Things To Do When You're Stuck in a Professional Development Workshop - letter strips

I originally found this on Pinterest, but it got me to thinking. How many times have you walked into the teacher's workroom and found strips of paper left over by the cutting board? Why not take those strips and write an alphabetical letter at the top, so the children can practice writing the letter down the strip? Rather than cut and glue letters at the top, a Sharpie can do the job just as good. And it makes a super workshop activity to keep your hands busy.

The Debate Continues

We are currently using three different "methods" of teaching the basics to our students, but the one causing the most debate is handwriting. One says DON'T use dotted names. One says DON'T use pencils (instead use crayons to write with). One says teach ONLY capital letters (no lower case). One says DON'T use lined paper. The confusion goes on and on. Etc. Etc. Etc.

I've always used dotted names, and have always had success with that method. I basically switch strategies if the child is having difficulty with one method, because, as a teacher, I know that ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. One method will never suit all the children. And all children do not learn the same way. Yet I'm still getting a lot of flack from the "experts" when they see me doing Y when I'm supposed to be using X. You get the drift.

I'd love to hear from other teachers what they use and find successful.

The Amazing, Incredible, Handwriting Worksheet Maker

I'm delighted to have found this site, but sorry I didn't have it sooner.  No problem! Check this out! You can make your sign-in and handwriting worksheets here! No font needed to download and install! Included are Print Dot, Print Dash, Print Hollow (super!), D'Nealian, and Cursive! There's also handwriting paper you can create and print! This site is a MUST HAVE on your list. I've also added it to my teacher sites on this blog.

Learning to Write Their Names

Mondays are my "slow" days, meaning I have one break all day.  Last year it was Friday.  I'm sure every teacher has a slow day during their week. 

Normally, when the students have to practice writing their names, they do it on a single strip of paper and turn it in.  But on slow days, I make them take their time writing it on a laminated sheet with a Vis-a-Vis, or wipe-off marker.  After finishing and getting a quick approval from me, a wet paper towel or sponge cleans it off nicely, and the sheet can be reused repeatedly.

As you can see from these two examples, we concentrate on just the first name during the first half of the school year.  We add the last name after we come back from the Christmas holidays.