman & Wexler, 2017) Book Resources for all educators. Which includes: Customizable Templates Activities for Students Tips with TWR Webinars And more! Resource Library Access is only for TWR-trained educators.

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Aspire Academy - Dyslexia Screening and Dyslexia Tutoring

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Spelling and Handwriting are Crucial To Fluent Reading

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Get help with fluid, efficient handwriting and an accurate spelling and practice of spelling based on sounding out words.

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Nomanis: Hot in 2023- Improving Spelling and Writing Instruction

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Nomanis: Hot in 2023- Improving Spelling and Writing Instruction

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Reading Universe: All About Reading and Writing

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Explore ready-to-use teaching strategies, resources, and concrete answers to common questions about teaching reading and writing -- developed by experts.

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Allen, K. (2005). Alphabet knowledge: Letter recognition, naming, and sequencing. In J. Birsh (Ed.), Multisensory teaching of basic language skills, 2nd Edition, pp. 113-150. Baltimore, Md.: Paul Brookes.

Apel, K., Masterson, J.J., and Niessen, N.L. (2004). Spelling assessment frameworks. In Stone, C.A., Silliman, E.R., Ehren, B.J., and Apel, K. (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders, pp. 644-660. New York: Guilford.

Bailet, L. (2004). Spelling instructional and intervention frameworks. In Stone, C.A., Silliman, E.R., Ehren, B.J., and Apel, K. (Eds), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders, pp. 661-678. New York: Guilford.

Balmuth, M. (1992). The roots of phonics: A historical introduction. Baltimore, Md.: York Press.

Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., and Johnston, F. (2000). Words their way (2nd Edition). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill.

Bryson, B. (1990). The mother tongue: English and how it got that way. New York: Avon Books.

Berninger, V. Vaughan, K., Abbott, R., Brooks, A., Abbott, S., Reed, E., Rogan, L. and Graham, S. (1998). Early intervention for spelling problems: Teaching spelling units of varying size within a multiple connections framework. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 587- 605.

Bryant, P., Nunes, T. and Bindman, M. (1997). Children's understanding of the connection between grammar and spelling. In B. Blachman (Ed.), Foundations of reading acquisition and dyslexia, pp. 219-240. Mahwah, N.J.: Erlbaum.

Carlisle, J.F. and Stone, C.A. (2005). Exploring the role of morphemes in word reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 40(4), 428-449.

Carreker, S. (2005). Teaching spelling. In J. Birsh (Ed.), Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (2nd Edition), pp. 257-295. Baltimore, Md.: Paul Brookes.

Ehri, L.C. (1998). Grapheme-phoneme knowledge is essential for learning to read words in English. In J.L. Metsala & L.C. Ehri (Eds.), Word recognition in beginning literacy, pp. 3-40. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Ehri, L. (2000). Learning to read and learning to spell: Two sides of a coin. Topics in Language Disorders, 20(3), 19-49.

Ehri, L. (2004). Teaching phonemic awareness and phonics. In P. Mc- Cardle and V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research, pp. 153-186. Baltimore, Md.: Brookes Publishing.

Ehri, L. and Snowling, M.J. (2004). Developmental variation in word recognition. In Stone, C.A., Silliman, E.R., Ehren, B.J., and Apel, K. (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders, pp. 433-460. New York: Guilford.

Grace, K. (in press). Phonics and spelling through phoneme-grapheme mapping. Longmont, Colo.: Sopris West.

Graham, S., Harris, K.R., and Loynachan, C. (1994). The spelling for writing list. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27 (4), 210-214.

Hanna, P.R., Hanna, J.S., Hodges, R.E., and Rudorf, E.H., Jr. (1966). Phoneme-grapheme correspondences as cues to spelling improvement (USDOE Publication No. 32008). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Henry, M. (2003). Unlocking literacy. Baltimore, Md.: Brookes Publishing.

Henry, M. (1997). The decoding/spelling curriculum: Integrated decoding and spelling instruction from pre-school to early secondary school. Dyslexia, 38, 178-198.

Kessler, B. and Treiman, R. (2001). Relationships between sounds and letters in English monosyllables. Journal of Memory and Language, 44, 592-617.

King, D. (2000). English isn't crazy. Baltimore, Md.: York Press.

Lindamood, C.H. and Lindamood, P. (1998). The Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program for reading, spelling, and speech. Austin, Texas: Pro-Ed.

Mehta, P., Foorman, B.R., Branum-Martin, L., and Taylor, P.W. (2005). Literacy as a unidimensional construct: Validation, sources of influence, and implications in a longitudinal study in grades 1 to 4. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2), 85-116.

Moats, L.C. (1995). Spelling: Development, disability, and instruction. Baltimore, Md.: York Press.

Moats, L.C. (1996). Phonological spelling errors in the writing of dyslexic adolescents. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 8, 105-119.

Moats, L.C. (2000). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers. Baltimore, Md.: Brookes Publishing.

