The Importance of Handwriting Instruction
Writing is not an innate skill that humans are born with. Therefore, students require systematic, explicit instruction to develop strong writing skills. Explicit handwriting instruction helps support early reading development by enriching students’ exposure to letter shapes, letter sounds, and other early literacy skills.
Literacy LIFTER (Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading) and CLIFTER, its cursive counterpart, are free resources designed to empower educators and caregivers in supporting students’ handwriting and early reading skills. They provide users with evidence-based materials to teach and assess handwriting and letter knowledge (i.e., letter names and sounds) to pre-kindergarten and elementary-aged students. These include materials for flexible and efficient instruction, such as video models of letter and word formation and letter pronunciation, as well as downloadable student worksheets.
LIFTER (Print)
Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading
Training
Literacy LIFTER eLearning Module
The Handwriting: Literacy LIFTER eLearning module teaches educators how to navigate the site and use the materials efficiently and effectively with students, covering handwriting, reading and writing development, and evidence-based instructional and assessment practices.
| Handwriting: Literacy LIFTER eLearning module |
| Identificación de Letras y Formación para Transcripción y Lectura Temprana |
LIFTER Professional Development Toolkit
The LIFTER Professional Development (PD) Toolkit is a collection of materials—including a slide deck, facilitator script, activities, and a quiz—designed to support the training of educators in evidence-based handwriting instruction practices.
Interactive Tool & Instructional Materials
LIFTER Application
LIFTER is a collection of print handwriting instruction resources created as a supplement to core literacy instruction in pre-kindergarten and early elementary grades. LIFTER includes modeling videos of the correct formation and pronunciation of each letter and printable handwriting practice sheets and activities.
LIFTER Instructional Activities
The LIFTER Application contains downloads for three instructional activities. The accompanying scripts and fidelity checklists provide implementation guidance for teachers and administrators. Visit the Literacy LIFTER eLearning module for further guidance on implementing these activities in your classroom.
All Cues
First, educators can use the LIFTER application to download All Cues worksheets for each target letter. The All Cues instructional activity provides students with scaffolded visual cues that allow for guided practice in which students have multiple opportunities to respond.
Cover, Copy, Compare
After All Cues, Cover-Copy-Compare serves as a way for students to complete high-quality guided and independent practice, with the goal of memorizing the letter name and shape.
Alphabet Sequence
After Cover, Copy, Compare, the Alphabet Sequence helps students learn names for the entire alphabet and retrieve from memory how to write the specific letter or letters taught.
Assessment and Review
Cumulative Review
The Cumulative Review handout provides students with the opportunity to review previously taught letters within the context of word-level writing practice. This review can be used as a formative assessment of letter knowledge or as a supplement to spelling instruction. For further guidance on using this resource, read the corresponding blog post.
Handwriting Assessments
LIFTER includes two handwriting assessment tasks, the alphabet task and the copy task, to help determine areas for instructional support. Additionally, educators can take the Assessing Handwriting lesson of the Handwriting: Literacy LIFTER eLearning module to learn why handwriting fluency matters and how to administer handwriting assessments.
Flashcards, Posters, and Coloring Sheets
Practice uppercase and lowercase letters with LIFTER flashcards.
Hang up letters in the classroom or the home with LIFTER posters.
Pair letter transcription practice with a fun coloring activity!
CLIFTER (Cursive)
Cursive Letter Identification and Formation for Transcription and Early Reading
Training
CLIFTER eLearning Module
The CLIFTER eLearning module teaches educators how to use CLIFTER resources to support efficient and effective cursive handwriting instruction.
CLIFTER Professional Development Toolkit
The CLIFTER Professional Development (PD) Toolkit is a collection of materials—including a slide deck, facilitator script, activities, and a quiz—designed to support the training of educators in evidence-based handwriting instruction practices.
Interactive Tool & Instructional Materials
CLIFTER Application
CLIFTER is a collection of cursive handwriting instruction resources designed to support core literacy instruction in the early elementary grades. It includes modeling videos of correct letter formation and pronunciation—both in isolation and in the context of words. Users can also download printable handwriting practice sheets and activities.
CLIFTER Instructional Activities
The CLIFTER Application contains downloads for three instructional activities. The accompanying scripts and fidelity checklists provide implementation guidance for teachers and administrators. Visit the CLIFTER eLearning module for further guidance on implementing these activities in your classroom.
All Cues
First, educators can use the LIFTER application to download All Cues worksheets for each target letter. The All Cues instructional activity provides students with scaffolded visual cues that allow for guided practice in which students have multiple opportunities to respond.
Cover, Copy, Compare
After All Cues, Cover, Copy, Compare serves as a way for students to complete high-quality guided and independent practice, with the goal of memorizing the letter name and shape.
Alphabet Sequence
After Cover, Copy, Compare, the Alphabet Sequence helps students learn names for the entire alphabet and retrieve from memory how to write the specific letter or letters taught.
Assessment and Review
Cumulative Review
The Cumulative Review handout provides students with the opportunity to review previously taught letters within the context of word-level writing practice. This review can be used as a formative assessment of letter knowledge or as a supplement to spelling instruction. For further guidance on using this resource, read the corresponding blog post.
Flashcards and Posters
Practice uppercase and lowercase cursive letters with CLIFTER flashcards.
Hang up cursive letters in the class or the home with CLIFTER posters.
Combine LIFTER and CLIFTER practice with print and cursive flashcards and posters. Note: Introducing both versions of letters simultaneously may cause confusion. Therefore, if your students are learning how to read using print versions of letters, it may be preferable for students to be proficient in print handwriting before they are introduced to cursive.
Related Blog Posts
Explore the blog posts below to learn how handwriting instruction can support your early readers’ literacy development.
Handwriting: Beneficial to Reading and Often Misunderstood
Handwriting can support early reading skills. This post explains why and describes several techniques teachers can use to help their students acquire handwriting.
Looping Back to Cursive Handwriting
While more research is needed on cursive handwriting instruction, here is what we know about when to teach cursive and what components can make cursive instruction particularly effective.
Cursive Handwriting: Reduce the Learning Curve With CLIFTER
Learn effective strategies for teaching cursive and implementing CLIFTER in your classroom.
Cumulative Review Resource for Handwriting Instruction
Cumulative Review provides students with the opportunity to review previously taught letters within the context of word-level writing practice.
Research Article of the Month: June 2024
Through this breakdown of Ray et al. (2021), we explore the benefits of handwriting intervention on foundational reading skills.
The ABCs of Alphabet Instruction
This post presents things students should know about letters and why this knowledge is important for reading development.
How to Make Handwriting a Part of Early Literacy Instruction
This white paper explains how handwriting assessments can be used to analyze a students’ handwriting and then offers instructional techniques to improve the handwriting of elementary-aged students.