Research-Based Instruction
For Integration and Application of
Fluent Cursive Handwriting Patterns
We Write To Read
fromPeterson Directed Handwriting
Lesson Plans
For
Making The Transition To Cursive
Introduction . . . 224
A Design for Fluency . . . 225
General Instructions . . . 225
Exaggerations . . . 226
Writing Position - A Major Objective . . . 228
Pencil Position . . . 229
Posture - Body/Desk Position . . . 229
What Is Legibility . . . 230
Self-evaluation . . . 230
Classroom Organization And Preparation . . . . 231
Continuing Printwriting Skills . . . 231
Teaching Numerals . . . 232
Our Pupil Books Are Unique . . . 233
Unit One Lesson Plans (Weeks 1-6) . . . 235
Unit One Model Test . . . 241
Unit Two Lesson Plans (Weeks 7-12) . . . 242
Unit Two Model Test . . . 245
Unit Three Lesson Plans (Weeks 13-18) . . . 246
Unit Three Model Test . . . 248
Unit Four Lesson Plans (Weeks 19-24) . . . 249
Unit Four Model Test . . . 251
Unit Five Lesson Plans (Weeks 25-30) . . . 252
Unit Five Model Test . . . 254
Grade Three Samples . . . 257
Introduction
What’s In A Name?
Peterson Directed Handwriting has been serving schools since 1908. Three generations of the Peterson family have made unparalleled contributions to the development of in-structional methods that make a real difference in helping teachers of symbolic language skills. Peterson handwriting specialists are actively involved in teaching handwriting. The methods, devices, and materials of instruction and learn-ing we promulgate have been thoroughly tested, revised, and improved in the classroom.
Research Based Instruction
The Peterson organization has always been recognized for scientific analysis of the physical/process skill needs of children as they learn to write. And most recently, with the cooperation of computer scientists and brain function spe-cialists, totally objective data has been gathered using cut-ting-edge technology - an electronic digitizing handwriting tablet that records ten handwriting movement functions at the rate of 1000 points per second.
Monumental Research
The type of data that helps scientists around the world to learn more about human motor control systems and helps to provide answers to problems associated with disease and brain damage... now, has revealed important corollaries
that are very important in learning symbolic language (including READING SKILLS). In short, handwriting process instruction would be important for children even if written work would all be produced on a word proces-sor!
All Symbolic Language Is Learned
Adults have become so automatic when they read and write that they forget that READING and WRITING are artificial
language. Over the world there are a multiplicity of symbolic
language systems. Our written language must travel from left-to-right... and, because of human physiology, the way a
child produces the symbols of language is urgent. That is
why Peterson methods are so very unique, compared to typical handwriting activity books.
Simplicity and Ease
Peterson methods are easy to teach and learn. Since hand-writing is a psychomotor skill you will note that lesson plans always focus on “how” to write. The sequence of instruction is based on motor control science.
The difference offered by the Peterson Method is quite simple. We teach the forms as patterns of movement -including "how to move." No other approach addresses the issue of movement dynamics. It is the key to enabling fluent application as related language skills improve. Please do not
have pupils trace models with the pencil!
Isn’t It Ironic?
The “computer excuse” for de-emphasizing handwriting instruction has been proven wrong - by the computer! In fact, your computer offers you an opportunity to take the methods course you probably never were offered while in college. Our Information Directory offers a long list of presentations that amount to a methods course on line. Invest a couple of hours to work through each of the presen-tations available. You will be rewarded with some surprising information that will probably change the way you design and conduct many learning experiences.
http://www.peterson-handwriting.com Select <Information Directory>
You will also find that our Resource Library offers a wealth of information in a series of PDF documents.
Select <Resource Library>
We are available to you for questions via telephone. Our toll free number allows you call for support from your school. If you can phone from a station near a computer, we can usually use the internet to good advantage during the conversation. We are here to help. Perhaps you would simply like to learn how to use our web site for lessons with your class, or maybe you would like to discuss ideas for solving a particular problem for one of your students.
General Instructions
Cursive Development
The We Write To Read series provides for a unique cursive readiness instructional program at the second level. Therefore, if your third grade pupils used the Peterson program in second grade they have learned several basic facts about cursive and, in varying degrees based on individual abilities, certain cursive writing skills.
If you have pupils who did not attend your school last year it is probable that they had no teacher direction in cursive readiness. However, you can be sure that most pupils have experimented with "curvy writing" for at least a year. Incidentally, non-directed experience of this kind will make it necessary to over-teach basic physical position skills as this school year begins. In addition, those who have not had the benefits of readiness instruction will need to learn the facts about cursive development. This handbook provides you with the information needed to treat the needs of all of your students.
Lowercase letters will be introduced in a sequence of instruc-tion that is based on learning very simple muscle movements. This process has been thoroughly verified in the computer-assisted research plus our unparalleled teaching experience. Analysis of the cursive letterforms reveal some interesting facts.
First, cursive writing is designed to “fit” the human body.
Lowercase letters are formed by three simple strokes:
ROCKER-ROCK RAINBOW-ROLLER SLANTS that
make the tops of letters lean to the right
For ease and simplicity of muscle movement the formation process slides to the right and immediately slants back to
the left. This pulsating coordinated movement creates a one track muscle pattern: Motor Control specialists call it "ballistic" movement.
Sharp Top Loop Top Round Top Roll Top
By using this one track muscle pattern cursive movements are actually easier than the multi-part patterns used for printing. Whoever invented the cursive alphabet must have
A Design For Fluency
The Lowercase Cursive Alphabet
A Scientific Sequence Of Instruction
The teaching plan of units one and two of this handbook is therefore based on the following letterform sequence:
Sharp top letters that join to other letters from the baseline:
Loop top letters that join to other letters from the baseline:
Round top letters that join to other letters from the baseline:
Sharp and loop top letters that use a round top second stroke and
also join to other letters from the baseline:
Roll top letters with sharp top second strokes that join from the baseline:
Note: The eighteen letters just illustrated are shown without
ending strokes throughout the teacher handbook. This does
not suggest that ending strokes in cursive are not important. Ending strokes for words are wonderful. They are natural nonvisual spacing strokes for good spacing of words in sentences. But the overriding need for muscle control must be developed from the very beginning. You will note that the models for pupils and the daily lesson plans continually propose a special process we call “cursive printing.” The separation of cursive letters within a word is one of the major new methods of instruction that has been verified by the computer-assisted research.
Tarzan Letters (Above-line Joiners)
The next four letters are developed using the same basic strokes for form, however their joining patterns are quite different from the eighteen letters above. Because of the swinging rocker at the so-called end of each letter the con-necting stroke must be above the baseline. The high swing joining stroke can distort letters that are connected to these four letters:
Submarine Letters
(Below-line Joiners)
The forms of the last four letters are developed using the same basic strokes, but again the joining pattern is unique. Joining letters from a submarine letter requires the child to start joining from the bottom of the tail. This extra distance requires longer joiners.
