First Strokes ®

Jan McCleskey, MA, OTR

The Handwriting Clinic™/First Strokes® Products

Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products

The First Strokes Cursive Program is designed to teach cursive using multi-sensory techniques.. The
student should not immediately start using the workbooks without first learning the letter using
kinesthetic or multi-sensory modalities.

Procedures for Using Workbook:

Terminology – The instructor should use the simple, consistent terminology outlined in the
description of the sequence for each letter. When reviewing letters, it is only necessary to say the
“first stroke” of the letter, ex, draw “skateboard ramp u”.

Learn the “First Stroke”: For the lower case letters, there are only 4 first stroke letter groups.
Students should first learn the stroke, and then work to practice the letters in the stroke category.
The stroke categories for the lower case letters are as follows:

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Handwriting Clinic™/First 2
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 To begin, the student will start with the Skateboard Ramp Group. The instructor will teach the
student how to do the skateboard ramp stroke. Then the student will learn to write the skateboard
ramp letters using the following multi-sensory methods of learning.

Large motor learning - Student should be able to write the letter in the correct sequence and in the
air with eyes closed before progressing to medium motor activities.

Medium motor learning - Student should be able to write the letter in large sized, 3 inch
handwriting lines, before doing small motor activities. In a classroom, a teacher could do this with
the entire class, or in small groups. Examples of medium motor activities:

- Use the wipe off template that is included with the First Strokes Cursive Program. An extra
printable page is included at the back of this training document. Put the printable page into a sheet
protector and give one to each student. The student will use dry erase markers to practice writing
the strokes and letters.

Wipe Off Practice Card: Use a thin, black, Expo dry erase marker to practice strokes and letter formation
before practicing in the workbook. Practice touching and tracing the writing line before making a bridging
stroke to the next letter. The writing line on this practice card is hollow, so that a student has a visual cue to
practice touching and tracing the writing line.

IMPORTANT: Wipe off the card after each use with a tissue or paper towel. If dry erase ink dries overnight on
card, it is difficult to erase.

Picture of wipe-off template: Skateboard ramp i

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Handwriting Clinic™/First 3
Strokes® Products
 The student should be able to write the letter with correct sequencing, and with good touch points on
the writing lines before progressing to small motor practice.

Small motor practice – Student should practice the letters:

1. In the First Strokes® Cursive workbook.
2. On the adaptive notebook paper that comes with the cursive kit.
3. Eventually transition to practicing with correct sizing on notebook paper. (Correct sizing
would mimic the sizing of the writing on the adaptive notebook paper. Tall letters touch the top line,
sinking letters sink below the writing line, and the body of the letter 1/3 space.)

Generalization activities - The student should immediately practice the letter on the adaptive notebook
paper that comes with the cursive program.

Multi-sensory review -

1. One of the most important learning tools an instructor can use, is “scribble sheets” to work
on visual memory of letters, as well as the motor pattern to sequence letters. It is recommended that
scribble sheets be used multiple times to review each letter group. This is also a great activity for home
practice as well. (See next page for scribble sheet description)

2. Students can also review letters by writing letters and words containing learned letters, in the
air. Other activities might include:

Practice writing letters or words in:

- Fill baking sheet filled with sand or salt

- Write in shaving cream
- Cut off 12 inch pieces of a foam swimming noodle. Use the foam stick to write letters in the
air.
- Instructor types words and letters in large font (in print), or write with dark marker in cursive.
About 5 – 10 words per page. Tape a cursive letter cue chart to the bottom of each
poster in case students may not remember a letter. Hang around the room, and have
students divide up into groups at each poster to air write the words in cursive. After 2
minutes, switch to randomly move to another poster.
- Fill 12 inch balloons with air. Use a permanent marker to write words, or a – z in print or
cursive. Then have the students tap the balloons up in the air, and write one letter. Ex.
In the word “goat”, the student would tap ”g”, retap the balloon and then write “o”,
retap the balloon and then write “a, and then retap the balloon and write “t”. This is a
fun activity for the entire cursive alphabet a – z, or A – Z once upper case letters are
memorized. Circle the letters on the balloon that the student has difficulty
remembering.

Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products

Stroke Group Review Activity 1: Classroom practice – scribble sheets
Each student will need a ”scribble sheet”. The scribble sheet is the most important learning activity an
instructor use to review letter formation. It helps with visual memory, and most importantly it helps the
student motorically learning to sequence the letter correctly. Make a scribble sheet for each letter group.
Take a piece of cardstock and write the letters within a group at the top. Then fold down the top with the
letters.. Scribble several different colors of crayons underneath til thick. The student can practice the
letters from memory, but if the student needs to see the letter, can unfold the top to see the letter.
Do this to review every letter group!

When working on the scribble sheets, call out letters and have the students write “fast” and “large” with a
crayon. The goal is to get the student to achieve the motor pattern to write the letters in the correct
sequence from memory. The student cannot really see the letters as they are written – which helps with
visual memory. Before they can write the letters from memory, they may need to see the letters in order to
copy the letters.

Instructional note: Instructor can write the handwriting lines on top of one piece of paper. Then write
letters, words, a – z or A – Z within the handwriting lines. Photocopy onto cardstock. The student can
scribble all over the bottom portion, for quick set up of scribble sheets.

