Tails and Curls: The Art of Cursive Handwriting for Ages 8 to 12 (FLEX Class)

Each lesson will include a video (approximately 20 minutes in length) and several worksheets. Students will be required to spend an ample amount of time in between classes practicing what they have learned. The worksheets are to be used for guided practice of what was covered in the corresponding lesson. Although the focus of this class will be learning the mechanics and art of standard, cursive handwriting, each lesson will also include brief fun facts on topics such as calligraphy, fountain pens, fonts, John Hancock’s signature, and National Handwriting Day.  We will also discuss the handwriting used in the creation of historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

During the eight sessions offered, all 26 letters of the alphabet (in both their upper- and lower-case forms), as well as some punctuation marks, will be demonstrated via video lesson. In addition to assigned homework, each student will have the opportunity to submit their work for review and to receive suggestions from the teacher for possible improvement at any point during the section.

Resources, including links to articles and videos of interest; vocabulary lists and other notes prepared by the teacher, will be posted on the classroom page. Students will be given the opportunity to have their work displayed on the classroom page, as well.

Lesson 1: A video demonstration and worksheets for guided practice of the "Up and Right" lower case letters b, e, h, i, l, r, s, and t.
Lesson 2: A video demonstration and worksheets for guided practice of the "Up and Right" lower case letters f, j, k, and p; "Up and Right" upper case letters S and G; and "Up and Left" upper case letters I and J.
Lesson 3: A video demonstration and worksheets for guided practice of the "Counter-Clockwise" lower case letters a, c, d, g, and o; and "Counter-Clockwise" upper case letters A, C, E, and O.
Lesson 4: A video demonstration and worksheets for guided practice of the "Counter-Clockwise" lower case letter q; "Boomerang" upper case letters B, M, N, P, and R; "Up and Over" lower case letters m and n; and "Scoop" upper and lower case letters U and u.
Lesson 5: A video demonstration and worksheets for guided practice of the "Scoop" upper case letters V, W, X, and Y; "Scoop" lower case letters v, w, x, and y; and "Clockwise" upper and lower case letters Z and z.
Lesson 6: A video demonstration and worksheets for guided practice of the most-challenging letters to make, all upper case: Q, F, T, D, H, K, and L.
Lesson 7: A video demonstration of a poem written in cursive. For homework, students will copy a poem, song lyric, portion of an important speech, and/or quote of their choice.
Lesson 8: A video demonstration of a pangram written in cursive.  For homework, students will be asked to create a pangram (a sentence that includes every letter of the alphabet at least once). The challenge is in making a grammatically correct sentence in as few words as possible. The fun is in making those words silly enough to tickle your funny bone.