Elk River, MN – October 10, 2012 – ez Write, the researched and engaging handwriting program for young children, has completed its second year with strong growth in both the preschool and elementary markets. ez Write is now part of learning in 17 states, with almost 600 classroom kits from Preschool through 5th Grade being used to teach handwriting to over 16,000 students in 34 public, 5 charter, 5 private, 83 preschool and 20 home schools.
Educators, parents and students using ez Write are exuberant about the program:
“My preschoolers are having so much fun learning to write. They are confident and willing to try new letters,” said Dawn Berndt, an Elk River childcare provider. “I have not found an easier writing curriculum or one that is so much fun!! I love this curriculum and so do the kids!”
“We love the ez Write program we are using at St. Jude of the Lake School. Our children are experiencing great success at both the kindergarten and first grade levels. Our parents rave about it also,” said Tammy Green, First Grade Teacher. “Some of our students who struggled with handwriting last year have shown wonderful improvement. My first graders look forward to the warm ups and learning new letters. I’m so glad we came across your program!”
“The ez Write program has worked wonders for my primarily ELL, 1st grade classroom. With many students having limited language and writing skills, they have gained the courage to write! They didn’t like writing and were afraid of it. After implementing ez Write, I heard things like, “Yay, it’s writing time!”” said Jennifer Cariveau. “My Director and Peer Leader came to observe me and were blown away at the concentration and excitement they saw. They were also completely astonished that the kids were perfectly quiet and on task. Learning strokes breaks the language boundary since they can learn them with ease to ‘Muscle Memory.’ ez Write has changed how my students feel about writing.”
ez Write is a research-based, developmentally appropriate handwriting program that engages all learning styles. Easy to use and easy to implement, the program encourages “automaticity” or the ability of students to retrieve and produce letters automatically. It is based on research showing that handwriting competency can have dramatic effects on academic achievement and self-esteem. Multi-sensory and multi-disciplinary activities as well as a strong school/home connection are also key ingredients of ez Write.
Mary Beckman, an early childhood special education teacher and co-creator of ez Write said, “This past year I have presented on effective handwriting at several venues and have received an overwhelming response. Educators who see ez Write in action can’t wait to include it as part of their classroom’s curriculum.”
Research has shown that the more children (and adults) have to focus on the process of handwriting the less capacity they have for the higher-level processes such as idea generation, vocabulary and creativity. ez Write seeks t make handwriting as automatic as possible to allow the child to reach their potential in written language as well as higher levels in other areas.
Pilot program adopters of ez Write have seen dramatic and lasting results. After just 3 months of using ez Write, one 1st grade class experienced an 80% increase in letters per minute (LPM) than 5th graders who had not been part of the program. Legibility also improved dramatically with ez Write.