Moats, L.C. (2003). The speech to print workbook. Baltimore, Md.: Paul Brookes.

Moats, L.C. (2004). Language essentials for teachers of reading and spelling (LETRS), Module 2, The Speech Sounds of English, and Module 3, Spellography for Teachers. Longmont, Colo.: Sopris West Educational Services.

Moats, L.C. and Rosow, B. (2002). Spellography. Longmont, Colo.: Sopris West.

Montgomery, D.J., Karlan, G.R., and Coutinho, M. (2001). The effectiveness of word processor spell checker programs to produce target words for misspellings generated by students with learning disabilities, Journal of Special Education Technology, 16 (2).

National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges (2005). Writing: A Powerful Message from State Government. New York: College Board.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2000). The Report of the National Reading Panel.Washington, D.C.: NICHD.

Pennington, B. F., McCabe, L.L., Smith, S.D., Lefly, D.L., Bookman, M.O., Kimberling, W.J., and Lubs, H.A. (1986). Spelling errors in adults with a form of familial dyslexia. Child Development, 57, 1001-13.

Sacks, D. (2003). Language visible: Unraveling the mystery of the alphabet from A to Z. New York: Broadway Books.

Singer, B. and Bashir, A. (2004). Developmental variations in writing. In Stone, C.A., Silliman, E.R., Ehren, B.J., and Apel, K. (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders, pp. 559-582. New York: Guilford.

Snow, C. E., Griffin, P., and Burns, M. S. (Eds.) (2005). Knowledge to Support the Teaching of Reading: Preparing Teachers for a Changing World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Tangel, D. and Blachman, B. (1995). Effect of phoneme awareness instruction on the invented spelling of first-grade children: A one-year follow-up. Journal of Reading Behavior, 27, 153-185.

Templeton, S. and Bear, D. (Eds.) (1992). Development of orthographic knowledge and the foundations of literacy. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Treiman, R. and Bourassa, D. (2000). The development of spelling skill. Topics in Language Disorders, 20, 1-18.

Uhry, J. K. and Shepherd, M. J. (1993). Segmentation and spelling instruction as part of a first-grade reading program: Effects on several measures of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 28, 219-233.

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Many young readers are puzzled by the rules and exceptions of spelling. Research shows that learning to spell and learning to read rely on much of the same underlying knowledge. Learn more about the relationships between letters and sounds and how a proper understanding of spelling mechanics can lead to improved reading.

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Structured Word Inquiry Approach to Spelling

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Structured Word Inquiry Approach to Spelling

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"The underlying meaning of etymology is "finding the underlying" or "true meaning of words"." John Ayto, Dictionary of Word Origins

A PDF of the latest Root Card of the will be added here each Sunday. Please note that only the current week's root card will be available. Once they are gone, they are gone. Click on the image to open up the PDF.

The Root Repository | #137 | bene (well, good)

This blog post will collate my weekly 'root cards'. You will be able to download the cards as PDFs. They are hopefully fairly self-explanatory and designed to be understood by key stage two students, but here is a quick guide on how they work with links to further reading and resources.

1. Key Information

Here you will find the root being exemplified (written in pink) with a simple icon that illustrates its meaning. In smaller bolded print are listed the main meanings of the root in present day English.

Below this is the origin of the root and its original meaning (which might differ slightly from its current meaning in English). The etymology of words is rich and complex. Words have often arrived into English through circuitous roots, passing through several languages. The origin I have gone with is typically that which provides us with the English spelling. I have made the decision not to delve further back into Proto-Indo-European (PIE). The aim of these resources is not to provide a complete understanding of roots and their origins, but to provide a useful starting point for teachers and their students.

2. Example Words

I have selected five words that exemplify the shared meaning of the root. These words will be those in where the meaning of the root can be most easily discerned. Each word has three representations.

On the left is the word written out but with the root in bold: de pend.

In the centre is the word broken down into first syllables and then sounds using the Sounds & Syllables five-step spelling sequence:d e. You can find a guide to the five-step spelling sequence here.

To the right is the word broken down morphologically: de (from) + pend. This allows you to see all of the morphemes contained within a word. The use of the '+' symbol between morphemes indicates that both the meaning and spelling (with a few affixing patterns applied) of these morphemes can be added to construct both the spelling and meaning of the word. The meaning of each morpheme (except the focus root) is placed in brackets. It should be noted, however, that the meanings of words shift over time and that we can rarely simply add the meanings of morphemes to arrive at the meaning of a word. To depend is not simply to hang ( pend) away ( de).

It should be noted that the meaning of some morphemes can be complex and difficult to explain in the few brief words that space allows, so the meanings are simple and blunt. Also morphemes carry additional information such as word class (the suffix -ion typically forms nouns, -ous adjectives) and might have different meanings depending upon the word class (un- typically means 'not' before adjectives but 'undo' before verbs). The full Sounds & Syllables curriculum delves more deeply into these subtleties.

