Writing readiness - PENMANSHIP

What is penmanship?

• the art of handwriting; the use of the pen in writing.
• a person's style or manner of handwriting     
  
  (Dictionary.com, 2013) 

Why Is Penmanship Important? 

• As extension of ourselves.

–It helps others, in turn, to understand us.

–Important piece of communication that is vital in our understanding of one another.

Handwriting Readiness Skills

• firmly grasp a pencil
• have eye-hand coordination
• can follow handwriting "rules"
• recognize alphabet letters
• basic stroke formation in the form of vertical and horizontal lines and circles
• can follow verbal instructions
• knows spatial and temporal words- above, below, on top of, and between
• have a dominant hand use
• attention span
• memory skills to remember the formation

References:

•(2013). Retrieved June 19, 2013, from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/brows/penmanship

•(2013). Retrieved June 19, 2013, from Thesaurus.com: http://thesaurus.com/browse/penmanship

•http://www.childsupport.in/html/ourservices_handwritingskills.html

•http://northwind.hubpages.com/hub/-Penmanship-Why-Is-Penmanship-Important

 

Writing readiness - MECHANICS

Mechanics of Writing 

• In composition, the conventions governing the technical aspects of writing, including spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviations.

 Part of Speech

• Knowing the parts of speech, using them correctly, and understanding how they relate to one another is an important early step in creating strong writing skills.

• The 8 parts of speech are : nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection.

Subject-Verb Agreement

• It is needed to make sentences clear and understandable.  
• Having plural subjects with singular verbs, or the reverse, results in nobody being quite sure who is doing what
• Example :
  Careful planning and a clear mind is important for writing a good essay. (Incorrect)             Careful planning and a clear mind are important for writing a good essay. (Correct) 

Capitalization

• The first word of every sentence.
• The first-person singular pronoun, I.
• Proper nouns
• Names of relationships only when they are a part of or a substitute for a person's name. 

 Punctuation 

• Punctuation marks are signposts to give directions to their readers about which way a sentence is going.

• Using punctuation properly is one of the most crucial elements in making the meaning of the sentence absolutely clear.

• Take our favorite example:

“Let’s eat Grandma!” (incorrect)

“Let’s eat, Grandma!” (correct)

 
 

 

Nature and Purpose of Writing

What is writing?

• activity of making letters or numbers on a surface, especially using a pen or a pencil.

           (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2010)

• Writing is a system of letters 
    (i.e. “a, b, c, … z”) used in interpersonal communication. Usually, writing is done on flat surfaces such as
  –Paper
  –Cloth
  –Stone slabs    

•   Writing is usually learned through systematic instruction, for eg:
  –Formally (in schools)
  –Informally (taught by parents at home)  
  Purpose of writing

1. To get things done
   i.e. Homework, assignment 
2. To inform
   Writing a memo, writing formal letters to explain absence from school, etc.
3. To persuade
   • To disseminate information which will bring about certain behaviour changes among the readers.
   • To convince the reader to agree with and/or accept it.
             Eg: health-related brochures
4. To maintain relationships
   Writing informal letters to family members, friends, pen-pals, etc
5. To document occurrences, events, etc
   Writing journals, log books, diaries
6. To record feelings, experiences, observations, or to express feelings, etc
   • Writing journals, log books, diaries, etc
   OR
   • As a form of self-expression in which the writer expresses his opinion, views or personal thoughts (i.e. reader’s opinion column in the newspaper or personal blogs in the internet) 
   
   
   
   
   References
   
   
   1. Chitravelu, N., Sithamparam, S. & Teh, S.C. (2005). ELT methodology principles and practice. Selangor: Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd.
   2. Meyers, A. (2003). Writing with confidence. USA: Addison Wesley Longman.
   3. http://www.pflugervilleisd.net/curriculum/ela/grade6/documents/PurposesforWriting.pdf