Alternative Pencils for Writing

In order to develop literacy skills, all students need a way to write using the full alphabet no matter what level of understanding they appear to have about print. Developed by Hanser (2009) at the Centre for Literacy and Disability Studies (CLDS), an alternative pencil is defined as anything that provides a student with access to all 26 letters of the alphabet. There are no exclusion criteria for students to use an alternative pencil. Students learn to write by writing, regardless of perceived ability or skill set. A student does not need to be a proficient speller or have consistent letter-sound correspondence skills to begin to explore the act of writing.(From Alternative Pencils http://alternativepencils.weebly.com)

It is especially important to note that students DO NOT need to know how to independently read or spell words in order to use an alternative pencil. Alternative pencils can be used with students who have a range of understandings about writing, all the way from random, emergent “scribbling” to more conventional writing with recognizable words.