Letters in pink indicate a few different things, including but not exclusively:

a spelling that changes when another morpheme is added: quant +ity + es

a non-syllabic <e> added to a root: de + fine that is dropped when adding another root or suffix.

Letters in grey represent etymological flotsam, spellings that are leftovers from ancestor languages but carry no meaning in English.

Below is a brief explanation of the word meaning that ties the separate meanings within each morpheme together. Additional helpful information might be included here too such as explaining that <icle> within chron icle is a variant of <ic> and not the suffix <icle> meaning 'small' (as found in cubicle or particle).

3. Notes and Related Roots

The 'notes' provide a whole range of additional useful information about the root. These might be interesting stories of the root's origin or an interesting etymological story of a word that uses that root. They might be notes on pronunciation or when different spellings of a base might typically be used. Or there might be no notes at all if the root in question is fairly straight forward.

The 'related' section lists words with containing cognates (a common etymological origin) of the focus root but with different spelling, with the root itself in bold such as pond er. Exploring cognates can lead us down some fascinating rabbit holes with a myriad of obscure connections between words. I've chosen to only include cognates that are close in origin, spelling, and meaning to the focus morpheme.
4. Morpheme Map
Included is a morpheme map for the target root, which shows a range of words that can be constructed using the target root. *

In the centre of the map is the target morpheme (always a root) with its meaning below. To the left are prefixes and other roots that can precede the focus root, and to the right suffixes and other roots that can follow the focus root. Words can be constructed by following the lines and collecting the morphemes using a few simple rules:

words are built by collecting morphemes from left to right only

a morpheme cannot be bypassed

all words must include the target root

Within the morpheme map all affixes are in standard print and other roots are in bold print.

Letters in pink denote letters that might (but not always) be altered in some way when world building. The three main examples of this will the drop, swap and double pattern: a pink letter might denote an <e> that might be dropped, a <y> that might be swapped for an <i> or a consonant that might be doubled. There are other examples.

Letters in grey indicate connectors, elements that serve a structure and phonological function, but not a semantic or grammatical one.

References

I draw upon a range of resources to create the root repository resources, these being chief among them.
Online dictionaries and repositories
etymonline.com is an invaluable online resource for exploring the etymology of individual words.

wordinfo.info is a great resource for finding lists of words that share morphemes. Type a morpheme into the search box or find it in within the alphabetical list of units.

wiktionary.org is a useful tool for exploring the etymology of specific words

Latin-Dictionary.net is helpful when checking the meaning of Latin words.

dictionary.cambridge.org and merrier-webster.com are my go-to's when checking definitions of contemporary English words, but I do check against a range of dictionaries.
Books
Latin Suffixal Derivatives in English by D. Miller is extremely helpful for checking how suffixes have developed from those in Latin .

Oxford English Dictionary of Etymology edited by C.T. Onions and Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto are helpful when cross-referencing word origins.
*These maps are based on the work of Pete Bowers and the WordWorks Literacy Centre (this is where I first discovered the concept many years ago, but please do correct me if I have assigned their invention to the wrong source) and in particular their use of 'word matrices'. I prefer a 'concept map' design over a 'word matrix' one for two reasons. First, I think they are a little simpler to understand - you follow the lines to build a word. But crucially using MindNode mind mapping software, I can create them in a fraction of the time it takes me to create a word matrix.

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The Root Repository - jason wade education

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"The underlying meaning of etymology is "finding the underlying" or "true meaning of words"." John Ayto, Dictionary of Word Origins A PDF of the latest Root Card of the will be added here each Sunday. Please note that only the current week's root card will be available.

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Morphological Analysis Instruction in the Elementary Grades_ Which Morphemes to Teach and How to Teach Them

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LANGUAGE! Live Curriculum Clips - LL_Module_0_500 History of English

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This is "LL_Module_0_500 History of English" by Cambium Learning Video on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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Making Sense of Spelling- TED Talk Video

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Making Sense of Spelling- TED Talk Video

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Relationship between encoding/decoding flowchart p. 6

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Relationship between encoding/decoding flowchart p. 6

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Spelling Routines

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Spelling is the ability to make a visual representation of a word. To spell, we need to think about the individual units of sound in a word (phonemes) and then write the letters that represent those sounds (graphemes).

We can use "phonetic spelling" for most words because there's a direct correspondence between the sounds and the written letters. About 84 percent of English words follow the sound-spelling rules of the language. These words are often called regularly spelled words. (For irregular words, students must use a whole word strategy to memorize words.)

Read on to see how this seven-step spelling routine can help students learn regularly spelled words:

Say the word.

Blend the sounds.

Identify the number of sounds.

Identify the individual sounds.

Spell the word.

Blend and check the spelling.

Repeat.

Watch: See this spelling strategy in action

Watch this classroom video from EL Education to see phonetic spelling in action with students.