Special Form Characteristics
Most commercially prepared cursive alphabets show lower-case letters a, c, d, g, o, and q with a left-curve downstroke as a beginning stroke. Peterson approaches the introduction of these six letters differently - not to be different - rather to help children learn how letters join and to take advantage of the
rhythmic, out-right, back-left production pattern. On the
“develop” pages in the pupil book, letterforms are introduced with joining strokes as beginning strokes. By
starting all twenty-six lowercase letters on the baseline the child learns:
1. Simplified formation skills 2. Logical joining patterns 3. Better lateral movement 4. Consistent rhythm and control
Exaggerations
1. The lowercase letter c is developed from the base of an i and the top is hooked. Rather than introducing the curved downstroke adults usually develop, the c is shown with a regular slant and no curve at the baseline. Research has indicated that this presentation helps pupils retain legibility. 2. The lowercase p is developed with a fairly tall sharp top, followed by a retraced tail that rolls up to the “pie” round top. Legibility research prompted the exaggeration.
3. Baseline control pauses appear to many adults as the biggest exaggeration of them all! In fact this “pause before
joining” technique is completely child-oriented.
Just a short few years ago most written curriculum guidelines suggested that third grade pupils should receive thirty
min-utes of directed handwriting practice a day (150 minmin-utes per
week). In those days a teacher could be moderately success-ful in helping pupils learn to flow rightward like a skilled adult. Adults often write complete words with no obvious pauses within the word. The control pause technique makes teaching more time-efficient....and helps pupils develop bet-ter motor patbet-terns.
Once the teacher feels confident about using Peterson meth-ods and procedures the practice sessions will be very produc-tive in less than half of the time the traditional methods would take. Baseline control devices and techniques like “cursive printing” are also keys to helping pupils carry over good handwriting into the daily work of other subject areas.
Considering Developmental Growth
Additionally, there is strong indication that the laterality of the cursive patterns contribute to improved left-to-right track-ing for readtrack-ing when the dynamics of movement are part of the instruction. This is still another reason to continue the gross motor training. It also reflects on the need to direct practice sessions rather than have pupils spend time with trace and copy activities that can actually block the integra-tion of dynamic informaintegra-tion.
Our initial focus will be to teach the patterns for the letters with a new and challenging size objective. The challenge is to maintain rhythmic movement and build control mecha-nisms for the process. Tall letter parts will now be one space tall and vowel sized parts will be half of a space.
This proportion is used for two reasons. It is an accommoda-tion to commonly available materials - particularly practice paper. It is also suggested by the fact that this age group is better able to handle the concept of "half as tall" than the concept of "thirds."
While we feel that it would be best to begin with the adult proportion, the availability of paper which provides appro-priate ruling is very limited. You can find a composition paper that provides a vowel guideline at one third of the space, but the writing space is three eighths of an inch. Given the cost of this paper and the fact that the pupils will struggle to manage the size even when drawing, we suggest that you use the widely available and inexpensive paper that is ruled with one half inch between lines on pages that are 8.5 inches wide by 7 inches tall. School supply houses describe it as: 8.5 x 7 inches, ruled at 0.5 in., the long way. Later on you will want to go to three eighths-inch ruling. But, for the initial unit at least, the extra height provided by 0.5 inch spaces will allow more gross motor involvement making it a little easier for your pupils to keep the rhythm.
If you have the Peterson computer font you can easily create paper with the size guide at one third of the space and make the space as tall as you wish. Starting your students with the adult proportion is easy. You can decrease the writing size in increments as skills improve and also individualize to accom-modate those who need a little more time before the demands for adult size are imposed.
Please keep in mind that students mature physically at differ-ent rates. In the majority of our schools formal training on instruments like the clarinet seldom begins prior to grade four. The majority of your grade three pupils have not yet matured into fine motor control to the extent that will allow success with the movement patterns necessary with these instruments.
In order to make a transition to using cursive for daily work we must help the student develop control of movement patterns that will produce the symbols at a more practical size. We are actually initiating fine motor training that will help to develop these skills. However, it is important to remember that the gross-motor activities that are part of the regular lesson procedure are a key step in the process. Modern research gives every indication that the gross infor-mation is shared readily. There is no indication that fine patterns do the same. It means that continued efforts with the gross patterning are important to developing the fine motor skills.
There is also considerable evidence that the efforts expended to develop and improve skill with control of these relatively simple movement patterns will have a positive effect on student abilities with other, more complex, fine motor
learn-36 We Write To Read
Self-Help For Control (Skill # 6)
Learning the correct control pause will help you to learn the correct rhythm for the letter. This is the secret you need to find the path to fluency. Control pauses are easy to learn because all letters stop before the joining stroke. 18 Lowercase letters join from the baseline.
Practice Cursive Printing to learn rhythm and control. It helps your muscles learn where to stop.
Writing Position Is A Major Objective
Because we will include instruction aimed at developing the use of the fluent type of movement, pupils need to learn position skills that will allow them to move fluently. Our analysis of the ergonomics and subsequent recommendations are based upon thousands of digital handwriting samples collected in hundreds of classrooms, work places and faculty rooms.
When the writing page is held in "reading position" fluent lateral movement is blocked!
The pupil cannot learn how to move fluently. The pupil cannot learn to use the best muscle groups.
The movement issues are created by the writing hand and arm being positioned beside the image area. The body, along with the height of desk surface and chair, control the position of the writing arm. The student must learn to rotate the paper beneath the writing arm to achieve a position that will allow efficient lateral movement. Please review the Position Skills section for more information The animated position presentation on our web site will also be helpful.
Right-handed.
Hand and arm under the baseline.
Left-handed, Sidestroke. Hand and arm under the baseline
Left-handed, Overhand
Hand and arm above the top line.
Note wrist is rolled outward. Our self-adhesive position guides are
extremely effective. You can instantly spot pupils who need a reminder during any writing activity.
Pencil Position
Posture - Body/Desk Position
Chair back,
front legs just under desk.
Lean forward so the arms
support the upper body.
Space between stomach and desk.
When the child sits too close to the desk, arms are forced away from the body toward the sides of the paper.
Check desk height.
The top of the desk should not
Check eye distance.
(11-14 inches) When the head is down, it usually indicates that fingers are too close to the point of the pencil.
Posture is important because it helps maintain balance and control. This position skill is for good
health as much as it is for good writing!
Forearms on desk
Thumb dominance is responsible for the most common form of writers cramp although you will probably notice the more bizarre, claw type grips first. This thumb-forward grip prob-ably looks much better than those more twisted habits. Actually, the claw type grips are usually corrected more easily. They can't move the fingers so they learn arm move-ment. The fingers relax as confidence and coaching take hold. Youngsters start poor habits early. Thumb dominance is most often associated with early experience at too small size. They need to learn how to move the arm. Our large size recommen-dations are aimed at demanding arm movement. When the child learns to make the moves with the arm fingers can relax.
Thumb Back
Thumb Back The thumb should be farther away from the point
than the tip of the pointer finger. The thick, triangular pencils we offer are helpful for devel-oping a more relaxed grip.
Habits are hard to break but our experience and the research shows that the poor grip is associ-ated with patterns for early drawing movement. A better grip can and will be associated with the patterns learned during write & say practice of fluent movement.
WHAT IS LEGIBILITY?
Legibility is a relative term. We prefer to say that “handwriting must be easy to read.” There are six specific subskills that combine to make handwriting easy to read and easy to write.
