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Handwriting Analysis Lesson

  1. Begin the lesson by discussing different uses for handwriting analysis. Ask the students to give their ideas of what handwriting can mean.

  2. Ask students to get out an unlined sheet of paper and write their own signatures three seperate times; first normally, then a second time as they're holding their pen in a fist moving only the wrist and arm, and then finally with the pen clenched by their elbow.

  3. The students should notice that, while their signature might have gotten somewhat sloppier each time, the basic form of the signature stayed the same. This proves that handwriting comes not from trained muscles but the individual's perception of words within the brain.

  4. To prove this further, have the students write their names in the air with a nose or foot.

  5. Another exercise can be done to demonstrate a method of handwriting analysis. It's called the "Top-of-Letter Handwriting Analysis." Each student will need a pen, a sheet of white paper, a sheet of tracing paper and a ruler (or any other kind of straight-edged object).

  6. The students should write their own name twice on the white sheet of paper and place the tracing paper over the signatures. Then, the students should make a small mark on the tracing paper at the high point of each letter of both signatures. The ruler is used to connect the consecutive dots, creating a zig-zag line across the top of each signature. The two zig-zag lines should be fairly similar.

  7. Explain that the individuality of each person's handwriting comes from the individuality of each person's body's motor control program. It is because each body's motor control program is so unique that handwriting can be used for identification.

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