Read: How to use this strategy for spelling regular words

K-5 (Common Core ELA Literacy CCRA.L.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing)

Plan daily practice. Teach spelling as part of your literacy routine (not in isolation). Set aside five to 10 minutes to practice this strategy. Also, make sure you've explicitly taught your students phonics blending before trying this strategy.

Choose one to three patterns to practice in one lesson. For example, you might choose short i, oa, and g. Make sure to include only the patterns you've already explicitly taught or are sure your students know. (Because students most often struggle to spell vowel sound-spellings, try to practice at least one of those vowel patterns every week.)

Pick four to six words that follow your chosen patterns. For instance, if the patterns are short i, oa, and g, the words could be goat, him, load, mitt, and sit. You can use a resource like to identify regularly spelled, decodable words by sound-spelling patterns. Double-check that each word is not an irregularly spelled word.

1. Say the word (example: sit). Tell students they will be spelling the word sit today. Invite students to repeat the word.

3. Identify the number of sounds. Ask students how many sounds they hear in the word (three sounds in sit). If students don't identify the correct number of sounds, say and blend the word again, but more slowly this time. After that, if students still can't identify the correct number of sounds, tell them the answer. You might say, "There are three sounds in the word sit. How many sounds are there?"

4. Identify the individual sounds. Tell students to listen as you blend the word one more time. Prompt students to identify each individual sound: "What's the first sound in sit?" Then, "What's the second sound?" and so on. As students identify each sound, give them feedback. If students misidentify a sound, tell them the sound and ask them to repeat it.

5. Spell the word. After students identify all the sounds in the word, have them write the word on a sheet of paper or a whiteboard. You can also give students the option to say the final spelling aloud while a partner writes it for them. When students spell the word out loud, make sure they state the letters in the word, not the sounds.

Repeat the check process with the student. For example, if the word is arm and the student wrote am, ask the student to identify the individual sounds again. Then ask what letter is missing. Say, "Let's blend the sounds together in the word arm. Aaarrrmmm. What was the first sound you heard? What was the second sound? The third? What letter are you missing?"

Model the correct spelling of the word. Then have students repeat the word and write it themselves. Have them blend the sounds together and read the word they wrote.

A paper or digital reference sheet that lists the seven spelling steps - with picture cues to give students visual reminders.

A paper or digital reference sheet of the spelling steps with room for students to work out the spelling on their own.

Understand: Why this spelling strategy works

With this routine, students practice phonetic spelling slowly and repeatedly. This repeated practice encourages students to focus on the individual sounds in each word. By doing that, students develop phonemic awareness, an important skill for both reading and spelling. Students also benefit from regular and immediate teacher feedback in the routine.

This strategy is useful for all students and particularly beneficial for certain groups of students.

Give families a list of the seven steps for spelling regular words so they can practice with their kids at home. With that list, send home another list of words that includes the sound-spellings you have already taught. You can also share with families this list of common spelling rules.

Research behind this strategy

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Literacy Strategy: How to Teach Spelling Regular Words

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Use this spelling strategy to teach students how to spell regular words.

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Hi everyone! Today I'm going to talk about a multi-sensory spelling strategy called S.O.S. The S.O.S. (Simultaneous Oral Spelling) strategy is a commonly used technique used as one way to help improve a dyslexic reader's ability to spell. It has been researched that by using a multi-sensory approach to practice spelling, the dyslexic learner would have build better phonological awareness, which is a huge weakness. S.O.S. uses visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning modalities all the same time in during spelling dictation. It takes a great deal of focus and concentration, but once children know the steps involved, they can move through the process easily. If you have struggling readers due to weak phonological awareness and are also poor spellers, this strategy may work very well for them.

These are the 6 steps:

The teacher dictates a word to the student(s). Total face contact is necessary so the child sees the formation of the word on the adult's lips.

The student repeats the word back out loud.

Starting with the thumb, the child sounds out the word out loud, holding up one finger for each sound. Make sure they are saying each sound out loud. Step 3 is a critical step. You'll be able to tell which sounds the student hears right away. If a child really struggles with this step, I use a sound slider technique. I have a row of blank Elkonin boxes typed up on a blank card. Then I hand them plastic counters to literally slide one counter up into each box for every sound they hear. Sometimes I see children that can't break beginning or final consonant blends apart, so they need this support.This may be just the thing needed if you have someone with weak phonemic awareness.

Starting with the thumb, students will finger spell the word, holding up one finger for each letter. Make sure they are saying the letters out loud. Again, you'll be able to assess whether your student(s) is applying the phonics and spelling strategies you've taught them. I notice a lot of self talk and reflection during this step. You can really see those wheels turning in their minds! This step tells me whether they need more practice with a particular phonogram or spelling pattern in future lessons.

Now comes the writing part. The student will write the word out loud as they write it on their dictation paper. They see and hear the word as they write, which is one of the hallmarks of multi-sensory teaching.

Finally, the student reads the word out loud. This is an important time for them to do a quick self reflection on whether the word looks right to them. Always place that ownership on the child! One self checking strategy I have my kids use is C.O.P.S.

