Lesson Name Handwriting: Unlocking the Past
Grade Level
6-12
Lesson Summary
When students begin to research using primary source documents, they must not only contend with the content, they must also be able to decipher it. This lesson provides an introduction to the topic of handwriting, the history of handwriting, and learning how to transcribe old handwriting. Interactive on line resources that can aid in exploring this topic are provided.
Objectives
As a result of this lesson students will:
- understand the historical progression of handwriting
- practice reading primary source documents from earlier time periods
Procedure / Resources
Students will need internet access to complete the following activities. Related activities and/or discussion questions accompany each resource description. The list can be completed in its entirety, or the sections that pertain to your curricular goals can be explored independently.
An Introduction to the study of handwriting.
Begin the lesson with a classroom discussion of the following question:
Is learning cursive handwriting important in a technological society?
With the proliferation of electronic communication, many feel that the need to develop cursive handwriting skills is unnecessary, and that time can be better spent on content area studies. Others feel that handwriting will still be useful and important, regardless of the sophistication of the devices we use to communicate. Students can read the following article either before or after the initial classroom discussion:
Can You Read This?:
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http://www.cedar.buffalo.edu/Publications/
This 1995 New York Times article explores the state of handwriting in America today and explores the question of whether there is a need for improving handwriting skills.Related classroom learning activities:
- students form a position on the discussion question, and engage in a debate style format to orally defend their view point
- students write a persuasive essay that relates their opinion of why or why not the use of cursive handwriting should continued to be taught and/or emphasized in the school curriculum
- students collect handwriting samples of individuals from different generations and compare the legibility and stylistic variations of those samples
Before proceeding to the next activities, students should be introduced to the idea that whether or not current and future generations need to learn cursive handwriting, that reading primary source documents from the past requires us to become familiar with handwriting and its many forms throughout history. The following informational sources and activities can be followed in order to explore the history of handwriting, as well as to let students try some transcriptions of their own.
Exploring the History of Handwriting
UK Schools Resource Pages:
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http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/index.html
An overview of the development of handwriting is provided by the Parker Pen Company. It provides The history of handwriting & the story of the fountain pen.
http://www.parkerpen.co.uk/history/
The interactive time line begins with cave paintings and extends until it reaches the year 2000. There is also a history of writing tools.Do History
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http://www.dohistory.org/home.html
The DoHistory web site shows how to use primary source documents through examining the diary of midwife/healer Martha Ballard. The section How to Read 18th Century British-American Writing
http://www.dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/writing.html
provides information about handwriting as well as spelling. It also explains how the level of education and handwriting varied between classes of society.Related classroom learning activities:
- students create a time line that projects 500 years into the future, in 100 year increments, detailing their proposed future of handwriting
- students choose one time period and produce an example of the writing of that time, and conduct additional research to determine information about the important historical events happening at that time
Examples of Old Handwriting
Examples of Old Handwriting:
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http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/oldalpha.htm
This page shows examples of how different letters in the alphabet were written in the 17th century.Early English Handwriting:
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http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dave_tylcoat/handwrit.htm
This page show examples of 16th and 17th century English handwriting. You can scroll down as you explore the page to see if you deciphered the words correctly.Deciphering Old Handwriting:
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http://www.firstct.com/fv/oldhand.html
This site shows the history of various letter formations, and provides some information about early signatures and number formation. There are also opportunities to try transcribing old handwriting.Related classroom learning activities:
- students discuss or write descriptions of the similarities and differences between the examples shown and modern handwriting
- students try to write a letter using the old handwriting styles, using simulated tools of the time
- students project what historical information might be available today if other means of recording (typing, tape recorders, etc.) were available during a specific historical period
Transcribing Old Handwriting
Do History:
(This link will open in a new window)
http://www.dohistory.org/home.html
The DoHistory web site shows how to use primary source documents through examining the diary of midwife/healer Martha Ballard. The section entitled Magic Lens
http://www.dohistory.org/diary/exercises/
includes a Java applet which lets you see a printed version of Martha's handwritten entry as the lens passes over her handwritten words.Note: The content of the diary entry shown refers to the physical assault of a woman. Students should be briefed on the content of the page before viewing it themselves.
