What is D'nealian handwriting? D'nealian is an alternative to the traditional style of
manuscript handwriting. It is more like cursive than traditional manuscript. It combines some elements from traditional manuscript and some from cursive
resulting in a new style which is somewhere in between the two.This new handwriting style was created by an elementary school teacher named Donald Neal Thurber. The name comes from his first
initial combined with his middle name. While it has rapidly gained supporters, D'nealian school and homeschool curriculum materials can be somewhat
difficult to find because they are published exclusively by Pearson Education. Pearson offers D'nealian curriculum books for both manuscript and cursive
for grades K-8.
So should teachers abandon traditional manuscript and replace it with the new style? That is a debate that follows D'nealian wherever
it goes. Advocates claim it is easier for kids to learn than traditional manuscript for two reasons:
- D'nealian requires fewer pencil lifts so there are fewer errors, especially common errors of reversing letters like 'b' and 'd' or 'g' and 'p'.
Since there are no pencil lifts required to form these letters, students are far less likely to reverse the letters.
- D'nealian introduces children to lowercase letters in natural, progressive stages. Children use a finger to trace a model letter, first following the
directional arrows, then on their own.
Beyond just being easier to learn than manuscript, supporters claim the primary benefit of D'nealian is that it makes it easier for kids to make the
transition to cursive because they will already be familiar with many elements of cursive.
But while it might solve some problems, critics claim D'nealian creates other problems which outweigh the benefits. Critics have two main objections:
- D'nealian students can and probably will skip learning traditional Zaner-Bloser manuscript altogether. However, if they do that they might be
penalized later for failing to write with traditional manuscript, especially if they move to a new school district where D'nealian is not taught and traditional
manuscript is expected and required.
- To solve the first problem, students would need to learn all 3 handwriting styles. However, learning three different styles means a lot more work
and increases the likelihood of confusion.
To keep it simple, critics say it would be best to just forget D'nealian altogether.
Who is right? Both sides make valid points. The final choice comes down to personal preferences so the debate could go on for a long time.
There are three categories of D'nealian books
available, as shown above. Click the links to see discounted prices
and more details.