Use these posters to help pupils understand the legibility subskills:
SELF-EVALUATION
Peterson Handwriting specialists check approximately one-half million handwriting samples each school year. We base our analyses on the degree to which the children demonstrate progress with the six legibility subskills discussed through-out the pupil and teacher materials. If children understand the facts about handwriting skills they will have specific goals to guide practice. Teach your pupils to check their own hand-writing regularly. Have each child check his or her hand-writing in other subjects, even using homework papers!
Display the legibility skill posters on a bulletin board. Be sure each pupil learns that #1 is the code for letter formation, #2 is the code for slant, #3 the code for size, etc. Then have pupils check their own papers (or exchange papers). Exam-ine the paper for each of the skills. If the child thinks he or she needs to improve one or more of the skills, place the number for that skill at the bottom of the paper.
This process also helps you to determine the level of under-standing each child has developed! When you disagree with
a child’s self-evaluation, you now have a diagnostic tool to Subskill code numbers show Eric needs to improve slant and size.
# 5 Smooth Rhythm
Hold the pencil softly.Study the beats for each letter.
Relax when you write!
# 1 Letter Formation
Start letters in the right place.
Build letters step-by-step. Make basic strokes correctly. Move in the proper direction.
# 3 Size
Start letters correctly for better size.Study the "tall" and "small" letters.
1
Check your pencil position.
# 6 Line Control
Use lines for control.Stop on the baseline!
# 4 Spacing
Slide between letters.
Hold the paper and pencil correctly. Add ending strokes
to words. Check joiners!
# 2 Downstrokes
Slant back to the left evenly.Check paper holding, "Chop" the baseline.
help explain what one needs to do to improve. The pupil
books include "SELF HELP" pages that help accomplish the skill objectives.
CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION AND PREPARATION
Eric N.
Room 22
Handwriting
Individual Handwriting Folders
We recommend making a file folder for each child (preferably with pockets for easy storage). Children can keep their handwriting book, practice paper, and a writing class pencil in their folders to help save time in preparation for lessons. It can also serve as a “progress folder” if you have pupils save papers for periodic comparison.
Seating Arrangements
Place desks in frontal position so that pupils have a clear view of the chalkboard while the teacher is directing lessons or if pupils must copy assignments from the board. This does not imply the desks must be strictly regimented. Desks may be arranged in many different patterns that allow good visual-ization for the pupils. Left-handed pupils attempting to
learn to use the “sidestroke” technique should sit on the RIGHT SIDE of the room as they face the chalkboard.
Pencils
Peterson offers several kinds of grippers for the regular #2 pencils. They can help those pupils who need a reminder. We also offer special triangular pencils that offer help for pencil holding without a pencil gripper.
Selecting Practice Paper
Most school supply houses offer very economical paper that meets these recommendations. Peterson Directed Handwrit-ing does not manufacture regular practice paper.
Option #1 - General Practice and Model Test Paper
8-1/2 x 7 inch manila paper ruled the long way - with half-inch lines.
Option #2 - Remedial Practice for Reduced Size Introduction
Control paper with 1/4" midlines to make vowel-sized letter tops.
10 x 8-1/2 inch manila paper ruled the short way - with half-inch top and baselines. Some suppliers also offer this paper with a skipping line for lower loop letters.
Printwriting is a valuable tool. It is compact and efficient for such purposes as labeling, headlining, map and graph work. It is a demanding skill, however. Cursive is far less depen-dent on eye-hand coordination. Begin the year by allowing pupils to continue printwriting in daily work. However, you must insist on good writing habits. The full transition to cursive may take 12 weeks. We would suggest beginning cursive in spelling classes first, gradually encouraging sus-tained cursive use in other subjects until everyone is familiar with all lowercase letters. Children may print capitals until they have mastered the cursive capitals (Units 3 and 4 of the lesson plans).
Standards are essential. Be sure pupils understand the left-to-right, step-by-step development of printwriting lowercase letters. Also, show them the no-lift process in making the following letters:
Since printwriting tends to encourage poor pencil position, many pupils will write too small. Stress the importance of holding the pencil back at least an inch and practice making vowel-sized small letters one-half space tall. Capitals and the tall lowercase letters should be made a full space high. Spacing between words in printwriting depends on eye-hand coordination. Have pupils use the thumb of their paper-holding hand to space between words.
Teaching Numerals
Since numerals stand alone, you will find pupils who learned to make them from visual models with no instruction about where to start (at the top), or direction of movement (down and left-to-right).
It is highly likely that you will have some students who have not integrated a production pattern for some numerals. If they must "think" about the creation of the shape they may well miss the concepts you are trying to teach. We highly recom-mend a short patterning session as you begin each math class - even if it is only gross-motor airwriting for a minute or two. Get "The Numeral Song" from the "Ideas" section of our Resource Library for a fun exercise that also serves to illustrate the existence of good patterns. If they can write legible numerals as they sing the song, you can be fairly sure that good patterns exist to free the brain for concept learning.
Reviewing Slant Print
Patterns
Lowercase Basic-Stroke Letterform Groups:
l t i j u
h r n m b p
a d g q f c s o
k v w x y z
Capital Letter Basic-Stroke Letterform
Groups:
L T I F E H
P B R D J U
C G S O Q
Y V W X
The picture illustrates how our book and self-adhesive position guide are designed to fit on a standard size school desk. This combination of teaching aids makes training, correlation and learning the physical movement patterns easy and quick. The WE WRITE TO READ books have other advantages. They are designed for simplicity and ease of use. The instructional plan makes it possible for children to understand objectives and set goals for improvement.
In addition, because the curriculum is so crowded, we provide lesson plans and skill development processes that are very time-efficient. No arbitrary, time-consuming, irrelevant copybook activities are included in the books. We teach for transfer of learning by: Developing skill needs, Practicing for muscle training and Applying the skill directly into daily work.
OUR PUPIL BOOKS ARE UNIQUE
The Method - Simple, Sound and Successful!
Teacher control and direction of the lesson is the key to teaching rhythmic patterns that will transfer. Imagine you are leading an aerobics exercise group. Everyone in the group makes the same move at the same time. In this context it becomes clear that pupils must know what the moves are and also the correct sequence. Communication of these cognitive facts, along with the rhythm of the moves, is easy using the We Write To Read pupil books and a four-step lesson sequence that is simple and quick.
Chant the Color/Rhythm, chant the Action Words or count! A little rhythm practice each day offers real opportunity to develop fluent rhythm patterns for good writing - and all other symbolic language skills.
Explain the reasons why you ask students to practice a specific way. Also, help students set specific “skill targets” for practice.
A Time Efficient Teaching Method And A Regular Lesson Procedure
The most important factors in teaching
handwriting as a process of language:
1. Concentrate on teaching lowercase letters:
a. help students learn the exact starting point and stroke
sequence used for letters.
b. show students how the individual strokes of small letters follow left-to-right sequences in rhythmic
"beats."
c. teach precise stopping points in the movement pat-tern for each letter to emphasize the letter rhythm. 2. Build paper placement skill and the related position of the
hand, wrist and arm and correlate with classwork. 3. Use large muscle practice (gross motor) and control the
rhythm process.
