Teacher’s Guide

Lowercase at Last!
Book 1: Explicit Handwriting Instruction
Contents:
Page 2 Printing Instructions and Workbook Table of Contents
Page 3 Sequence of Instruction
Page 4 Quick Users Guide
Page 5 Eight Best-Practices for Explicit Instruction of Handwriting
Page 6 Effective use of Feedback when Teaching Handwriting
Page 7 Lowercase Path of Movement Language
Page 8 Songs to Teach Concepts: 1.Starting at top, 2.Pencil grasp, 3.Tall/short/tail letters
Page 9-12 Philosophy, Reasoning, and Handwriting Research
Page 13 Common Core State Standards
Page 14 Single License Terms of Use, Related Products
Page 15 Clip Art Credits Print Path © 2017
 Practice Book
Lowercase at Last!
Printing Instructions:
This product must be printed directly from your downloaded PDF. If you make copies on a copy
machine, the gray scales will be compromised, and many features will be lost.
PDF Contents: Workbook page #
Page 3 Lowercase at Last Cover with Student Goals
Page 4 c-Starts Unit cover ... p. 1
Page 5 - 7 c & o: letter formations, initial sounds, CVC words .... p. 2 - 4
Page 8 - 10 a & d: letter formations, initial sounds, CVC words .... p. 5 - 7
Page 11 - 13 g & q: letter formations, initial sounds, CVC words .... p. 8 - 10
Page 14 - 15 s: letter formations, final sounds, CVC plurals .... p. 11 - 12
Page 16 - 17 c-Start review in alphabet order format .... p. 13 - 14
Page 18 re-Trace Rules Unit cover .... p. 15
Page 19 - 21 r & n: letter formations, initial sounds, CVC words .... p. 16 - 18
Print Path © 2017

Page 22 - 24 m & h: letter formations, initial sounds, CVVC & CVC words .... p. 19 - 21
Page 25 - 27 b & p: letter formations, initial sounds, CVC words .... p. 22 - 24
Page 28 - 29 Letter formation review in alphabet order format .... p. 25 - 26
Page 30 Some little fly-up letters Unit cover .... p. 27
Page 31 - 33 i, j, & l: letter formations, initial sounds, i -CVC words .... p. 28 - 30
Page 34 -36 t, k, & u: letter formations, initial sounds, u -CVC words .... p. 31 - 33
Page 37 - 39 Letter formation review in alphabet order format .... p. 34 - 36
Page 40 Slanting Sliding Unit cover .... p. 37
Page 41 -43 v, w, & x: letter formations, initial sounds, CVC words .... p. 38 - 40
Page 44 -46 y & x: letter formations, initial sounds, u -CVC words .... p. 41 - 43
Page 47 - 49 Letter formation review in alphabet order format .... p. 44 - 46
Page 50 Start in Space Unit cover .... p. 47
Page 51 -53 e & f: letter formations, initial sounds, e -CVC words .... p. 48 - 50
Page 54 - 56 Letter formation review in alphabet order format .... p. 51 - 53
Page 57 - 59 Blank practice pages .... p. 54 - 56
 Sequence of
Instruction
1.CAPITALS FIRST!
Teaching capitals first is a research
proven best practice. All capital letters
are made from simple lines and curves.
Children learn capitals first to gain the skills of:
*Use lines and curves to make letters.
*Build motor memory to start at the top.
*All capitals are tall & touch the writing line.
*Experience successes with printing.
*Free up cognitive resources to write.
*Build prerequisite skills to learn lowercase.
3. Lowercase at Last!
Vertical manuscript on primary lines that is designed to
promote single stroke formations. Visual cues that help to
promote correct letter formations include:
*go-dots * gray boxes
*developmentally appropriate extra-wide writing line. (baseline)
*single stroke formation letter models
Letters learned previously are incorporated into words that
students can use in their daily writing. If you have existing
Handwriting Without Tears © materials, Print Path is compatible!
2. Numbers Next!
Children are developmentally ready to form numbers after
they have learned most uppercase letters, but before they
are ready to learn lowercase.
* Numbers are all tall and all made from simple lines and curves.
* Learning conventional formations builds motor-memory of
starting at the top.
* builds prerequisite skills to learn lowercase.
Stop sign practice sheets are designed to promote student
acceptance of teacher feedback!
The sequence of instruction: The learning of one number
form builds on learning the next form in the Print Path
sequence. Print Path © 2017
 Quick User‘s Guide Print Path © 2017

