Scrawl to Script! (Multi Handwriting Levels)

This course is designed for students who want to improve their handwriting skills or learn to write letters and numbers. During the lessons, we will use letter guides/workbooks, YouTube videos, blog information, and other materials I have developed as a resource teacher. All these materials and any additional information will be shared on the screen during the lesson, so learners won't need to have a subscription to any of them.

Before each lesson, I will provide students with any necessary materials. They will need pencils, copy paper, and handwriting paper from the resource section of this class. These physical materials can be downloaded and printed for students to practice on their own outside of class.

I recommend that students practice outside class for at least 20 minutes each day to help their muscles develop motor memory. In addition to the physical exercises, we will also use two YouTube videos that I subscribe to during the lesson: OT Closet, which contains material for our sensory exercises, and Jack Hartman's Music channel, and The Talking Walrus, which will provide the students with a warmup for their fine motor muscles, provide a brain break, and provide a model that will illustrate an objective from the lesson. These videos are teaching tools and will only be part of my lesson. All the videos, models, and materials used in this course will be screen-shared with the students during class.

 Developing good handwriting skills is essential for children as it helps them write correctly and with proper spacing, making their writing easier to read. It also improves spelling through muscle memory, which allows the hand to acquire memory of spelling patterns through repeated fluid movements. It doesn't matter whether the child is left-handed or right-handed. Good handwriting also leads to proficient reading skills. Our Scrawl to Script class teaches six skills in ongoing lessons. Learners can join and leave at any point of the course and practice in one area. If they need additional lessons in any of the areas of handwriting, I offer one-on-one lessons. Please let me know if there is a particular handwriting style, such as D'Nealian, New South Wales, Palmer, British, etc.

The class is divided into four sections. In the Scrawl section, students learn how to hold a pencil correctly (the student should be able to have a pencil), position correctly, and write strokes to form the letters in their names. The following section teaches Capital Letters A-ZAd lowercase letters a-z. In the following section, students learn precursive strokes and write the cursive letters, divided into thirteen cursive letter families. Finally, in the last part, students learn letters written in script, the foundation for calligraphy. There are twenty-four lessons in this ongoing course, and once completed, the session will begin with a Scrawl lesson. Please note that this course does not include calligraphy lessons.

As an experienced special education teacher, I have taught children with special needs, from preschoolers to high school students. Writing is an essential skill that needs to be mastered. However, writing can be challenging, especially for those struggling to form letters and connect lines. That's why I start my course by assessing the students' current handwriting level, including their letter-naming ability and fine motor skills. Once we have established a firm foundation in manuscript writing, we develop cursive skills by introducing cursive strokes and transforming them into cursive letters.

The class schedule will begin with a sensory warmup exercise, introducing the new skill, practicing each letter/word, and doing a sensory-motor cool-down activity at the end of the lesson. In addition, the students will have stand-up physical exercise during a few classes to give them a brain break. In each class, the student will need the following materials:  playdough,  two-gallon plastic bags that will seal at the top, scissors, ruler, markers, colored pencils,  two-quart size bags that seal, pencil or pen with an eraser, markers, a light color high lighter, two pieces of heavy paper, colored paper, copy paper, and glue. I will send an attachment to be printed regarding the letters for that week. We use these materials in the lessons, as well as in the sensory activities. I will provide a workbook, homework booklet, practice sheets, and other materials. Please print off the materials before each class and the homework booklet after each class.

"In the first week, I will teach the students how and when to use the materials in class and the rituals and routines for each class. I will also review the rules I expect the students to follow to ensure a quality class. I will observe the students during these first classes and ask their parents about their writing development. Off-camera parental assistance will be required, especially for younger children, but for the remaining courses, it will be up to the parents to decide. I will ask the students to show me their work via their webcam so that I can assess their progress. At the end of each class, I will upload a brief assessment of their writing development and provide additional materials for practice if necessary.

The class is called Scrawl to Script! and will be an ongoing 50-minute session, preferably in a classroom setting. It will also include siblings or children at the same skill level. Each class will focus on the specific strokes that form each letter, the formation of the letter (manuscript, precursive, or cursive), and spacing based on the student's development.

The schedule for the class will be as follows:
 
Please note that there are days that I will not be conducting lessons this summer.  Michelle
  Handwriting skills: strokes, holding the pencil, identifying shapes, and writing them, 
Sensory: 
 Warmup: Butterfly
 Cool Down: Fingerplay Turtle
Materials:  three colors of Playdough

Week   one
 Capital Letters A-F
Sensory:
    Warmup: Playdough  
               Birthday Donut
    Cool Down:  Fingerplay   
          House for Me
Materials: three colors of Playdough

Week two
Capital letters G-L
Sensory: 
    Warmup: Pincer Grasp 
    game with Household.     
   Items
   Cool Down: Fingerplay
      Little Girl & Little Boy
Materials:  Strainer; ten pieces of spaghetti; cereal 

