feet rest flat with a 90-degree angle at the ankles knees at a 90-degree angle, 1-2 inches away from the edge of the table hips at the back of the chair, 90-degree angle
Desks or tables that are too high or low can be adjusted. If a chair is too high, placing boxes under the feet will provide stability at the ankles.
Once students are in the proper position with their bodies following the 90-90-90 angle rule, then the position of the paper should be monitored and addressed. The proper placement and tilt of the paper allow students to comfortably write, stabilize the paper, and see what they are writing.
Tilting the paper allows students to see what they are writing as it is being put on paper and promotes proper pencil grasp and wrist placement. The paper tilt for right-handed students is at a 20-45 degree angle. For left-handed students, the tilt of the paper is 30-45 degrees to help with proper hand placement. As a scaffold, I will draw an arrow or place a sticker in the bottom corner to indicate that this should point to their stomach. This helps remind students of the paper placement. I use this scaffold as needed and will gradually release the scaffold as students become automatic with their paper placement.
The non-dominant hand is used to stabilize the paper. Students use this hand to aid in moving the paper upwards as they write. This prevents the writing hand from moving down, falling off the desk/table, or bending at the wrist. The goal is to have students move the paper up with their non-dominant hand instead of moving their writing hand down - allowing for better fluidity and comfort when writing. Find the below resource in the library.