Explicit Instruction is provided by following the

8 Highly Effective Practices for Teaching Printing: Page 4
Children are supported in a small group by the teacher who
* Children trace letters before printing their * repeats path of movement language,
own in the next gray boxes. * gives individualized verbal feedback,
* Gray boxes are sized to fit each letter. * and motor assist if needed.
* The “go-dot” is the visual cue used to help
children develop correct motor memory of each
formation and starting at the top.
* There is one most efficient way to write each letter.
Go-Dots * All letters start at their top.
[Except for ‘d’ who breaks the rules!
And also ‘e & f’ who start in space]
* Lines have names: top, middle, & writing line.
* Lowercase letters have three sizes: tall, short, or tail.

Grey-Boxes
Differentiation:
* Your early finishers can: color pictures
to build hand strength and pencil grasp, or
turn to the front & ‘read’ the book .
* Small groups allow for you to erase errors,
demonstrate formation, and erase again so the
child can trace your marks before trying again.
* Extra pages at the end of the book allow for
children who need extra repetitions.
* After printing a row of letters children put their
pencils down on the stop sign.
* When the teacher signals that he/she is looking,
each child makes their ‘best letter’ as the
teacher witnesses.
* Letters are grouped by similar formation so that
learning to form one letter builds on learning
to form the next number.
* Pictures give initial sound and rhyming cues.
Lowercase At Last!

I can name all the letters.

I can say the sound of letters.
I can rhyme words.
I can print lowercase letters.
Print Path © 2017
c o a d g qs
Print Path © 2017 1
c “Around and open”.

c cat

c c c
o: “c start and close”.

o octopus

o o o
2 Print Path © 2017
c c c
at ar
ow up
o o o
ctopus x
ven 3
wl Print Path © 2017
 Sound out each word as you write it two times.

cop cot
p t
cob cog
b g
4 Print Path © 2017
 Terms of Use Print Path © 2016
Lowercase at last! Handwriting Instruction
Purchase of this Print Path product entitles you to print this product for your students, for one classroom or one home-school
site. Teachers need to make their own download from Print Path unless a multiple license is purchased for them.
,
Free products for edits and corrections is our policy! If not entirely satisfied with this product, please email me with
suggestions or corrections: info@printpath.org. Check out our Capitals First blog!

Related Products
Sequence of Handwriting Instruction:
Capitals First!: Book One [PreSchool / Kindergarten]
Capitals First!: Book Two [PreSchool / Kindergarten / RTI]
Numbers Next Bundle [PreSchool]
Numbers Next Practice Book [Kindergarten]
Lowercase at Last!: Book One [Kindergarten/ First Grade]
Lowercase at Last!: Book Two [Kindergarten/First Grade/RTI]
Winged Writers [First Grade / Second Grade] Handwriting Mega Bundle
Raise the Roof [Second – Fifth Grade] [PreSchool - Fifth Grade] Kindergarten Bundle Preschool Bundle

Math Tools: Special Education Tools: Handwriting Intervention Additional Occupational Therapy Tools:
Tools:
Play-Doh Fine Motor Baseline Data:
Mats Blocked Developmental Stages
3-5 years
Handwriting
Interventions

Blocked &
Self-Regulation Skills TAUGHT Random Visual Supports for
Handwriting Occupational
Interventions Therapy
Number Writing Centers

Quantities Sequenced
Interventions Using Jokes to
Visual Supports: Self-Regulation &
Classroom Participation for Reversals engage kids

5
Thank You Clip Artists!