4. Use a descriptive “language of movement.”
5. Use “eyes-closed” practice to check muscle patterns. 6. Listen to the voices when you move to the Write & Say
step. At first, you may have trouble getting pupils to chant. Eyes-closed trials often bring it out more quickly. Repeat steps 1, 2 & 3 if you cannot get the voices going. 7. Initial trials will not be as precise as pupils would like. They will need extra coaching and coaxing to build confidence in new position skills.
Step 3:
Step 4: Step 2:
Fingertrace & Say
Step 1:
Airwriting (Action Words) Illustrate and Describe
Write & Say
8. Please remember that pretty letters are a product. Your pupils will focus on the product they produce. Our objective is to develop a process that will support fluent language tracking! With practice, correct process can become both practical and beautiful. The process con-trols the product in applied work.
OBJECTIVES:
1. To develop good physical position skills: a. Paper and arm placement
b. Pencil holding c. Desk posture
2. To develop an organized movement process that enables the pupils to use speed and control:
a. Left-to-right sliding
b. Slanting movement consistency c. Baseline control
3. To develop skill in producing the basic strokes that create lowercase letterforms:
a. Rocker-rock curves for sharp and loop tops b. Rainbow-roller curves for round and roll tops 4. To develop, practice, and apply eighteen lowercase
letter-forms with legibility and fluency.
5. To learn and apply cognitive facts about handwriting skill in self-evaluation tasks.
WEEK 1
Day One
1. Instruct the pupils to write (cursive or print) a beginning of the year sample like the following paragraph:
UNIT ONE LESSON PLANS (WEEKS 1-6)
Day Two
Discuss printwriting. Explain to the pupils that printing was the first way people learned to write thousands of years ago. It is a skill that we shall use the rest of our lives.
This year we shall learn cursive handwriting. If you use printwriting letters properly, cursive will be easy. Whenever you printwrite always be sure to make the tops of the letter strokes first. And remember the stopping places in print, because we use most of the same pauses in cursive! Printwrite the following lowercase letters on the chalkboard.
a c d g h i j l m n o p q t u
These are cursive cousins. They are almost exactly like the
cursive letters - except we have to learn how to join them together. Tomorrow we’ll learn how to get started the right way for cursive handwriting.
Day Three
1. Use pupil book page 2 to remind pupils about slant (Skill #2). Explain that paper position is very important for cursive because all letters slant the same way.
2. Use pupil book page 3 to review paper position, pencil holding, and desk position.
3. Introduce page 4. Explain the basic stroke movement pattern and the importance of paper position so that we can make the movements with speed and control:
Slide Right Slant Back Stop
4. Write the basic strokes on the chalkboard and have pupils airwrite with action words; "slide right, slant back, stop." The four strokes are visually different but use the same muscle pattern.
5. Examine the use of these basic strokes in the color/rhythm letters on page 4, your wall cards or on the back cover. Have pupils find and name letters that use sharp tops, round tops, roll tops and loop tops.
If your district subscribes to the Peterson Service Program,
Learn To Use "Action Words" To Help You Move Fluently.
Fingertrace The Basic Stroke Patterns - Move With Your Voice.
Each of the basic strokes has two moves and two action words. Say one word with each movement. Sharp Top Loop Top
Round Top Roll Top
1. Slide Right 2. Slant Back 3. Stop
ÍÅÄÖùÑïë D‰ÄáêÑïë
I áìÅÄÖûë ƧÑïÅÄÅîë ‰ÄÖûÅîë
á´è§áôáêÑïë. WÑïë †ßÇòÅÄÇúÇúë
áƒÆ§ÅÄáìáêáôáìÑïë ÑïÅÄáìÇòë ‰îÅÄÖ¥Ï.
I ÇòÅüçƒÑïë áêÅüí áôÖùáƒÆ§Åüé˜åïë.
5. Introduce pupil page 5. Fold the book so that page is visible. Place the book in correct writing position and direct the pupils to fingertrace the exercise over and over again as they describe the movement using the "Action Words." Ask them if they remember learning the "sharp top."
SLIDING IS THE SECRET!
6. Demonstrate the addition of the slant stroke at the end of the rocker. Then, on the chalkboard, trace the slide and
slant movement pattern. As you trace, say “rock-slant.”
Direct pupils to repeat the exercise in the air as they chant the "sharp top" action words.
7. With the book in writing position, fingertrace the large exercise. As you observe pupil ability to fingertrace with rhythm, direct them to fingertrace the sharp tops on page 5 as they chant “sharp top, sharp top,” over and over again. Sharp tops are very important as we learn cursive letters. In the 26 lowercase letters we will find 19 sharp tops!
Days Four and Five
1. Introduce pupil page 6.
2. Explain to the pupils that the “ rocker-rock” also helps us to learn to write another stroke called a loop top. Demonstrate the loop top on the chalkboard. Fingertrace
the loop top on page 6. Emphasize sliding and slanting (with a rhythmic beat).
3. Use regular practice paper. Fold the paper down the middle. Review the position skill instructions and teach pupils how to make large sharp tops and loop tops on the paper. Emphasize long sliding beginning strokes and the “one track” movement pattern used to create slant.
4. Self-evaluate using the slant guide on page 2. As pupils check their own work, also be sure the slants are straight (not curved) and that they stop on the baseline. You may need to repeat instruction on the push-pull muscle pattern used to create speed with sharp tops and loop tops.
5. To remediate miscues in slant, introduce the concept of “chopping the baseline.” Say “Sharp-chop.” We call this exaggerated process “handwriting KARATE.” It helps pu-pils to focus on the "target" baseline enhancing the develop-ment of fluency.
WEEK 2
This week four sharp top letters will be introduced and practiced. If the pupils used our cursive readiness program in second grade they should remember the letters very well. However, they may not have had any direction in reducing size.
We do not expect beginning third graders to make the transition to cursive quickly. It is much more important to pace the introduction of the concepts and physical skills in an unhurried manner. Therefore, based on your observations of pupil performance, feel free to keep practice large, using top, middle, and baselines for size until you believe the pupils can handle the size reductions.
Usually most pupils will be anxious to use cursive in daily work. However, it is not uncommon for third grade teachers to wait until after 12 weeks of school before using cursive in daily work.
If pupils exhibit great difficulty with size reductions, try to acquire special control paper that provides a midline for vowel sized letters.
We Write To Read 5
Building Basic Stroke #1 - Sharp Top
Fold the other pages behind and hold the book in writing position. Fingertrace and say the action words. 1. Slide over to the right as you rock up!
Start
Say "sharp" as you rock and "top" as you slant.
Top Sharp
Sharp tops can be tall and small. In second grade we made tall and small sharp tops like these.
Third grade size will let you write much more on each line. Write & Say to practice with rhythm! 3. Stop on the baseline. 2. Slant back to the left.
Start
6 We Write To Read
Building Basic Stroke # 2 - Loop Top
You will use loop top basic strokes for many lowercase letters. Like sharp tops they can be tall and small. 1. Rock then loop back before the slant.
Slide over so you can slant back.
Say "loop" as you rock and "top" as you slant. Fingertrace & Say to learn the rhythm, then Write & Say.
