Hello, everybody.

My name is Ms. Afsal and I am really delighted to be with you today.

That's because we're going to be doing some handwriting and that's one of my favourite things to do.

So I hope you're ready.

I hope you're feeling good.

I hope you've got some paper, a pencil, a great deal of enthusiasm because we're gonna have a great time together.

Let's get into it.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can form the pre-cursive letters O, G and Q.

Let's get started and find out what's involved in today's lesson.

Well, we have some keywords.

We have a number of keywords, in fact.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Lead in.

Lead out.

X-height letter.

Descender.

Loop.

It's gonna be a lot of fun to explore these words and to find out what they mean.

Let's get into our lesson.

Today's lesson, pre-cursive formation of O, G and Q, has three parts to it.

Firstly, we'll be forming the pre-cursive letter O.

Next, performing the pre-cursive letter G.

And we'll finish by forming the pre-cursive letter Q.

First of all, let's get into some warmups.

Before starting to write, it's important to warm up our hands and our wrist muscles.

Your hands and your wrists get stronger when you exercise them.

So warming up your hands before writing will really help you to improve your handwriting.

Let's have some fun with these warmups.

We're going to start our handwriting warmups with a really, really fun warmup.

This one is piano playing.

And this is so much fun because we get to exercise our hands and we get to imagine a really fun tune in our head.

So I'm going to go first and then it will be your turn.

I'm getting my fingers in position on top of my imaginary piano, and I am going to start pressing each of these keys on the keyboard by moving my fingers and pressing them down, stretching my fingers, moving along the keyboard, making a lovely tune.

Oh my goodness, this sounds great.

I'm enjoying hearing this in my mind.

Wonderful.

And now it's your turn.

Get your hands ready.

Get your fingers in position just above the keys on your piano keyboard and let's go.

Let's start playing our tune.

So you're pressing your fingers down on the imaginary piano keyboard.

You are stretching out your fingers 'cause you need to go to reach some of those notes that are a little bit further away.

Oh, how's your tune sounding? Are you enjoying it? I can hear all of these lovely imaginary tunes.

What a great, great sound.

What a great stretch for our fingers.

Well done, everyone.

Next, we're going to have a go at the clapping position.

So for this, we're going to bring our hands together as if we were clapping.

And I'll have a go first and then it will be your turn.

And I'm gonna press all of my fingers into each other.

So fingers from this hand are pressing into the fingers from this hand.

And my palms, the centre of your hand, those, the palms are pressing against each other as well.

It's a really, really nice way for us to get our hands and our wrists as well ready for handwriting? Hmm, it feels really nice.

It's your turn.

Get your hands ready as if you're going to clap.

You'll deserve a clap after this, and let's press them together.

Pressing together each of your fingers, pressing together your thumbs, pressing the palms of your hands together.

Your wrists are getting a nice little stretch here as well.

Doesn't this feel great? Ah, lovely, and relax.

Well done.

And now have a look what's appeared on the screen.

It's the O.

Let's look closely at the pre-cursive letter O.

What do you notice? What can you see? Tell the person next to you everything.

Pause the video here.

Did you notice there's a lead in going into this pre-cursive O? There is a lead out.

This letter is on the x-height line.

It's going up as high as the x-height line.

It's an x-height letter.

Well done if you noticed all of those things.

Let's find out some more.

This is the pre-cursive formation of the letter O.

The pre-cursive formation of the letter O has a lead in and it has a lead out.

Letter O is an x-height letter.

It goes all the way up to the x-height line.

And the lead out for the pre-cursive letter O is at the x-height line.

So a lot of letters have the lead out down near the baseline.

This is a bit different 'cause it's up at the x-height line.

Let's have a go now forming the pre-cursive letter O in the air.

I'm gonna go first, I'm gonna use my finger, my trusty finger to help me form my letter and then you're gonna go next.

So I'm gonna say to myself, ready, line, go to start my O.

For my lead in, I go all the way up to the x-height line and then I'm going around in an anticlockwise direction, curling around to the baseline, back up to the top to the x-height line and then I've got my lead out at the x-height line.

Lemme show you again.

Starting at the baseline, ready, line, go.

Lead in, up to the x-height line, anticlockwise down to the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line and lead out.

It's your turn to show me how you can form your pre-cursive O.

