Penmanship Pals: Cursive Handwriting & Fine Motor Skills Practice (Ages 8-12)
Cursive handwriting instruction and fine motor skills practice for learners who have completed the Outschool course, "Tails and Curls: The Art of Cursive Handwriting," OR have basic cursive handwriting skills.
Jennifer Howell
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(277)
What's included
1 live meeting
25 mins in-class hours per weekAssessment
There will be no formal assessment.Class Experience
Each time we meet, we will work on a project. This will include making lists; creating correspondence; and copying poetry, song lyrics, quotes, and other materials -- in their entirety or portions thereof -- in cursive handwriting. Learners will also have an opportunity to suggest material to be copied or listed. Most of the projects will be completed in print handwriting; but for fun and variety, we will sometimes exercise fine motor skills by writing in a different font, a language other than English, or codes and symbols. Projects for each class are listed below but may also be customized based on the interest and suggestion of the learners in attendance that day. Week of Sept. 2 We will copy quotes by and about German forester and forestry educator Carl Alwin Schenck (1868-1955), who relocated to the U.S. and became the third formally trained forester in the U.S. Week of Sept. 9 We will make a list of animals who migrate (caribou, sea turtle, Monarch butterfly, and others). Week of Sept. 16 We will copy the lyrics of traditional Canadian folk song, “Land of the Silver Birch.” Week of Sept. 23 We will copy the poem, “If….,” by English journalist, novelist, and poet Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). Week of Sept. 30 We will copy the quotes of American science communicator and mechanical engineer William “Bill” Sanford Nye, probably best known as host of the TV show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” AUTUMN BREAK – No Penmanship Pals classes the Week of Mon.-Sun., Oct. 7-13 Week of Oct. 14 Our fine motor skills practice will be to write words and sentences in a Star Wars fictional language (Basic, droidspeak, Ewokese, or Huttese). Week of Oct. 21 We will copy the lyrics of traditional New Zealand folk song, “Pauatahanui.” Week of Oct. 28 We will copy the poem, “The Road Not Taken,” by American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963). Week of Nov. 4 We will copy the quotes of fictional schoolteacher, Ms. Frizzle, of the book, video game, and animated TV series, “The Magic School Bus,” about the field trips of students on a magic bus.
Learning Goals
Penmanship Pals appeals to a wide variety of learners who enroll in the course with unique goals. The course is popular among learners who struggle to achieve legible handwriting and, therefore, usually dread having to practice. It is also an enjoyable, creative outlet for young artists who gain much satisfaction from forming letters and punctuation symbols.
For a student's handwriting skills to improve, practice is required. Extra, focused work is often essential for learners with dysgraphia or other fine motor skills challenges, those of whom are left-handed, and those whose training in cursive has been sporadic. Handwriting exercise for these students can also be very frustrating and tedious and, therefore, it is difficult to find the motivation to hone their skills.
The Penmanship Pals curriculum provides a variety of handwriting activities with the hope that each student will find some or most of the topics of interest. For example, if a learner is not excited about the horse breeds or folk song lessons; perhaps they will enjoy the Olympic sports or mirror letter handwriting activities. Great care has been taken to make handwriting practice fun so that students are more likely to practice often and for longer periods of time and so that all students – whether handwriting challenged or budding calligraphy artist – will be inspired.
Other Details
Supply List
Learners will need a pen or pencil and some paper. There are no other requirements for supplies; however, I recommend the following: ruled paper (preferably ½” ruled, or larger) ballpoint or gel pen It would also be nice to have basic art supplies handy to frame class projects for display at home or to create greeting cards and gifts using class projects.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined June, 2018
4.9
277reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Western Governors University
When I attended elementary school in the 1970s, neat, legible, print and cursive handwriting was an important part of our education. I received good grades then and compliments throughout my life on my beautiful penmanship. In recent years, I’ve also dabbled in hand lettering and calligraphy art and have participated in events such as The Graceful Envelope Contest and IAMPETHvirtual2021. I am a member of IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting).
I have taught over 100 sections of Tails and Curls: The Art of Cursive Handwriting and Penmanship Pals: Handwriting and Fine Motor Skills Practice. Students find me to be patient, cheerful, and fun.Reviews
Live Group Class
$7
weekly1x per week
25 min
Completed by 46 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-12
1-10 learners per class
