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Questions about Italic Handwriting for my K'er...


Heart_Mom
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Hi!

 

My 5 year old just finished Happy Handwriting, and is doing pretty well forming the uppercase and lowercase letters, but she's not quite ready for copywork yet. **Edited to add: She will be officially starting Kindergarten in the fall.

 

I was originally going to do A Reason for Handwriting K, but she really already knows the letters. And A Reason for Handwriting Level A seems too advanced for her.

 

I was looking at this book: http://www.christianbook.com/italic-handwriting-book-b/barbara-getty/9780964921566/pd/921566?item_code=WW&netp_id=688147&event=ESRCN&view=details (Getty-Dubay Book B)

 

I like the style of writing, though it's different from what she learned first. I also really like that it looks like she would be able to read the sentences, since she's a beginning reader. I've used ARFH and HWT in the past, but neither of them seem just right for my daughter.

 

Questions:

1. If she already knows how to form the letters, could we jump into the book I linked to above, or would it be better to start with the first book? I'd really like her to be writing words, and not just letters...

2. Is the teacher's book necessary, or could we do this with just the student workbook?

3. Is this likely to be too difficult of a transition for her to go from one style of writing to another. She didn't exactly learn "ball and stick" in that her letter "b", for instance, is formed without lifting her pencil. (I hope that makes sense!)

4. Lastly, for any of you who have used this handwriting program: How did it work for you?

 

Thanks so much for any help you can give me!

Edited by Heart_Mom
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I was wondering why you say she is not ready for copywork? I started copywork with my 4.5 year old as soon as she could form all the letters - starting with just a single word and working on to a sentence still focusing on letter formation and working on spacing words. She still does not write in lines though so I just printed my own copywork pages with very big lines that she can write on.

 

I am not sure about various handwriting programmes but if she knows how to form letters correctly I would just start copywork and when she is ready move to writing in lines. If you do do it yourself then you get to pick what she copies - I just chose a font that looked most like what she had learnt to write and then told her to ignore the letters that looked different and write the one she was used to. (eg t with a curve rather than just a cross). Unless it is going to confuse her greatly (and it isn't likely to at her age though you yourself may have to make some decisions about how you want her to write) then I would go with the next book (the one you linked).

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I was wondering why you say she is not ready for copywork? I started copywork with my 4.5 year old as soon as she could form all the letters - starting with just a single word and working on to a sentence still focusing on letter formation and working on spacing words. She still does not write in lines though so I just printed my own copywork pages with very big lines that she can write on.

 

I am not sure about various handwriting programmes but if she knows how to form letters correctly I would just start copywork and when she is ready move to writing in lines. If you do do it yourself then you get to pick what she copies - I just chose a font that looked most like what she had learnt to write and then told her to ignore the letters that looked different and write the one she was used to. (eg t with a curve rather than just a cross). Unless it is going to confuse her greatly (and it isn't likely to at her age though you yourself may have to make some decisions about how you want her to write) then I would go with the next book (the one you linked).

 

Thanks for your response! :001_smile:

 

I guess she could do very simple copywork, but I haven't found a pre-made one that I like. I'd really like her to be copying sentences that she can read, and she's pretty much just reading short vowel CVC words. I know I could make it myself, but I'm pretty pressed for time right now and would prefer to find a pre-made workbook if possible.

 

Thanks again! :)

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I really like GDI. My 5th grader now has the most beautiful italic cursive handwriting after going through books C, D, and part of E.

 

I used HWOT for both of my boys when they were 4 and 5, and then I switched them over to GDI with no problem. If your old handwriting program didn't have the child lifting their pencil, it is probably very similar to italics.

 

You could start with Book B, and maybe go back to Book A if it's too difficult. Also, you can just go slowly through B (half a page or less per day), so that the amount of daily writing is not too much for your dd.

 

I bought the TG, but I never really used it. It gives tips about how to teach handwriting and how to talk about letter formation. The workbooks have some of that too, and really...it's just handwriting. Your child won't be scarred for life if you neglect to call the midline by its proper name.

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I really like GDI. My 5th grader now has the most beautiful italic cursive handwriting after going through books C, D, and part of E.

 

I used HWOT for both of my boys when they were 4 and 5, and then I switched them over to GDI with no problem. If your old handwriting program didn't have the child lifting their pencil, it is probably very similar to italics.

 

You could start with Book B, and maybe go back to Book A if it's too difficult. Also, you can just go slowly through B (half a page or less per day), so that the amount of daily writing is not too much for your dd.

 

I bought the TG, but I never really used it. It gives tips about how to teach handwriting and how to talk about letter formation. The workbooks have some of that too, and really...it's just handwriting. Your child won't be scarred for life if you neglect to call the midline by its proper name.

 

Thanks! :001_smile:

 

That's a great idea to think about using Book B at a slower pace for her. From the samples I've seen online, it looks like she'll be able to read the words and sentences even though she's a beginning reader ... and I love that!

 

I'm glad to know I can try it out without the TG. That makes it less of a gamble to try it out!

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Questions:

1. If she already knows how to form the letters, could we jump into the book I linked to above, or would it be better to start with the first book? I'd really like her to be writing words, and not just letters...

You can go right into level B, but watch her like a hawk to make sure she's using correct stroke order. In particular, "x/X" may be different than what she's learned, as well as "M," "N," and "k."

 

2. Is the teacher's book necessary, or could we do this with just the student workbook?
No, though I would recommend getting either the GDI font from EducationalFontware.com or StartWrite (?) to make your own copywork sheets.

 

4. Lastly, for any of you who have used this handwriting program: How did it work for you?
I don't have enough good things to say about GDI, and I haven't for a moment regretted our decision to use it.
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You can go right into level B, but watch her like a hawk to make sure she's using correct stroke order. In particular, "x/X" may be different than what she's learned, as well as "M," "N," and "k."

 

No, though I would recommend getting either the GDI font from EducationalFontware.com or StartWrite (?) to make your own copywork sheets.

 

I don't have enough good things to say about GDI, and I haven't for a moment regretted our decision to use it.

 

Thanks for the tips!

 

I do have StartWrite already, so that will be helpful!

 

I'm just curious ... could you tell me how, for instance, letter "M" is different from what she's already learned? :001_smile: (If you don't have time, that's not problem!)

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could you tell me how, for instance, letter "M" is different from what she's already learned?

 

The lowercase Italic letters are based on ovals; most other lowercase manuscript letter forms (including ball-and-stick) are based on circles.

 

So, for example, when forming the lowercase 'n', the pencil starts from the waist-line (mid-line), goes down to the baseline, then goes straight up to a 'branching line' which is midway between the waist-line and the baseline, then it veers sharply (diagonally) to the right to form the top-half of an oval, then comes down again to the baseline to complete the 'n'.

 

Look at this picture of the Italic letter forms, or Penny Gardner's

for more info.
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