ESOL Ww/E1.2a Form the letters of the alphabet using upper and lower case

Writing > Word Focus (Spelling and Handwriting) >  Handwriting > Ww/E1.2a Form the letters of the alphabet using upper and lower case
(i) form the letters of the alphabet with some accuracy in upper and lower case, developing knowledge of where to start and the way in which the letter is usually formed
(ii) Understand when lower and upper case are generally used, e.g. lower case is used for general text, but upper case is used for the first letter of names, places and dates, and may also be used for emphasis or effect, as in an advert.
(iii) hold and control pen effectively
(iv) write from left to right, and develop awareness of how the hand moves in order to do this
(v) Space letters and words appropriately and proportion letters in relation to the line.
(vi) name some of the letters of the alphabet

Example of application and level
(i-ii) Write name, date and key words on records of work.
(iii-vi) Write short personal statements using a model, spacing words appropriately and positioning them on the line.

Sample activities

• Learners trace patterns/shapes of letters and then go on to copy or complete patterns/shapes. They draw shapes of letters in air and fill in dotted outline of letters. Learners discuss the formation of letters, in lower and upper case, learning them simultaneously: where to start each letter, direction, which letters have ‘bodies’, ‘legs’, etc. Learners go on to trace letters and short words. Using their finger to follow the direction of writing in a simple text, learners discuss the direction of other scripts and languages. Learners write simple sentences on the board in their languages, and compare these with English.
• Learners write or copy with understanding words within lined spaces, using double-lined paper.
• Looking at sentences on the board or OHT, learners note the space between words. They look at examples of badly spaced words within sentences and of words that are poorly positioned on the line. They are asked to say what the problem is and how it could be resolved, e.g. using the tip of the pen to mark the gap between one word and the next.
• Learners word process sentences, focusing on the use of the space bar to make spaces between words.
• Learners play games for learning to name the letters: pelmanism, bingo, happy families.
• Learners spell their names to each other and write them down.

Source: Adult ESOL Core Curriculum (DfES, 2001) (pp88-89)