Ready, line, go.

Lead in up to the x-height line.

Go anticlockwise, curling around to the baseline, around back up to the x-height line.

Lead out.

One more.

Ready, line, go.

Lead in, up to the x-height line.

Go round anticlockwise down to the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line.

Lead out.

Oh my goodness, I like these Os.

I'm going to show you how to form the pre-cursive letter O.

I'm sitting comfortably and I'm holding my pen in the tripod grip.

I'm going to say to myself ready, line, go.

I'm gonna start here at the baseline with my lead in.

It goes all the way up to the x-height line.

And then I'm going to go in an anticlockwise direction, down, forming a circle down to the baseline.

And then I'm gonna finish at the x-height line and then do my lead out at the x-height line.

Let's try that again.

Ready, line, go.

From the baseline, here's my lead in.

It goes up to the x-height line.

Then I'm going around in an anticlockwise direction to form a circle, touching the baseline, back up to the x-height line and then I'll finish with my lead out.

One more.

Ready, line, go.

Lead in, up to the x-height line, anticlockwise, forming a circle, touching the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line, lead out.

Check for understanding.

Which is the correct formation of the pre-cursive letter O? Take a look at these three Os before you.

Two of them are trying to trick you and one of them is the correct formation.

Choose which is which.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected that first O.

That is indeed the correct formation.

It's got the lead in, it's going all the way around in one movement and then is finishes up at the x-height line with the lead out.

Well done if you selected this one.

For your task, I'd like you to form the pre-cursive letter O.

First of all, go over the grey examples.

Next, try using the starting dot.

And finally, complete two lines independently on your tramlines.

Enjoy every O, stay focused and I'll see you when you're finished.

Pause the video here.

Okay, it's good to be back together again.

So how did it go with the Os? Tell me how you got on.

Did you start on the baseline? Did you remember a lead in? Did you remember a lead out? And remember, this lead out is up at the x-height line.

Did you keep your pencil on the page while you performed each of these pre-cursive letter Os? Well done, everyone.

Circle your best one and celebrate.

Now it's time for us to move on to forming the pre-cursive letter G.

And here it is.

Here's the G right in the centre of our screen.

Let's take a very close look.

What do we see? What do we notice about this pre-cursive G? Pause the video here as you tell someone nearby what can you see? Did you notice these three things? Did you notice the lead in? Did you notice that this letter is a descender? Has part of the letter going beneath the baseline, down to the descender line.

And did you notice that part of that descender, there is a loop, which is forming the lead out.

Really interesting things to notice here.

Let's find out more.

This is the pre-cursive formation of the letter G.

The pre-cursive formation of the letter G has a lead in and it has a lead out.

The pre-cursive letter G has a loop at the end of this descender as the lead out.

So that's something quite special that the G has going for it.

I'm going to have a go at forming the letter G in the air with my finger, then it'll be your turn.

I'm going to start down by the baseline.

I'm gonna say ready, line, go.

There's my lead in and I'm gonna go up to the x-height line.

And then I'm gonna go round, curling around, anticlockwise down to the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line.

I'm gonna come all the way down to the descender line and I'm gonna form a loop which finishes above the baseline.

That was pretty good.

That was quite enjoyable.

Let me try one more.

Ready, line, go.

Lead in, up to the x-height line, anticlockwise, curling around.

Back up to the x-height line, down to the descender line and a loop, which finishes above the baseline, and that's my lead out.

Okay, it is your turn.

Are you ready? Line, go, lead in, up to the x-height line, curling around anticlockwise to the baseline, back up to the x-height line, down to the descender line and loop.

There's our lead out.

One more.

Ready, line, go, lead in to the x-height line.

Let's go anticlockwise, curling around.

Back up to the x-height line, down to the descender line.

And a loop for the lead out.

Those Gs look very, very good.

Well done.

I'm going to show you how to form the pre-cursive letter G.

I'm sitting comfortably and I'm holding my pen in the tripod grip.

I'm going to say to myself, "Ready, line, go." And then I'm gonna start with my lead in from the baseline up to the x-height line.

Then I'm gonna go round in an anticlockwise direction, down to the baseline, back up to the x-height line.

And then I'm go down to the descender line, curl up.

And then I'll make a loop that finishes just above the x-height line as my lead out.

Let's try that again.

