Handwriting With Movement (FLEX Schedule): Capital Letter Formation and Fun

During this FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE class, led by a registered and licensed occupational therapist, your child will have FUN learning and practicing uppercase letters. There will be NO live sessions in this class. Instead, pre-recorded lessons will be shared with learners each week and can be watched at your speed (i.e. pausing to allow the learner more time, re-watching for extra practice). Movement opportunities will be built in to each lesson to promote regulation, attention, and success during writing. Additional posts, activities, and videos will supplement each week's lessons and promote interaction within the Outschool classroom. By the end of these 4 weeks, your child will have learned how to form each capital letters by demonstrating accurate starting points, efficient stroke formation, consistent letter sizing, and proper writing line use. In addition, students will be able to demonstrate a growing awareness of their body and identify a couple of activities/exercises that help them to stay focused and relaxed during fine motor and table-top challenges.

Students that are a good fit for this class are able to trace letters with good accuracy. Some students may not be forming letters without a model at this time. Other students may be in Kindergarten or 1st and are struggling to accurately or legibly form most of their capital letters. GENERALLY, THIS CLASS IS A GOOD FIT FOR CHILDREN 4-6 YEARS OF AGE, as long as they are able to comfortably hold a pencil and trace letters (but MAY be appropriate for an advanced 3 year old or for children as old as 7 years old depending on the child's particular struggles).

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Prior to the course, a PDF document will be posted in the Outschool classroom. This PDF document should be printed, as it will serve as your child’s paper and help guide our four recorded sessions. There is a worksheet for each capital letter in the alphabet. You may choose to only print those letters your child struggles with and simply use lined paper (i.e. Kindergarten paper is preferred) to practice those letter he/she is more comfortable forming. 

On the start date of your course, your first recording will be posted to the classroom (<40 minutes) by 9am. Each additional lesson will be posted by 9am on Monday, weekly.

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Weekly Video Themes (<40 minute youtube link video):
Week 1:
Introduce and practice "Frog Jump Capitals" using a Handwriting Without Tears approach. Practice will include play-doh/putty, air writing, white boards, songs, etc. Movement opportunities will be built in to this course.
Review horizontal, vertical, and diagonal strokes and directional terms
Demonstrate strategy for utilizing a mature handwriting grasp

Week 2:
Review strokes and Frog Jump Letters from previous week
Introduce and practice "Starting Corner Capitals" using a Handwriting Without Tears approach
Movement opportunities and exercises demonstrated for each letter

Week 3:
Fine motor warm-ups and handwriting grasp practice
Brief review of the last two weeks
Introduce and practice "Magic C" and "Center Starting" Capitals with movement opportunities built in

Week 4:
Songs and activities with gross motor movement
Combine everything we learned so far and write all capital letters together as a class using lined paper
Brief discussion on reviewing work for errors

*Each week, the learner will be asked to reply to the lesson post with a photo or video of the worksheet or letter they are the most proud of, as well as 1-2 letters that they found to be the most challenging. Teacher will reply to each student’s work and offer feedback and resources to work toward accuracy. 
*Students will be asked to reply to another learners’ post or work to provide praise, encouragement, ask questions, etc.

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A PDF file will be shared to supplement each lesson to summarize that week’s recorded lesson and a provide a couple of activities to promote carryover and success with writing at home. 
Examples include: Play-doh/putty letter card printables, Printable flashcards to be used for various games, Printable dice with a letter on each side, Letter construction with household or nature items, Messy letter fun, and Special handwriting paper to encourage line use and consistent letter size.

*Students will be asked to complete one of the recommended activities that week and post their completed work on the Outschool classroom. Teacher will reply to each student’s homework and offer feedback and resources to work toward accuracy. 
*Students will be asked to reply to another learners’ post or work to provide encouragement, offer thoughts, ask questions, etc.

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A post will be added mid-week requesting each learner to demonstrate or discuss their favorite movement opportunity or relaxation technique reviewed in that week’s recorded lesson.

*Peer to peer interaction is encouraged for this post. Learners will be asked to reply to ONE of their peers with their own demonstration of that activity (with a photo or video) and/or stating why they like or benefit from that particularly movement or relaxation opportunity.

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Teacher will create a post toward the end of each week asking learners’ to share the letters/activities they found to be the most challenging or a skill they would like to have some extra support or resources for. This is an excellent opportunity for group interaction and some critical thinking. The exact format of this discussion will be based on learner questions and concerns.

*The teacher will reply to learners with a short video lesson, link for a resource, or summary to target those specific area where a learner is struggling
*Brief office hours may be offered to independently address specific skills

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Student interaction:
Students will be encouraged to read replies by other students. For each weekly teacher post/assignment (THREE per week), learners should respond to at least one other learner to offer support, feedback, encouragement, or critical thinking through questions. For example, peer to peer interaction is strongly encouraged for the mid-week post regarding movement and relaxation opportunities. Learners will be asked to to respond to their peers' favorite movement activity by demonstrating that same activity via photo or video and/or stating why they also enjoy or benefit from that activity. Lastly, learners will participate in a discussion toward the end of each week regarding those letters or activities that each student finds to be the most challenging. This is an excellent opportunity for group interaction and some critical thinking. The exact format of this "end of the week" discussion will be based on learner questions and concerns.

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Instructor interaction:
In addition to posting videos, PDFs, assignments, and stimulating questions, the teacher will also be monitoring the Outschool classroom regularly for comments or questions and ask for elaboration or clarification on student posts as necessary. Teacher may provide extra videos or individual live sessions (similar to office hours) to address questions or concerns toward the end of each week.


**Please note that this handwriting class is not considered occupational therapy and should not take the place of a child's regularly scheduled therapies.