Subject:
Handwriting Lesson Duration: 30 min.
General Aim: Acquisition of skill Grade Level: 6 Primary
Specific Aims: To revise the letter "n" and to practise it in context.
Basic Method: Practice (or Demonstration/Practice if letter formation is unknown to class.)
Preparation: Teacher has prepared the board with feint lines including slope guide lines.
Reference: Davis,D. & Rawlins, C., Foundation 2000:Write With Style 6, Martin Edn, 1995 This lesson is based on the New South Wales (Australia) approved handwriting style. For lesson content for earlier Primary grades, see the script forms in the Pascal series (J.Barwick, undated) or in the Owen Martin 1986 publications.
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Step 1: Show how it rains, milking a cow, playing a piano, drawing circles in the air. Feet together on floor, back straight, head comfortably positioned, elbows level with table top. (See Rabbit/Jumbo figures following notes.)
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Preparation for Practice Teacher introduces finger exercises. Correct posture is revised through game.Sit like Leo /Jumbo.
Teacher demonstrates a fluency exercise which children imitate with medium speed for fluency. |
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Step 2: One letter height beginning 1 lh, ending approx one quarter ht, downstrokes parallel |
Recall of Process Teacher demonstrates the formation of the letter emphasising size , start, finish, slope etc. This is repeated several times, speaking as the letter is formed.
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Step 3:
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Imitation Children attempt several letters while teacher supervises giving individual aid. Common class errors are corrected at the board.
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Step 4:
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Practice Children copy several lines into their books.
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Steps 2b, 3b, 4b: Joins to be used in sentence: Sentence: |
Demonstration/ Practice Teacher demonstrates several joins which children imitate,followed by a short sentence demonstration which the children imitate and practise. Emphasis is placed on quality rather than quantity.
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Step 5: Show me your best letter / join? Why? |
Assessment Children display books and are encouraged to evaluate their work. Teacher commends individuals who have shown improvement, effort and /or neatness. |
A useful and amusing aid can be prepared as a chart, or better still, drawn quickly on the board during the lesson. To draw "Jumbo" and "Rabbit" easily requires 10 minutes work.Practise drawing the figures in stages as shown in the diagrams. Start by drawing the heavy line shown in stage 1. Now add the heavy line shown in each of the following stages. Your finished figure will be like the last diagram. Draw each figure four or five times till you achieve fluency.
Note: Jumbo sets a poor example for posture during handwriting while Rabbit sets the standard to imitate. Sometimes instead of identifying the postural habits, the teacher can chose to play a game:"Sit like Jumbo!" or "Sit like Rabbit."
These board diagrams can be used with children from early kindergarten throughout Primary or Elementary school. They were first devised for teachers in Zambia, Central Africa as part of the resources used in an English Medium (ESL) program.
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