Third grade size will let you write more on each line. Write & Say to practice with rhythm! In second grade we made tall and small Loop Tops like these.
2. Numerical counts for the words (including ending strokes) are:
sit = 3 + finish its = 3 + finish us = 3 + finish suit = 5 + finish
One count for each basic stroke - each slide right/slant back = 1.
Week 3
Day One
1. Review the loop top exercise. Introduce lowercase e using the regular lesson procedures outlined in Week 2. The
e is the same size as the i.
2. Demonstrate words such as elf, let, set, see, fit, using the cursive printing technique. Demonstrate ending strokes on words.
3. Emphasize baseline joining control.
Day Two
1. Use the regular lesson procedure to introduce lowercase
l. The l is one full space tall.
2. Demonstrate words using baseline control pauses, such as
let, tell, sell.
3. Demonstrate rhythm by counting for each letter like this: 2. Use the regular lesson procedure.
3. Introduce lowercase t. When the t is reduced to applica-tion size it is less than a full space tall.
Day Two
Introduce lowercase i. When the i is reduced to application size it is no more than 1/2 space tall.
Day Three
Introduce lowercase s. The s is the same size as the i. Be sure pupils understand the sharp top.
Day Four
Introduce lowercase u. The u is the same size as the i and s, but it has two sharp tops as illustrated in the pupil book.
Day Five
1. Review and practice. Use the first two lines of pupil page 8. Emphasize the importance of baseline control. Use separated script (cursive printing) before joining attempts are made. Point out to the pupils how valuable the ending stroke is when writing words. We don’t have to thumbspace between words in cursive!
1 2 3 4 5
Day One
1. Introduce pupil page 7. In the first column the assigned letters are presented. Please note the letters are presented without ending strokes. Explain to the pupils that ending strokes on every letter make joining difficult. Ending strokes are not used inside of words. All of these letters join from the baseline.
We Write To Read 7
Making Letters - Fingertrace And Say The Action Words For Rhythm
Week Two - Sharp Tops Week Three - Loop Tops Week Three - Odd Tops
1. Sharp Top 2. Cross 1. Sharp Top 2. Dot 1. Sharp Slant Curve 1. Sharp Top 2. Sharp Top 1. Loop Top 1. Loop Top 1. Loop Tail 2. Rock 1. Sharp Roof Slant 1. Rock Hook Slant
Did you call for pizza delivery? When I take your order I must write neatly. Be sure to hold the book in good writing position as you fingertrace! Feel The Rhythm! 8 We Write To Read
Practice Third Grade Size
Write & Say on paper. "Cursive print" as shown, then join. Use ending strokes to space sets and words! Sharp Top Letters
Loop Top Letters
4. The numerical counts for the words shown on page 8 are:
let = 4 set = 4 elf = 5 see = 4 fit = 5
5. Continue to emphasize good physical position. Stress long beginning (and joining) strokes.
Day Four
1. Introduce the lowercase r. Emphasize the little roof in top. Double downstroke letters like r require pauses for clarity. The r is a minimum size letter in reduced size (1/2 space).
2. Demonstrate words in cursive printing that use the r. Numerical counts including rocker endings:
sir = 4 tire = 5
fur = 6 rise = 5
Day Five
1. Introduce lowercase c. If children are ready to reduce size it is the same size as i, s, u, e and r (one half space). 2. We have exaggerated the development of the c. You can write a sharp top in the smaller size and trace to add the hook top. Make the hook top slant for emphasis.
3. We call r and c “odd tops.” They both require strong teacher direction.
4. The c only has a numerical count of “one” because we don’t count downstrokes, but there is a definite double downstroke rhythm for both of these irregular letters. Use pupil page 8.
Numerical counts for words:
(Letter counts + one for the spacing/finish stroke, dots and crosses are added after the count.)
ice = 4 cute = 6 cutters = 9 cut = 5 rice = 5
Day Three
1. Introduce lowercase f. Show pupils that the top of f is exactly the same as l. When developing the form, emphasize the long slant and the “rocker” upstroke used to form the tail. Even though the f is a tail letter it is still a baseline joining control letter - quite different from other lower loop letters. The tail goes down halfway into the next space.
2. Demonstrate the rhythm of the f by counting for the two rockers as pictured in the COLOR/RHYTHM model (down-strokes are supposed to become automatic so we do not need to count for them).
3. Demonstrate words using page 8 and others that are familiar to pupils such as if, fill, fell, etc. The high frequency word list provided at the end of the methods sections, will be a quick source of additional words.
5. Introduce pupil pages 20 and 32 to discuss legibility subskills, size, and spacing.
20 We Write To Read
Good size comes from sliding
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Self - Help For Size (Skill #3)
Learn the 18 lowercase letters that are "small" - no taller than one half of the space.
1. Check paper and writing arm position. 2. Check pencil grip and writing hand position.
3. Check letter rhythms, make sure you pause to control each joiner. 4. Check sliding, make sure you are moving to the right and up for good size.
Handwriting Hints
These letters have taller sharp tops. These loop tops should be one space tall.
Check your letter tops for size. Cover the bottoms of spelling words and other classwork!
32 We Write To Read
Self-Help For Spacing (Skill #4)
Good spacing comes from sliding
-1. Check paper/arm position 3. Pause before joining 2. Check pencil grip & wrist 4. Slide to the right
Joiner # 1 Rock Joiner # 2 Slide Roll Joiner # 3 Swing Joiner # 4 Sway Joiner # 5 Roll Rock Joiner # 6 Long Roll
Use 1/2" quadruled paper to practice control of joining with connect three exercises.
The tops of letters have to be spaced apart. Cover the bottoms of words to check your spacing skill.
Week 4
Day One
1. Introduce the rainbow-roller as demonstrated on pupil page 9. Follow the regular procedure used to introduce the rocker-rock stroke and sharp tops. Continue to stress good physical position.
2. Using page 10, introduce the rainbow-retrace combina-tion that creates the Roll Top basic stroke. Explain to the pupils that roll tops begin the letters; a, d, q, g, and o, as shown in color rhythm at the bottom of the page. Practice writing roll tops with action words.
2. Develop and practice the x. Cross the x with a
rocker-rock upstroke.
3. Demonstrate the application of the x in words. Numerical counts:
six = 4 (plus the dot and cross) fix = 5 (plus the dot and cross) exit = 5 (plus the cross, dot, cross)
4. Emphasize that the joining stroke for round tops slides on the line before rolling up to the round top.
Day Three
1. Introduce the n. Show the pupils how the slant print n is changed into a cursive n by adding the rainbow to the printed letter. Use the regular lesson procedure emphasizing posi-tion, movement, and baseline control.
2. Emphasize sliding the joining strokes along the baseline for spacing. Use page 12 and self-help page 32 for discus-sion.
3. Pupil page 12 provides practice and apply models.
Day Two
1. Introduce the three letters that use only round tops as shown in the first column on pupil page 11. Discuss the fact that the x uses one round top, the n uses two round tops, and
We Write To Read 9
Building Basic Stroke # 3 - Round Top
Fold the other pages behind. Hold the book in writing position. Move your arm to "Fingertrace & Say." "Write & Say" the exercise on practice paper.