Do History:
(This link will open in a new window)
http://www.dohistory.org/home.html
The DoHistory web site shows how to use primary source documents through examining the diary of midwife/healer Martha Ballard. In the section Try Transcribing,
http://www.dohistory.org/diary/exercises/
students are presented with lines of her handwriting. You can type in your transcription and then see how well you have deciphered her handwriting.
Related classroom learning activities:
- students can transcribe other primary document sources to test their skills, such as documents related to American history (Declaration of Independence), family resources (old journals, diaries, letters) or other available documents
- students can look for examples of handwriting from certain time periods in history (Civil War, World War I, etc.) and make comparisons of the handwriting, vocabulary, and sentence structure used
- students can survey local businesses about the view employers have regarding the neatness and legibility of handwriting as a hiring criteria for employment
Assessment
Student assessment should be conducted throughout the various activities, checking for progress and understanding at each procedural step. The activities assigned and completed should be assessed through the writing and research criteria developed by your own district's curriculum for the applicable grade level. Some examples of criteria include:
- local and/or state established writing rubric
- local school or district standards for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
- local school or district standards for organization and clarity of written work
- local school or district standards for oral presentations
Curricular Extensions
The following activities provide extensions of the learning units outlined above:
- create a time line of major historical events (wars, discoveries, etc.) and correlate that with the time line of handwriting
- examine historical, handwritten primary source documents for evidence of bias
- determine which archival procedures are used to preserve historical documents
- compare the history of writing with the history of photography
Standards
Selected activities and curricular extensions outlined above correlate with the following national standards. Please visit the McREL web site for a complete listing of the standards.
Historical Understanding Standard 1: Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns
Level III: Middle School/Jr. High (Grades 6-8)
- Understands patterns of change and continuity in the historical succession of related events
- Knows how to periodize events of the nation into broadly defined eras 1st
Level IV: High School (Grades 9-12)
- Understands historical continuity and change related to a particular development or theme (e.g., the Industrial Revolution, the evolution of democracy in the U.S.)
Historical Understanding Standard 2:=20 Understands the historical perspective
Level III: Middle School/Jr. High (Grades 7-8)
- Knows different types of primary and secondary sources and the motives, interests, and bias expressed in them (e.g., eyewitness accounts, letters, diaries, artifacts, photos; magazine articles, newspaper accounts, hearsay)
Level IV: High School (Grades 9-12)
- Understands that change and continuity= are equally probable and natural
- Knows how to evaluate the credibility and authenticity of historical sources
Language Arts Standard 1: Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Level III: Middle School/Jr. High (Grades 7-8)
- Writes persuasive compositions (e.g., engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a persona, and otherwise developing reader interest; develops a controlling idea that conveys a judgment; creates and organizes a structure appropriate to the needs and interests of a specific audience; arranges details, reasons, examples, and/or anecdotes persuasively; excludes information and arguments that are irrelevant; anticipates and addresses reader concerns and counter arguments; supports arguments with detailed evidence, citing sources of information as appropriate)
Level IV: High School (Grades 9-12)
- Writes persuasive compositions that evaluate, interpret, and speculate about problems/solutions and causes and effects (e.g., articulates a position through a thesis statement; anticipates and addresses counter arguments; backs up assertions using specific rhetorical devices appeals to logic, appeals to emotion, uses personal anecdotes; develops arguments using a variety of methods such as examples and details, commonly accepted beliefs, expert opinion, cause-and- effect reasoning, comparison-contrast reasoning)
The standards listed above were reprinted with permission.
Source:
The McREL Standards Database
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http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/
A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education, Second Edition.
This publication is based on work sponsored wholly, or in part, by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Department of Education, under Contract Number RP91002005. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of OERI or any other agency of the U.S. Government.
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