Week three
Capital Letters M-Q
Sensory:
    Warmup: Pincer Grasp 
    with household items
     Cool Down: Fine Motor   
      Game
Materials:   four coins of different shapes
Egg Carton
A round container, i.e., one that holds wipes.
Playdough: one color
toothpicks

Week four
Capital Q-U
    Sensory
     Warmup: https://youtu.be/PSkn2ClJ_18?t=13
      Cool Down: Snake
Materials:  Water bottle; five rubber bands.
Three colors of Playdough

Week five
Capital V-Z
 Numbers formation 0-9
Sensory:
Warmup: Colorful Play Clay Numbers
Cool Down: Hand Gymnastics 
Materials: Powdered sugar; small bowl; water; small bowl; spoon Optional: food coloring  

Week six
Topic: Pre-Cursive Strokes 
Theme 1: Importance of beginning, mid-line connecting, and ending strokes.
Sensory HAND STRENGTHENING Exercises with Playdough
The students will work on straight lines, diagonal lines (both ways), X lines,  and T lines, and all lines will be more significant (top to bottom) and lowercase (midline to bottom). 
Materials: colors, handwriting paper, play dough, pencils

Week 7: Pre-Cursive strokes (Capital Letters)
Sensory: 
    Warmup: Pincer Grasp 
    game with Household.     
   Items
   Cool Down: Fingerplay
      Little Girl & Little Boy
Materials:  Strainer; ten pieces of spaghetti; cereal 

Week eight
Topic: Wave and Spike Letter families
Theme Curved lines (inverted and outgoing)
Sensory: 
Pincer Grasp 
    with household items
     Cool Down: Fine Motor   
      Game
Materials:   four coins of different shapes
Egg Carton
A round container, i.e., one that holds wipes.
Playdough: one color
toothpicks
The students will "hook" letters, half-circles, and circles; all curved lines will be lowercase. The letters will be more giant (top to bottom) and lowercase (midline to bottom).
Sensory:  Role a snake
Materials: colors, handwriting paper, play dough, pencils

Week nine
Topic: Family Capital Wave letters
Theme Straight Lines
Sensory: HANDWRITING WARMUPS with Pencil & Coins 
Materials: coins  (quarters, dimes, pennies)

The students will work on Round in addition to the following letters: A, C, Q, O, and E. They will also write words using these letters and practice spacing between letters and words. I encourage the students to tell me how the letters are formed and identify the beginning sounds. 

Week ten
Topic:  Spike Capital Letter family 
Theme Connected straight lines.
Sensory:
The students will work to make a straight line and practice connecting it to the letters I, T, U, V, W, and P. They will also write words using these letters and practice spacing between letters and words. I encourage the students to tell me how the letters are formed and identify the beginning sounds.

Week Eleven
Topic: Down Stroke Start Capital family        
Theme Connected Curved Lines.
The students will work on strokes by making curved strokes, in addition to the following letters: V D T F U Y W. They will also write words using these letters and practice spacing between letters and words. I encourage the students to tell me how the letters are formed and identify the beginning sounds. 

Week Twelve
Topic: Loop Letter Capital family
Theme Loop letter
The students will work on strokes by making curved strokes in addition to the following letters: E, L, H, B, K, and F. They will also write words using these letters and practice spacing between letters and words. I encourage the students to tell me how the letters are formed and identify the beginning sounds.

Week Thirteen
Topic Bump Letter Capital letters
Theme Bump Letter
The students will work on strokes by making curved strokes in addition to the following letters: N, M, V, X, Y, and Z. They will also write words using these letters and practice spacing between them. I encourage the students to tell me how the letters are formed and identify the beginning sounds.

Week Fourteen
Topic: Rest of the Letters
Theme Slant Letter and Tow Truck Letter
The students will work on strokes by making curved strokes in addition to the following letters: S, R, O, V, W, and B. They will also write words using these letters and practice spacing between letters and words. I encourage the students to tell me how the letters are formed and identify the beginning sounds.

Week Fifteen
Topic: Writing Name, Date, and Subject
Theme  Connecting Lowercase and Capital Letters (alone and within sentences)
Sensory: HANDWRITING WARMS UPS With Pencil l Beginner Hand and Finger
BRAIN GYM Warm Up with Emoji and Metronome l Fine Motor Exercise for fingers, hands l. 
Materials: Two pencils
The students will write capital and lowercase letters to form letters correctly and utilize connecting strokes.

Week Sixteen
Topic:  Beginning, middle, and ending Script strokes
Theme:  Pre Script strokes
Sensory: BEGINNER HAND Warmup Exercises with Emoji and Metronome l
Students will learn how to write the beginning strokes of script letters.

Week Seventeen
Topic: Capital Letters
Theme: A-G

This class can be adjusted based on the learner's needs and skill level.  It is a letter formation, either manuscript or cursive writing class.