How should teachers support early writers in handwriting and spelling development?

• A. Focus only on speed
• B. Provide explicit instruction in letter formation and phoneme-to-grapheme mapping with feedback
• C. Do not correct errors
• D. Use keyboarding exclusively

Answer: (B)

Explicit instruction in letter formation and phoneme-to-grapheme mapping, with feedback, builds early handwriting and spelling abilities. Teaching the correct way to form letters through guided practice helps students produce legible handwriting, which makes it easier to focus on spelling and composing without being slowed by poor writing. At the same time, explicit work on sound-letter connections—mapping each phoneme to its grapheme—develops encoding skills and supports accurate spelling, including common patterns and letter combinations. Feedback reinforces correct forms and corrects mistakes, helping habits become automatic over time. Focusing only on speed, neglecting error correction, or relying on keyboarding alone misses the foundational practices that support long-term literacy growth.