My students need 30 double sided "Learn to Print" write and wipe lapboards with permanent baselines, 2 magnetic write and wipe sentence mats for instructional modeling, lapboard erasers, a healthy supply of write and wipe markers, and 3 lapboard supply centers for easy-access and storage for all our handwriting emergencies.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
Breaking News! Our classroom writing center is overflowing with "sick letters." I am a 6th year kindergarten teacher, and Teach for America alumna, seeking support in creating a Handwriting Hospital for a class of young letter doctors. We seek to cure the five S’s of common letter sickness- size, shape, slant, spacing, and smoothness- to make our writing more readable.
With a class set of write and wipe boards with permanent base lines my class of Smarties will be able to write, diagnose “patient letters”, revise, and edit with ease. As I have witnessed in previous teaching years, there is something magical about asking students to write on the dry erase board as opposed to paper when just beginning. Something in the impermanence of our mistakes gives them the courage to try and try again until they are satisfied with what they see. Having a class set of boards will allow each student to write our letter of the day, or morning message together in a true interactive experience. No one will have to sit and wait their turn to come to the board wasting valuable practice time. This is important also because at a school with 54% free and reduced lunch, not all Smarties will come from homes where they have had a chance to observe adults in reading/writing activities. Interactive practice means all Smarties can participate in the instructional activity and get oriented to print at the same time...even if they do not yet know a lot about print and print concepts.
To avoid putting young letter learners on “overload” my goal is to initiate Handwriting Hospital skills and its resources heavily at the start of each year so the Smarties can concentrate on letter size, letter formation, directionality of print, and spacing before teaching writing. With each student practicing I will be able to make observations on certain patient letters that may be presenting a challenge and have the Smarties “talk me through” the cure. It is exciting to imagine their boost of self-confidence when by the time they are ready to begin writing sentences and stories, their handwriting will already be established.
You can support proofreading, self-assessment, and visual discrimination handwriting skills and so much more. You will be allowing all of the Smartie letter doctors to experience handwriting achievement. They will write. They will read. They will be proud of their skills and want to cure every patient letter they encounter because they will have the confidence to do so. The beginning of another year is rapidly approaching. Please allow me the opportunity to show my gratitude through the success of my Smarties.
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