Here is a sample page that will be included in brand new product,

The Essential Set of Orton-Gillingham Materials.

You may be wondering after reading all these steps two things:

1. How many words do you give? Answer: I usually give anywhere from 8-12 words.

2. How long does this take? Typically, it will take about 10 minutes max.

You the teacher should always make a judgement call about a child's comfort level. If they are really struggling and frustrated, cut the dictation short. That tells you right away adjustments in pacing need to be made.

I am a real stickler for a child following these steps correctly EVERY time. I give gentle reminders, but the minute you let up on one step, I find they develop their own variations. Those habits can be hard to break.

If you enjoyed reading about this strategy and would like to try it out, I've created a set of task cards with the 6 steps written on them, as well as a recording sheet. This product is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store:

Thank you so much for reading my post today! Have you used the S.O.S. strategy before? I've love to hear from you in the comments below.

The Orton-Gillingham Manual by Anna Gillingham and Bessie Stillman, 1997

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Using the S.O.S. Strategy - The Literacy Nest

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Hi everyone! Today I'm going to talk about a multi-sensory spelling strategy called S.O.S. The S.O.S. (Simultaneous Oral Spelling) strategy is a commonly used technique used as one way to help improve a dyslexic reader's ability to spell.

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‘Encoding’ Explained: What It Is and Why It’s Essential to Literacy

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‘Encoding’ Explained: What It Is and Why It’s Essential to Literacy

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From children’s earliest strokes on a page to letter formation and spelling, writing helps students connect speech to print.

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How to Teach Spelling using a Research-Based Approach — Ascend Smarter Intervention

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Hi, friend! When we think of reading intervention, our brains often go directly to, well - reading (I mean, it’s right there in the name!). We need to remember, though, that reading intervention ALSO encompasses writing. Reading and writing are reciprocal processes - so we need to be addressing

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Explicit Instructions | Effective and Efficient Teaching

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Grade Level: Second Grade Subject: Spelling (encoding to support decoding instruction) School: Roosevelt Elementary School Location: Vancouver, Washington Videographer: Dima Yaremenko Elapsed Time: 8:28 Introduction: Spelling instruction is important for a number of reasons. Obviously, correct spelling of words is a necessary underlying skill for all types of written communication.

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The Writing Revolution - Empower teachers to help students

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By training educators in The Hochman Method©, The Writing Revolution (TWR) aims to help all students become proficient writers, readers, and critical thinkers.

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Literacy Through Language - Morphology Instruction

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Morphology is the binding agent between phonology, orthography, and semantics. English is morpho-phonemic, meaning it represents both morphology and phonology within spellings; however, morphology is a central organizing element of written language. Because of this, the morphological structure of

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This practice guide was prepared for the WWC by Mathematica under contract ED-07-CO-0062.

The following research staff contributed to the guide: Cay Bradley, Virginia Knechtel, Nancy Murray, Bryce Onaran, and Cassie Pickens Jewell.

These videos were prepared by WestEd under the Doing What Works Contract (ED-PEP-11-C-0068).
All videos are based on recommendations from the WWC practice guides and are designed to complement the guides.

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teaching elementary school students to be effective writers

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WWC | Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers

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This practice guide provides four recommendations for improving elementary students’ writing. Each recommendation includes implementation steps and solutions for common roadblocks. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This guide is geared toward teachers, literacy coaches, and other educators who want to improve the writing of their elementary students.

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Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property.

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An Indiana University researcher says the lawmaker behind a cursive writing bill approved by the Senate misused her work to support the cause.

Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) has filed the same bill to require cursive writing curriculum in schools every year, since 2011. As this year's bill heads to the House, the graveyard for cursive writing bills past, Leising wrote an op-ed to discuss why such a bill is needed. Part of the piece mentioned IU professor and researcher Karin James, saying her work describes ways cursive writing can help kids better understand and compose words. But James says that's not her focus.

"So I was surprised to see my research supporting a cursive mandate because I don't study cursive writing for one thing," James says.

James says her study focused on the way physically writing letters impacts the way kids' brains identify letters, not word competency and fluency. Plus, she usually works with 4- or 5-year-olds, who she says can barely hold a pencil, let alone write in cursive.

"My research doesn't address that question. I've looked at cursive writing in brain development in one particular experiment, and found no difference between cursive and printing in those children," James says.

James says using scientific research incorrectly is a problem, because it has the power to influence a person's opinion on an issue.

Leising says she sent an apology to James, and won't use her research in the future.

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Researcher Pushes Back on Cursive Writing Op-Ed From Senator

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An Indiana University researcher says the lawmaker behind a cursive writing bill approved by the Senate misused her work to support the cause.