Roll + Slant = Round Top 1. Use your arm to roll to the right.
2. Slant back and stop on the baseline.
Say "round" as you roll and "top" as you slant.
Write & Say with your eyes closed. Do your muscles remember? Do eyes-closed round tops look the same too? Third grade size lets you write more on each line. Write & Say to practice with rhythm.
Remember , to roll sideways you need to use your arm. Good slant means you are using the correct muscles! These round tops are second grade size. Write & Say until it is easy to make them all look the same.
10 We Write To Read
Can you see the "Roll Top" in these letters?
Building Basic Stroke # 4 - "Roll Top"
Roll right then roll back. Stop on the baseline.
Hold the book in writing position and move your arm as you "Fingertrace & Say."
"Top" "Roll"
Practice with "Action Words." Say "Roll" as you roll right and " Top" as you roll back.
Do your muscles remember? Do eyes-closed roll tops look the same too? Third grade size lets you write more on each line. Write & Say to practice with rhythm. These roll tops are second grade size. Write & Say until it is easy to make them all look the same.
Practice And Apply - Round Top And Roll Top Letters
To join round tops and roll tops you will need to use a new joining stroke - "Slide Roll." Practice "cursive print" then pause and join. Use ending strokes to space sets and words.
Combination-Top letters use the rocker to join. Joiners control form, slant, size and spacing.
You also use the "slide-roll" joining stroke for letters that begin with a roll top.
We Write To Read 11 1. Roll Top 2. Sharp Top 1. Loop Top 2. Round Top 1. Roll Top 2. Sharp Tail 3. Rock 1. Loop Top 2. Round hook slant 1. Sharp Top 2. Round Top 1. Roll Top 2. Sharp Top 1. Round Top 2. Round Top 1. Round Top 2. Round Top 3. Round Top 1. Round Top 2. Cross Get The Beat!
Fingertrace With Action Words To Learn The Rhythm Week
Four
Round Tops
Week Five
Basic Stroke Combinations
Week Six
1. Introduce the Week 5 letters on pupil page 11. Develop the lowercase p.
2. Demonstrate the p as it is applied in words. Numerical counts (including ending strokes) for the following words:
up = 5 pet = 5 put = 6 pin = 6 pen = 6 pull = 7
Day Two
1. Introduce lowercase h. Review the loop top of the l and one round top of the n. Emphasize the descriptive and numerical counts for rhythm and control. “Chop” the base-line.
2. Numerical counts for words:
he = 4 her = 5 his = 5 the = 5 this = 6 then = 7 push = 8 them = 8
Day Three
1. Introduce the k. The “hook-slant” double downstroke requires extra emphasis. You can show the pupils how the round top looks like a question mark. Continue to “chop” the baseline for control.
2. Numerical counts for words:
ski = 5 seek = 6 kit = 5 kite = 6 kiss = 6 kick = 7 knee = 7 hiker = 8
Days Four and Five
1. Review. Continue to practice and apply the legibility subskills: FORM, SLANT, SIZE, SPACING, SMOOTH-NESS and LINE CONTROL.
2. Use eyes-closed practice in chalkboard lessons and on unlined paper.
3. Reteach action words for form. Use numerical counting to increase speed. (Note: As an alternative to count, try having students "spell" as they write. Write each letter as you say it.)
4. Erase the bottoms of cursive words to test visual memory and understanding.
Day Four
1. Introduce the m. Show the relationship to printwriting. Emphasize the number of round tops.
2. At the chalkboard try to write n and m with eyes-closed. Emphasize the verbal descriptions and specific rhythms of each letter.
3. Demonstrate the use of m in words using cursive printing. Numerical counts for words (count for letters and ending
strokes - dots and crosses are added after the count):
me = 5 men = 7 mixer = 8 seem = 7 meet = 7 six = 4 mix = 6 mine = 8 nine = 7
Day Five
1. Review and self-evaluate.
2. Provide individual help where miscues have been identi-fied.
Week 5
This week the three target letters that are developed use combinations of the sharp top, loop top, and round top basic letter parts.
Again, all of the letters are engineered to join from the baseline. They are KARATE letters.
Continue to use the regular lesson procedure outlined at the beginning of Week 2.
Day One
We Write To Read 11 1. Roll Top 2. Sharp Top 1. Loop Top 2. Round Top 1. Roll Top 2. Sharp Tail 3. Rock 1. Loop Top 2. Round hook slant 1. Sharp Top 2. Round Top 1. Roll Top 2. Sharp Top 1. Round Top 2. Round Top 1. Round Top 2. Round Top 3. Round Top 1. Round Top 2. Cross Get The Beat!Fingertrace With Action Words To Learn The Rhythm Week
Four
Round Tops
Week Five
Basic Stroke Combinations
Week Six
Week 6
The last three lowercase letters that use the baseline for joining control are developed this week. The roll top used for this family is used only five times in the alphabet, but because of the frequency of use of a and other “roll top” letters it is very important for overall legibility.
roll over more
Most miscues with this letterform family occur because pupils do not roll over far enough to allow the sharp top to close the letter. The a begins to look like a u and the d begins to look like a cl combination.
Day One
1. Review pupil page 10. On the last line of the page show the pupils the separated strokes of the three letters assigned for the week. Turn to pupil page 11 and study the COLOR/ RHYTHM models for a, d, q. Demonstrate how these three letters are related to printwriting.
2. Introduce the development of the a. Be sure to make the letterform large on the chalkboard emphasizing the combina-tion of basic strokes. The joining stroke for the trace top letters is like a regular round top joining stroke. Slide along the baseline and roll over on the top.
3. Numerical counts for words:
at = 4 are = 5 an = 5 am = 6 ran = 6 tan = 6 air = 5 care = 6
Day Two
1. Develop lowercase d. Extend the sharp top to almost the top line when using reduced size. The tops of the t and p are the same size.
2. Numerical counts:
lid = 5 aid = 6 mad = 8 ad = 5 did = 6 deeds = 8 red = 5 sad = 6 mud = 8
Days Three, Four and Five
1. Develop lowercase q. Explain to the pupils that the tail uses a rocker to get back to the baseline, just like the f. This is the last baseline control (karate) letter!
2. Numerical counts for words:
quit = 8 quite = 9 quiet = 9 quick = 10
3. Practice more words with line pauses, page 13.
4. Prepare for the Unit One testing sample as presented on pupil page 14. Please explain to the pupils that the words in the model can be written in cursive print or joined.
Unit One Model Test
We Write To Read 13
More To Practice Control And Rhythm
Practice line control pauses using cursive print as shown. When you are sure you are stopping on the baseline, simply pause then join. Can you write the letters as you spell out loud?
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14 We Write To ReadN
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Unit One Model Test
Show how well you have learned to cursive print and join with the "baseline-joining" letters. You may use cursive capital letters in your name if you wish.
OBJECTIVES:
1. To continue good physical position development. 2. To develop, practice, and apply the rest of the lowercase
letters:
a. Four above-baseline joining control letters b. Four below-baseline joining control letters
3. To learn and apply cognitive facts about handwriting skills development for individual progress and improved written communication.
