eng.gK.f.lesson_13.curve_capitals_AIT
A, I, T — capital letters in YOUR NAME
- Students can form A, I, T on three-line paper.
- Each student forms their own first name with the correct capital initial letter.
Lesson plan
Warm-up
4 minStand and air-write the first letter of your own name three times.
- Circulate and observe
- Note any reversals or unconventional starts
Direct instruction
10 minToday three more capitals: A, I, T. A is a two-line teepee with a belt — diagonal down, diagonal down, line across the middle. I is one tall vertical with a top hat and shoes — line across the top, big line down, line across the bottom. T is the easiest — big line across, then big line down from the middle. AND — today is special. Today YOU each write your OWN NAME and make sure the FIRST letter is a capital.
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The bar is at the MIDDLE — not the top, not the bottom.model Two diagonals + a horizontal bar. Start each diagonal at the top.prompt Watch capital A.
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Notice: only the FIRST letter is capital. The rest are lowercase. Today, since we haven't done lowercase yet, you can write the rest in all caps. That's OK.model A written first, then -aron in lowercase.prompt My name is Aaron. What's the first letter? A. Watch — I'll capitalize the A.
- Air-write A.
- Air-write the first letter of YOUR name.
- Is your first letter the only one that's capital? (We'll work on that all year.)
M-K-F-GR-13-A
Animation
Physical / non-image
20-second animation on three-line paper showing A (left diagonal, right diagonal, middle horizontal), I (top horizontal, big down, bottom horizontal), T (big horizontal, big down). Each letter with green start, red stop. Pacing: 7 seconds per letter.
Guided practice
10 min-
Form A, I, T three times each on three-line paper.scaffold Green-dot starts.
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Write your name on a name strip. Make the FIRST letter a capital.scaffold Personalized name card model in front of child.
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Trace your name in wikki-stix on a baseline.scaffold Pre-laid baseline tape.
Formative assessment
2 min- Write your name with a capital first letter.
- Show the teacher.
Closure
- Each child shares their name strip in a 'My Name' circle
- Class applauds each child
M-K-F-GR-13-B
Photograph
Photo of a class display 'Our Names!' — 20 name strips arranged in a heart shape. Each name starts with a clearly-formed capital. The names are diverse: Aiyana, Liu, Mateo, Aaliyah, Ezekiel, Anaya, Theo, Joaquín, Yara. Used as the cultural-responsiveness anchor.
Homework
5 min- Find your name written somewhere at home (chore chart, mailbox, lunchbox). Notice — does it have a capital first letter?
Exercises in this lesson
Differentiation
- Tracing paper over personalized name model
- Hand-over-hand
- Reduce to first letter only
- Sand-tray name writing for severe motor delay
- Write the names of two family members with correct capitals
- Write your full name including middle name
- Identify capitals in classmates' name strips
- Honor home-language name spellings
- If the home name uses diacritics (é, ñ, ü), explicitly include them
- Pair with a familiar peer
- Adapted pencil grip
- Pre-printed name with traceable first letter
- Allow stamps in place of letter formation if motor skills severely impaired
Teacher notes
This is the most affectively important handwriting lesson of the year — children deeply identify with their own names. Honor the home-language form of every name (correct spelling, diacritics, pronunciation). The 'name with capital first letter' is the year-end CCSS expectation; introducing it now gives 6 months of practice.