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The Importance of Handwriting Experience on the Development of the Literate Brain - Karin H. James, 2017

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Handwriting experience can have significant effects on the ability of young children to recognize letters. Why handwriting has this facilitative effect and how…

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Helpful Hints - b_d Reversal Correction.mp4

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Word Study Kit < pack > | Can Do Kids Academy

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Let’s take a closer look at the free base < pack > with this 26-page resource. Included in this kit: word study tools - word webs, matrices, analytic & synthetic sums. Two different matrices are included - one requiring no spelling change, and one where a spelling change occurs (replace the final < e >). Whether you’re taking a closer look at digraph < ck >, compounds, use of vs. , replace the final < e > suffix convention, it’s all here - and more!

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Iowa Reading Research Center - The University of Iowa

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Handwriting can be an effective way for students to learn important early reading and writing skills. As noted in a recent systematic review, handwriting instruction during kindergarten can improve both writing and reading outcomes, such as knowledge of letter names and sounds, spelling, and word reading (Ray et al., 2022). Indeed, research suggests a close link between writing and reading overall, including a strong relationship between the development of early writing and reading skills, such as spelling and word reading (Kim et al., 2024). In spite of these ties, handwriting is rarely mentioned in the national conversation on how to improve the reading performance of elementary students.

There are several likely reasons why handwriting is an often forgotten aspect of reading instruction. One reason is that academic standards used by most states quickly pivot from emphasizing printing and handwriting by the end of first grade to use of technology (e.g., digital tools or keyboarding) in subsequent grades (National Governors Association & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Despite rapid advances in computer technology, handwriting with a pencil and paper is likely here to stay. Put simply, handwriting is portable and practical: A pencil or pen can be easily carried and used, and they are much less expensive than high-technology devices, such as laptops or tablets. If a pencil tip breaks, then students just need access to a pencil sharpener. If a laptop or tablet breaks? That is a more complicated problem.

Another reason handwriting is often forgotten is because it can be easy to confuse handwriting as more closely associated with drawing than reading. In its most basic form, handwriting occurs when students use a pencil, or any writing utensil (e.g., crayons or marker), to form letters of the alphabet. Similar to drawing, handwriting relies on physical and visual actions-see Datchuk (2015) for brief descriptions of the processes. When kindergarteners draw pictures of their families or write the letter "b," they use fine-motor movement to make subtle adjustments to their pencils and visual-motor coordination to adjust lines and shapes based on visual feedback (e.g., staying within the margins of a paper).

What distinguishes drawing from handwriting is knowledge of the alphabet-specifically, skills related to letter identification (e.g., name or sound of each letter) and formation (e.g., appropriate shape, size, and slant of letters). To handwrite letters of the alphabet, students use orthographic and phonologic information or memories of each letter shape, formation, and name (Datchuk & Kubina, 2013). This knowledge needed for proficient handwriting also contributes to proficient reading. For example, when students read or write the letter "b," they draw upon their memorized representation of the letter shape, formation, and name or sound of "b." Because dyslexia, a common reading disability, affects one's ability to connect speech sounds with the symbols that represent them, it is not surprising that students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities often have difficulty with handwriting (Alamargot et al., 2020).

Cognition of Early Reading and Writing

The interplay between working and long-term memory plays a central role in explaining the benefits of handwriting to overall literacy development (e.g., Graham, 2018). Working memory allows for the temporary storage of information for immediate use, such as remembering a sequence of numbers as you dial a phone number, whereas long-term memory stores information relatively permanently. Engaging in writing and reading are cognitively demanding tasks. The numerous skills involved in writing (e.g., text generation of multiple sentences on a topic) and reading (e.g., decoding and interpreting vocabulary) all compete for a limited amount of working memory resources. Put simply, it is hard to juggle all the skills, content, and processes involved in reading and writing at the same time.

One of the ways to make it easier for students to read and write is to develop fluency-accuracy and efficiency-with foundational skills. When skills are fluent, they are stored in long-term memory, thereby freeing up cognitive resources to attend to other aspects of a composition or passage. The shifting of letter knowledge (e.g., letter identification and formation) from working memory to long-term memory is likely one of the key reasons handwriting instruction improves reading. Specifically, handwriting helps facilitate the storage of alphabetic knowledge-shape, formation, name, and sound of letters-that can also be used to learn how to read.

What Can Elementary Teachers Do?

During instruction focused on early literacy skills (e.g., phonemic awareness and phonics), schedule specific time for handwriting instruction. For efficient lessons, when students are learning letter identification, also engage them in learning how to form the letter: appropriate shape, size, and slant. Research suggests there are several effective instructional techniques to help students acquire handwriting, including:

showing visual-cues of letter shape and formation (e.g., using materials in which letters appear as dotted lines to be connected, along with arrows and numbers showing suggested shape and sequence, as shown below)

providing students with practice retrieving letters from memory (e.g., activities like "cover-copy-compare," in which students look at a letter, say the letter aloud, cover it, write it on their own, and then uncover the original letter and compare it to what they wrote")

use of systematic and explicit instruction techniques (e.g., lessons featuring scaffolding in which teachers model letter identification and formation, guide independent practice, and test for student independence)

Incorporating these three elements of research-based handwriting instruction, the Iowa Reading Research Center is developing an online tool that allows teachers to create customizable handwriting materials that align to their reading instruction (to be available mid-July 2024). The tool is called the Literacy LIFTER-Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading. The materials include visual cues (e.g., arrows and numbers) showing legible letter shape and formation, practice activities where students gradually recall more letters from memory, and instructional scripts that structure each lesson in a systematic and explicit manner.