4. To develop fluency and smoothness for better transfer of learning.
Week 7
The first six weeks of instruction developed eighteen letter-forms. The basic stroke/line control characteristics of those letters made it possible to accomplish that assignment. The second unit of instruction includes only eight letters in the same time allowance. The target letters included in this unit are presented together because of the unusual joining strokes they require in word writing.
Please spend the extra time allowed in order to help pupils refine their position skills and their understanding of hand-writing facts.
Day One
1. Before opening the books to page 15, demonstrate the cursive word we on the chalkboard (use only a baseline and write very large). Explain to the pupils that there are four letters we need to learn that are different from the 18 letters we have practiced.
These four letters force us to connect letters up above the baseline. Because they join to other letters differently it can be very confusing if we don’t study the letters and learn to make these special joining strokes. For the next four weeks we’ll practice only two letters a week and we’ll write lots of words that use these letters.
Have you ever been to an amusement park? If so, did you ever ride on the “Jungle Swing”?
“Listen to me - I’m going to write the w on the chalkboard and pretend I’m on that swing
-“Sharp top, sharp top, sharp trace - Whee e e”
UNIT TWO LESSON PLANS (WEEKS 7-12)
2. Discuss the little retraced slant in the third sharp top. Then have pupils write the w in the air as they point to the model you made on the board. Pause very definitely before you swing the Tarzan ending stroke.
3. Open the books to page 15.
Ask the pupils if they have ever heard of Tarzan and discuss other names we could use to describe the four letters on this page. (Examples: “Swingers,” “Flag Letters,” “Trapeze Letters,” “Circus Letters,” etc.)
4. Fingertrace the w and verbalize the sharp tops. Add “swing” at the end. Be sure everyone learns to stop before the ending stroke.
5. Fingertrace the w in joined triplets as illustrated. Count numerically.
1-2-3 stop, 1-2-3 stop, 1-2-3 stop, finish
Day Two
1. Review the air writing and fingertracing of the w. Write the w on practice paper one space high.
2. Reduce the size to 1/2 of a space. Emphasize the short slant in the third sharp top.
3. Try to join two w’s together with an exaggerated joining stroke.
4. Self-evaluate, reteach.
We Write To Read 15
Unit Two - Fingertrace To Learn The Tricky Control Points
These letters are tricky because they do not end on the line. You must learn to use two new joining strokes!
Swing to join sharp top and loop top letters. Sway to join round top and roll top letters.
1. Round Top 2. Sharp Trace 1. Roll Top 2. Rock 1. Loop Top 2. Sharp Trace 1. Sharp Top 2. Sharp Top 3. Sharp Trace
Day Three
1. Write a w on the board. Show pupils how the ending stroke of the w becomes a joining stroke for sharp top letters.
2. Write a w on the board and show how the ending swing connects to loop top letters.
3. Practice and self-evaluate.
Day Four
1. Introduce the lowercase b using the same procedure. The sharp top of the b is exactly like the last sharp top in the w. 2. Practice connecting strokes to
sharp top and loop top letters.
Day Five
1. Practice short words that use the high swing joiner. 2. Practice w and b as they join to round tops. The pupil books tell pupils to “Sway to round top letters.” Some teachers call it a “dip curve” or a “Tarzan Twist.” Use any description that works!
3. Page 15 demonstrates the application of both joining strokes.
Week 8
1. Use the same procedure and introduce lowercase letters v and o this week. Practice the basic stroke descriptive count - air write - use eyes-closed practice, etc.
2. Practice joining triplets as presented on page 15.
3. Use pupil page 16 for word practice and joining patterns.
designed to join to other letters in a unique manner: the joining stroke actually begins below the line as the rainbow tail rolls up to cross the baseline before moving on to the top of the next letter.
2. The top of the j is exactly like an i. The top of the y is like the v (with the exception of the extended slant used to go below the baseline).
3. Write words on the chalkboard and erase the bottoms.
Can the pupils decode the words? If so, they are demonstrat-ing ldemonstrat-inguistic skills. The brain must search its visual memory bank to decode the words. Exercises like these are valuable for correlation in all subject areas. You can help your pupils learn vocabulary words and establish better visual memory in the process when you erase the bottoms of letters on a regular basis.
4. Introduce each letter as previously outlined. Then prac-tice pausing at the bottom of the tail to establish joining control.
5. When any of the target letters on page 17 join to other letters the joining stroke is at least twice as long as the joiners from the other 22 letters (sometimes 4 times as long - as when
g joins to h). Pencil holding and paper position problems can
be identified immediately when you check papers that used the four letters.
We Write To Read 17
More Tricky Joining Patterns
These letters require longer joiners. Pause at the bottom of the tail then slide to join the next letter.
1. Roll Top 2. Sharp Tail 3. Join or Finish Roll Rock Roll Roll Roll 1. Round Top 2. Sharp Tail 3. Join or Finish Week Nine 1. Round Top bounce tail 2. Join or Finish 1. Sharp Tail 2. Join or Finish 3. Dot Week Ten
Twist Joiner Roll Joiner Roll Joiner Roll Joiner
Week 10
1. Continue with lowercase letters z and g. The z has a double downstroke that may be compared to a “slinky” toy going down a stairway. The round top slants to the baseline and rolls down into the space below the baseline to form the lower loop. The joining stroke for both letters begins as the rainbow rolls up to cross the baseline. Again, the next letter top determines the movement.
2. The top of the z is like the top of the x, the top of the g is like the top of the a. Demonstrate the difference in the tails of g and q.
3. Pupil page 18 demonstrates the application of lower loop “submarine” joining strokes.
4. Review, practice, apply and self-evaluate.
Week 11
Day One
Review the line control joining family using self-help pupil page 36. See the high frequency list for additional words. Cursive print to emphasize rhythms then join.
Day Two
Review the Tarzan family and the submarine family on pupil page 37. See the high frequency word list on page 51 for additional words using Tarzan and submarine joiners.
Day Three
Review the rhythm of all twenty-six letters using pupil page 34.
Days Four and Five
Pupil page 35 demonstrates rhythm counting. Practice eyes closed.
18 We Write To Read
Practice Joining Tail Letters
Roll then rock for Twist Joiners to sharp tops and loop tops
Roll way over to round tops and roll tops.
Use ending strokes to space your words.
36 We Write To Read
Self-Help For Control (Skill # 6)
Learning the correct control pause will help you to learn the correct rhythm for the letter. This is the secret you need to find the path to fluency. Control pauses are easy to learn because all letters stop before the joining stroke. 18 Lowercase letters join from the baseline.
Practice Cursive Printing to learn rhythm and control. It helps your muscles learn where to stop.
When your muscles remember to stop in the right place, it will be simple to join all of the letters in in words.
We Write To Read 37
More Joining Control - Eight Tricky Letters
Control pauses are not on the baseline with these letters.
Above-line joining strokes make the next letter look different.
Connecting from tail letters takes practice. These joiners are longer. Stop at the tail bottom for control.
34 We Write To Read
Self-Help For Smooth Rhythm (Skill # 5)
Lowercase letters do most of our work. Make sure you understand the rhythm facts!
Each basic stroke is a rhythm pattern that moves over to the right and back to the baseline. The movement becomes automatic if you practice to a "beat." Chant the "Action Words" as you practice each group of letters. Your voice will make a rhythm!
