((PKG)) CURSIVE FOR DYSLEXIA
((Banner: The Joys of Cursive))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Adam Greenbaum))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: McLean, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
What we're going to work on today is making sure that we
are correctly connecting each letter.
((NATS))
((Pop-Up Banner: Cursive writing helps children with
reading problems, like dyslexia, develop muscle memory for
letters and words))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
The great thing about cursive is everyone, kind of, has their
own little spin to it. Like, they know how to form the letters,
but as you get older, you kind of develop your own flow to
your cursive writing and it's, it's yours.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
We always teach the students that their hands will help them
read. So, we always start with skywriting.
((Joseph, Student))
Type I.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
So, we're using the large shoulder muscle at that point. And
sound.
((Joseph, Student))
Type I.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
While skywriting.
((Joseph, Student))
Type I.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
Letter name?
((Joseph, Student))
Y, consonant E
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
Again, so Y.
((Joseph, Student))
Consonant E.
A.
((Joseph, Student))
When I do a handwriting motion, it gets put in my head. It's
like my hand remembers and so does my brain. Then, when
my brain starts remembering it, my brain remembers the
letters in the word, and then when I see those letters in the
word, I remember the word when I'm reading.
((NATS))
((Joseph, Student))
Would, w-o-u-l-d.
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
Establish the gross motor movements before we let them
hold the pencil and that they have to hold the pencil
correctly. Otherwise they're using their small motor
movements from their hands.
((Kevin Cyron, Coordinator, St. Lukes Middle School))
There's a lot of pressure nowadays, and as you go into the
20th century, as to more digital and these sort of things, and
youre sort of losing these traditional methods, specifically
handwriting.
((NATS))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
Around, cross up the line, beautiful.
((Kevin Cyron, Coordinator, St. Lukes Middle School))
The way the brain works, especially with note taking, is that
the fact that you're seeing it and you're listening to a lecture
and you're writing it down, helps you to remember it. I mean
even now, when I prepare for a lecture, I read through a
book and I make an outline, a handwritten outline, and then I
go back and type it, because that helps me remember, and
so, when I look at the notes, I can recall it. So, it's a lot of
memory issues that are involved in it.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
So, if a student makes an error when reading, quite often I'll
have them write over the letter that they're missing in cursive
so that their hands actually start to help them read, and
that's something that really resonates with a lot of my
students because they're very aware that they learn through
all of their senses.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
So, echo Style.
((Joseph, Student))
Style.
((Joseph, Student))
And I have good handwriting now, Id like to say. I am able
to read all books I want. Its, its really absurd to think that I
can choose what book I want to read without having to think
about if its too hard for me to read now, whereas of, like,
three years ago, I would have been, like, theres no way I
could get through a book like that.
((NATS))
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
Lets opens the page 125 and give me a thumbs up when
youre there.
((Grace OConner, Teacher))
I think cursive writing is so important for in history and
purposes of history, the fact that, you know, historical
documents were all written in cursive and if they want to, you
know, go to museums and see these documents, they're
going to know, they're going to need to know cursive writing
and formation, to be able to read them. And just for more
basic skills like writing checks and, you know, letters and
stuff like that, I think it's super important for them to know.
((NATS))
((Deborah Spear, Therapist))
.and write. So, just say Y here..