Handwriting is an often forgotten and misunderstood element of early literacy instruction. It deserves more attention, however, as the knowledge and skills related to handwriting underpin not only writing development but also reading. The IRRC's Literacy LIFTER aims to demystify the instruction of handwriting. When incorporated into reading instruction, this tool helps reinforce the foundational skills that underlie reading.

References

Alamargot, D., Morin, M. F., & Simard-Dupuis, E. (2020). Handwriting delay in dyslexia: Children at the end of primary school still make numerous short pauses when producing letters. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 53(3), 163-175. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219420903705

Datchuk, S. M. (2015). Teaching handwriting to elementary students with learning disabilities and writing difficulties: A problem-solving approach. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48, 19-27.

Datchuk, S. M., & Kubina, R. M. (2013). A review of teaching sentence-level writing skills to students with writing difficulties and learning disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 34, 180-192.

Graham, S. (2018). A revised writer(s)-within- community model of writing. Educational Psychologist, 53(4), 258-279. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1481406

Kim, Y. S. G., Wolters, A., & Lee, J. W. (2024). Reading and writing relations are not uniform: They differ by the linguistic grain size, developmental phase, and measurement. Review of Educational Research, 94(3), 311-342. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543231178830

National Governors Association for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common core state standards for English language arts and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. https://www.thecorestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/ELA_Standards1.pdf

Ray, K., Dally, K., Rowlandson, L., Tam, K. I., & Lane, A. E. (2022). The relationship of handwriting ability and literacy in kindergarten: A systematic review. Reading and Writing, 35(5), 1119-1155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-021-10224-8

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Handwriting: Beneficial to Reading and Often Misunderstood

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Handwriting can support early reading skills. This post explains why and describes several techniques teachers can use to help their students acquire handwriting.

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Typed Versus Handwritten Lecture Notes and College Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis - Educational Psychology Review

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Many college students prefer to type their lecture notes rather than write them by hand. As a result, the number of experimental and quasi-experimental studies comparing these two note-taking mediums has flourished over the past decade. The present meta-analytic research sought to uncover trends in the existing studies comparing achievement and note-taking outcomes among college students. Results from 24 separate studies across 21 articles revealed that taking and reviewing handwritten notes leads to higher achievement (Hedges’ g = 0.248; p < 0.001), even though typing notes benefits note-taking volume (Hedges’ g = 0.919; p < 0.001), among college students. Furthermore, our binomial effect size display shows that taking handwritten lecture notes is expected to produce higher course grades than typing notes among college students. We conclude that handwritten notes are more useful for studying and committing to memory than typed notes, ultimately contributing to higher achievement for college students.

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Iowa Reading Research Center - The University of Iowa

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Much like reading, writing is not a skill we are born with, so students need to be taught these concepts in a systematic and explicit manner. As a result of handwriting instruction, students learn letter shapes and letter sounds-two skills closely related to early reading development. Focusing on letter identification and formation, LIFTER gives students the building blocks they will need to become proficient writers and readers.

A Supplement to Core Instruction

LIFTER is intended to supplement core instruction in pre-kindergarten and elementary classrooms. Nationally, elementary teachers often report that they have received limited to no preparation on how to effectively teach handwriting, and their students receive minimal instruction on handwriting ( Graham, Collins, Ciullo, 2023 ; Troia & Graham, 2017 ). In Iowa, the districts we have partnered with report the need for better supports to teach this critical skill.

In addition, when teachers do provide handwriting instruction to their students, their reading curriculum often teaches letters in a different sequence than their handwriting curriculum. This can result in a heavy lift for students trying to learn two competing sequences of letters at the same time.

LIFTER offers a solution to these concerns. When using LIFTER, educators control the sequence of letters they will teach, allowing them to align the tool to their reading curriculum. With LIFTER's flexible functionality and comprehensive, accompanying eLearning module, educators unlock the knowledge and materials they need to provide effective handwriting instruction to their students.