10 Lowercase letters use one basic stroke, then pause before joining.
3 Lowercase letters use three basic strokes, then pause before joining. 13 Lowercase letters use two basic strokes, then pause before joining.
We Write To Read 35
Handwriting Hints
1. Soft pencil holding 3. Slide - right, slant - left 5. Practice large and small
2. Slant your paper 4. Learn control pauses 6. Practice eyes closed
Move the pencil with your voice to write words with rhythm. Practice large and small on unlined paper. Count for each basic stroke in the letter. Say "space" as you add the ending stroke on each word.
123 4 5 Space 12 3 4 5 6 7 Space 1 23 4 5 6 Space
1 2 1 Space 3 Space 2 Space 5-6 3-4 1-2 Space 5-6 3-4 1-2 5-6 3-4 1-2 5-6 3-4 1-2 1-2 3-4 1-2 5-6 3-4 5-6 Space Space 3 Space Space
Week 12
Day One
1. Practice the first two lines of words on page 18. 2. Can pupils identify the joining control spot for each letter in the words? Discuss the compound curve submarine joiner. 3. Self-evaluate slant and spacing.
Day Two
1. Practice the 3rd and 4th lines of words on page 18. 2. Identify joining control spots and discuss the long subma-rine rainbow joiner.
3. Self-evaluate size and smoothness.
Days Three, Four, and Five
1. Review basic stroke development. Identify the type of basic stroke used for every lowercase letter.
2. Review position and relaxed rhythm.
3. Introduce page 19 for more patterning practice.
4. Introduce pupil page 21 - Unit 2 Model Test. 5. Prepare the model test for analysis.
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Practice Words That Use All Six Joining Strokes
Pause then slide the joining stroke to control form, slant, size and spacing.
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18 We Write To ReadPractice Joining Tail Letters
Roll then rock for Twist Joiners to sharp tops and loop tops
Roll way over to round tops and roll tops.
Use ending strokes to space your words.
We Write To Read 21
Unit Two Model Test
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UNIT THREE LESSON PLANS (WEEKS 13-18)
3. When you practice ovals be sure pupils hold the pencil
way back - at least an inch from the point. Also be sure pupils
roll the arm. Ovals made with pure finger movement are not helpful. Practice at least two spaces tall for large muscle involvement.
Day Two
Introduce page 22. The capitals for Week 13 are called left-curve downstroke letters. Fingertrace capital A as pupils say the action words. Show the pupils the narrow turn at the bottom. The sharp top in the A may go all the way up and touch the beginning stroke or one may leave a little space at the top. The A is very easy to join because of the natural control point. Use the regular procedure to introduce the movement patterns. 1. Curve Down 2. Sharp Top 3. Join or Finish 1. Curve Down 2. Rock up 3. Finish
CAPITAL LETTER DESIGN
Capitals are important because they always announce some-thing (or someone) special. Unfortunately, the uppercase cursive alphabet is relatively difficult. Also, capitals are used far less frequently than the lowercase letters. Historically, research shows the capital letters were very ornate, almost an art form. Individuality is best expressed with capitals. Have the children look at the replicas of the American Colonies’ Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson’s hand-writing for the Constitution of The United States.
The designers of the uppercase cursive alphabet attempted to make the letters “fit” the way the muscles of the arm move. Capitals were originally intended to roll around in oval fashion, with a great deal of movement. Exactly one-half of the capitals begin with an oval beginning stroke that rolls counterclockwise. The other half use a clockwise beginning movement.
For many years capitals were never joined to small letters, and many teachers at the third grade level continue that tradition. However, many capitals are very easy to join. In this series we demonstrate those easy-to-join letters.
OBJECTIVES:
1. To develop, practice and apply the letter formation pat-terns for thirteen capital letters.
2. To identify the difference between capitals that never join in words and those that are easy to join.
3. To reinforce good physical position skills. 4. To reinforce legibility and fluency subskills.
5. To obtain good transfer of learning in all written commu-nication.
Week 13
Day One
1. Introduce oval movement. Demonstrate an extremely large oval on the chalkboard. Roll around and around with rhythm (counterclockwise). Explain to the pupils that ovals will help us to understand how the capitals are made. 2. Have pupils make a big oval in the air using good rhythm. Demonstrate how the top of an oval is used to start some letters and how the bottom is used for the beginning stroke of others.
Day Three
1. Introduce the capital O. The printed O is similar to the cursive form. The ending stroke swings freely. Never join this capital letter.
Day Four
1. Develop the movement pattern for the
C. Show the pupils that the beginning
loop slants down before it hooks around. 2. Fingertrace the COLOR/RHYTHM
C as illustrated on page 22. Write the C
in the air as pupils describe the strokes. Use the regular lesson procedure.
3. When practicing on paper always practice large, with rhythm, before reducing the form to application size. The C is a joinable form, but it is harder to control compared to A.
Day Five
1. Review capitals A, O, and C.
2. Review lowercase letters e, l, f, r, c. Practice spacing and slant.
3. Demonstrate the development of the E. Emphasize the way this letter rolls “around and around and around.” The joining of this letter is exactly like the C. Practice the E using the regular lesson procedure.
4. Practice A, O, C and E in sets of three to compare consistency of form. Use eyes-closed practice.
Week 14
The three capitals assigned for this week begin with a left-curve downstroke that changes direction at the bottom creat-ing a compound curve.
Day One
1. Demonstrate the beginning stroke of capital D. We call the compound curve a “twist” on page 22 of the pupil book. 2. Then demonstrate the “toe-loop” at the bottom of the D. Show the pupils that it is a compound curve too. The pencil rolls across the stem, then rocks to touch the baseline before swinging up to finish the right side of the letter.
3. Use the regular lesson procedure to develop and practice
D. Make the D narrower than an O. This letter never joins.
Exaggerate the slant of the beginning stroke if the compound curve is difficult for your pupils. Finger movement alone will
Day Two
1. Review capital D and lowercase letters p, h, k.
2. Introduce the capital T. Be sure pupils learn to start with the stem. Use the regular lesson procedure. Show pupils that the top of the T rolls around to the right. The loop is the opposite of C and E. Make the top loop begin close to the stem.
Day Three
1. Review capital T and introduce the F using the regular lesson procedure.
2. Practice and apply these letters. 3. Review lowercase letters x, n, m.
Days Four and Five
1. Practice D, T, and F in sets. Compare and evaluate form, slant, size. Be sure everyone can identify two compound curves in each letter. Use pupil page 23.
2. Write words using the target capitals and lowercase letters
p, h, k, x, n, m to practice size and proportion.
1. Slant 2. Loop Around 3. Join or Finish start stop 1. Twist Down 2. Rock 3. Loop Twist 1. Twist Down 2. Rock Hook 3. Loop Twist We Write To Read 23
Write & Say Practice With Capital Letters
Practice writing movement. Chant the action words or color rhythm as you move to write each letter.
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Pause then slide to join these capital letters!
1. Curve Down 2. Sharp Top 3. Finish 1. Curve Down 2. Rock up 3. Finish
1. Slant 2. Loop Around 3. Finish 1. Twist Down