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Copyright 2016: The Handwriting Clinic™/First Strokes® Products
 Suggested teaching modules – CURSIVE LOWER CASE

1. Work on strokes and the following letters through large motor, medium motor and small motor
practice. Review letter groups through multi-sensory activities. Students should motorically
sequence the letters in the correct pattern/letter formation.

Skateboard ramp letters

Module 1 iuws
Module 2 rtepj
Module 1 and 2 Review * Multi-sensory review of skateboard ramp letters on scribble sheet

Wave runner c letters

Module 3 coa
Module 4 dgq
Module 1 – 4 Review * Multi-sensory review of skateboard ramp and wave runner c letters on
scribble sheet.
Tall thin loop letters
Module 5 lfb
Module 6 hk
Module 1 - 6 Review * Multi-sensory review skateboard ramp letters, wave runner c letters, and
tall thin loop letters.
Fingertip letters

Module 7 nmv
Module 8 xyz
Module 1 – 8 Review * Multi-sensory review skateboard ramp letters, wave runner c letters, tall
thin loop letters and fingertip letters.
Module 9 Bridging Practice Workbook Pages

Module 10 Write a – z in the air, and on scribble sheets to write within 40 seconds.
Upper case: Candy Cane Letters
Module 11 H K M N
Module 12 U V W X Y Z

Upper case: Leaning Line Letters

Module 13 B D P R
Upper case: Frowning Letters
ACEO

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Copyright 2016: The Handwriting Clinic™/First Strokes® Products
 Suggested teaching modules – CURSIVE LOWER CASE

1. Work on strokes and the following letters through large motor, medium motor and small motor
practice. Review letter groups through multi-sensory activities. Students should motorically
sequence the letters in the correct pattern/letter formation.

Loopity Loop L
Two Cool Q
Over and Under F and T
Module 14 LQFT
Sailboat I
Left Loop J
Swing Right G and S
Module 15 IJGS

Multi-sensory review of upper

case Letters
Module 16 * Multi-sensory review of upper case letters A - Z
Module 17 Write A – Z in the air, and on scribble sheets to write within 40 seconds.
Module 18 Writing Projects Students can work on writing small paragraphs or spelling words in cursive.
Place a cue card (copy from back of workbook), onto the students desks
area or onto a piece of cardstock (laminated). Students can refer to the cue
card if they forget how to write a letter.

* Ideally students should be able to write a – z within 40 seconds and A –

Z within 40 seconds either in the air, or on handwriting lines before doing
large writing assignments. 60 seconds might be a target for a student to
write smaller assignments. It is a clear indication that a student will need
more multisensory practice before generalizing cursive to writing, if a
student cannot write all the letters from memory within 60 seconds.

Module 19 Writing with good Students should be able to maintain the sizing of the letters and words and
sizing on regular notebook paper transition from the adapted notebook paper that comes with the First
Stroke® Cursive Kit, onto regular notebook paper.

* Multi-sensory review – see cursive workbook for multi-sensory activities, or refer to activities within the
document, “How to Use the First Strokes Cursive Program Within a School Setting”.

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Copyright 2016: The Handwriting Clinic™/First Strokes® Products
Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products
MODULE INSTRUCTION:

For each module, go through the following steps to introduce the cursive concepts for
each letter group.

Lesson 1: Introduce the stroke for the letter group. Student should practice the stroke
on the large wipe off sheets with a dry erase marker. Once the components of the stroke
are mastered, then the letters can be introduced a few at a time.

Lesson 2: Letter formation

- Practice medium motor – on dry erase sheet
- Practice large motor
- Workbook pages (small motor)
- Generalize letters to the adaptive notebook paper

Lesson 3: Word practice

- Practice the words in the workbook
- Practice the words on the adaptive notebook paper
- Scribble sheet practice (students use a piece of cardstock, and scribble all over it
so that there is heavy crayon wax.). Student will practice writing letters/words as the
instructor calls out the letters/words. Student should write “fast” and “large”. This helps
the student develop speed and visual memory of the letter and motoric memory.
- Other multi-sensory activities

Video clips:
There are video clips of the First Strokes® lower case letters at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r7dqLIhaf0

Search You Tube for “First Strokes Cursive”

Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products

 Printable Wipe-Off Sheet

• Photocopy onto cardstock. Put in

sheet protector. (Or photocopy
onto photocopy paper, and put in
a sheet protector with a piece of
heavyweight cardstock behind).

• Use this sheet for all instruction

of strokes and letters.

Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products

Wipe Off Practice Card: Use a thin, black, Expo dry erase marker to practice strokes and letter formation before practicing in the workbook.
Practice touching and tracing the writing line before making a bridging stroke to the next letter. The writing line on this practice card is
hollow, so that a student has a visual cue to practice touching and tracing the writing line.

IMPORTANT: Wipe off the card after each use with a tissue or paper towel. If dry erase ink dries overnight on card, it is difficult to erase.

Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products

First Strokes Lower Case
Terminology

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Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products
Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products
Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products
Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products
First Strokes Upper Case
Terminology

Copyright 2005 The Handwriting Clinic/First Strokes® Products

Alternative Q:
Make Q as a
”Frowning Letter”
Capital Letters G and S start on the
writing line and swing to the right.