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Literacy LIFTER: Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading

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The Strands That Are Woven Into Skilled Writing

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Evidence-based Features of Writing Instruction in Widely Used Kindergarten English Language Arts Curricula

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This study described the features of writing instruction in widely used kindergarten English Language Arts programs and examined their alignment with evidence-based, best-practice guidelines. Three…

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Teaching Fluent Handwriting Remediates Many Reading-Related Learning Disabilities

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One of the most vexing educational problems in children is the inability to learn to read. Recently it has been shown that the inability to write skillfully imposes great limits on a child’s ability to learn to read. In this paper, information from multiple sources and studies will be reviewed. All of the sources imply a physical (movement) issue is part of the learning problem and emphasize the importance of teaching handwriting skills. Many schools have eliminated all priority and time for instruction of handwriting and college methods courses for teacher training rarely touch on hand-writing. The goal herein is to review, for educators and parents, a collection of evidence which strongly indicates that instruction of physical approach skills (i.e., pencil-hold, paper and arm positioning, and body posture) are extremely important. Without identification and correction, maladaptive hand, wrist and arm positions defeat the emergence of fluency and lend to “Reversed Positioning Sensation” (RPS) an invisible condition that affects many students. It is now clear that for RPS children, these skills are critical for literacy to develop. Educators should know that teaching skills for fluent handwriting can be a powerful intervention for children struggling with literacy; and successful instruction in primary classrooms may well prevent development of attention problems and written language disabilities.

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Self-Regulated Strategy Development, or SRSD, is a structured and explicit instructional model designed to help students improve their writing skills by teaching them both writing strategies and self-regulation skills. The SRSD model focuses on providing students with clear and simple strategies to support their writing, while also teaching them how to plan, monitor, and evaluate their progress as they write. ThinkSRSD is a brand and educational approach that applies the Self-Regulated Strategy Development model to help students improve their writing skills. ThinkSRSD translates research to practice, focusing on providing educators with tools, strategies and support to implement SRSD effectively in the classroom. Visit the ThinkSRSD website (thinksrsd.com) and look through the free resources and instructional videos to get started.

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A large scale implementation and cohort study of thinkSRSD - Discover Education

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ThinkSRSD (Self-regulated Strategy Development) is based on a model of Karen Harris’s instructional SRSD that has been augmented by Charles Haynes’s sentence and word level instruction. ThinkSRSD incorporates two decades of design, iteration, testing, and refinement to make these evidence-based practices more readily usable for teachers. In order to analyze the efficacy of thinkSRSD for writing, a retroactive cohort study design was used. Cohorts of students whose teachers had received thinkSRSD training were compared to the previous cohorts in the same schools. The percentage of students who achieved proficiency or advanced on their state English Language Arts tests were used to measure the difference between groups. Out of the 98 schools and districts analyzed in the study, every single treatment school outperformed their control cohorts. On average, 6.972% more students reached grade-level ELA proficiency or advanced benchmarks in the treatment cohort compared to the control cohort (95% CI 5.64–8.29). The analysis yielded a Hedges’s g effect size of 0.34, suggesting a moderate positive benefit for the treatment intervention. Some grades show stronger patterns, while others are less certain. For example, grades 4–6 showed 95% CI range of 6.17%–14.95% mean improvement.

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Transforming Writing Instruction: My Journey with Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD)

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Meet the Word Mapping Project, the new cult favorite curriculum supplement

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A teacher-authored program from Sean Morrisey has a lot to offer for teachers—and curriculum developers

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Teaching Spelling Using a Structured Literacy Approach

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How Spelling Supports Reading by Louisa Moats

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Science of Reading Classroom and Stephane Bolton

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In this piece, we will watch 1st grade teacher Stephane Bolton introduce sentence expansion to her students for the first time.

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Built on the Science of Reading, the Word Mapping Project curriculum brings together morphology, vocabulary, spelling, fluency, and sentence composition into one clear, consistent routine. In just 35 minutes a day, students build the kind of word knowledge that transfers across reading, writing, and content areas.

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The spelling "ough" can be pronounced eight different ways in English.

Don't panic, there aren't many words, and some of them are so arcane I usually don't bother teaching them. But let's be fairly comprehensive here.

There are five different single sounds, and three sound combinations.

"aw" as in bought, brought, fought, nought, ought, sought, thought and wrought iron.

"ou" as in when the bough or the drought breaks, and the UK spelling of plough (in the US regularised to plow), as well as doughty old characters, the soughing wind and a deep slough of depression.

"oh" as in dough, furlough and though, as well as doughnut and although, if you want to count them separately.

"ooh" as in through.

"uh" as in thorough and borough, and names like Gainsborough, Marlborough, Peterborough and Scarborough.

"u" plus "f" as in rough, tough and enough, plus a snake sloughing off its skin.

"o" plus "f"* as in cough, former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and a cattle trough.

"u" plus "p" in hiccough, though nowadays many people seem to spell this hiccup.

That's it, as far as I know. Not so terrible after all.

* The "gh" spelling of the sound "f" is also used in the word "laugh", and goes after a vowel. Before a vowel, "gh" usually represents the sound "g" as in "Afghan", "ghost", "spaghetti" and "yoghurt".

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The spelling "ough" can be pronounced eight different ways in English. Don't panic, there aren't many words, and some of them are so arcane I usually don't bother teaching them. But let's be fairly comprehensive here. There are five different single sounds, and three sound combinations.

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“the dry rudiments of the beautiful science of reading”