Ready, line, go, lead in, up to the x-height line.

I'm gonna go around anticlockwise, down to the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line, all the way down to the descender line and I'm gonna finish with a loop just above the baseline for my lead out.

And let's try one more.

Ready, line, go, lead in, anticlockwise, down to the baseline, up to the x-height line, all the way down to the descender line.

And there's my loop for the lead out.

Check for understanding.

Which is the correct formation of the pre-cursive letter G? Have a look at these three Gs.

One of them is the correct one.

Pause the video while you decide which one this is.

Well done if you selected the first one.

This G has got the lead in and it's got the line going anticlockwise from the x-height line, all the way back down to the baseline, then up to the x-height line.

And it's got that loop, which is our lead out and it finishes just above the baseline.

Well done if you selected this.

For your task, I'd like you to practise forming the pre-cursive letter G.

First of all, go with the grey examples.

Next, try using the starting dot and finally, complete two lines independently on your tramlines.

Enjoy every single letter G, enjoy those loops and just have a great time.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Pause the video here.

How did it go? How did you get on with forming the pre-cursive letter G? I have some questions for you.

Did you start on a baseline? Did you remember a lead in? And did you form a loop at the end of the descender that acts as your lead out? Do have fun and circle your best letter G.

Celebrate.

For the final part of our lesson, we'll be forming the pre-cursive letter Q.

Here it is.

Here's the Q right in the middle of our screen.

Have a very good look at it.

Take a look from every angle.

What can you see? What do you notice about this Q? Pause the video here and tell somebody what can you see? Did you notice these three things? Did you notice the lead in? Did you notice the letter Q has a descender going down below the baseline? Did you notice a diagonal line, which is acting as the lead out? Let's find out more.

This is the pre-cursive formation of the letter Q.

The pre-cursive formation of the letter Q has a lead in and it has a lead out.

Letter Q has a descender.

Remember, descend means to go down, so it's descending down below the baseline.

And the pre-cursive letter Q has a diagonal line from the descender line to the baseline, which is the lead out.

So a lead in is a line, a special line that leads us into our letter.

And usually this lead in, when we move into cursive writing, will be connected to the letter that comes before it.

And our letter here has a lead out.

And a lead out is a line that takes us from this letter, out of it and into the next letter.

So these letters, when we're in cursive writing, they're all joined together.

It's like they're holding hands and the lead ins and the lead outs join together.

And that was what will give us our cursive or joined up writing.

Let's have a go at forming the letter Q in the air.

I'll go first, I'm gonna use my finger.

Then it will be your turn.

I'm gonna start at usual place.

I'm gonna say ready, line, go.

For my lead in, I'm gonna go up to the x-height line and then anticlockwise, round and down to the baseline, back up to the x-height line, all the way down to the descender line and then a diagonal line up to just above the baseline and that's my lead out.

Let's try again.

Ready, line, go.

Lead in.

Go up to the x-height line, come around anticlockwise, down to the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line, all the way down to the descender line and diagonal line up and to the side is my lead out.

Okay, it's your turn.

Are you ready? Line, go.

Lead in, up to the x-height line.

Let's go anticlockwise around to the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line, all the way down to the descender line and a diagonal off to the side.

That's our lead out.

One more.

Ready, line, go.

Lead in, up to the x-height line, anticlockwise down to the baseline.

Back up to the x-height line, down, down, down to the descender line and a diagonal as our lead out.

Those Qs look quite wonderful.

Well done, everybody.

I'm going to show you how to form the pre-cursive letter Q.

I'm sitting comfortably and I'm holding my pen in the tripod grip.

I'm going to say to myself, "Ready, line, go." And then I'll start at the baseline with my lead in.

Go up to the x-height line and I'm gonna go anticlockwise, making a circle.

Come back up to the x-height line, go all the way down to the descender line and then I'll finish with a diagonal line out to the side that finishes just above the x-height line as my lead out.

Let's try that again.

Ready, line, go.

There's my lead in.

There's the anticlockwise circle now.

Back up to the x-height line, down to the descender line and there's my diagonal line out to the side for the lead out.

Let's try one more.

Ready, line, go.

Lead in, anticlockwise, down to the baseline, up to the x-height line, all the way down to the descender line, and there's my diagonal line for the lead out.

Check for understanding.

Which is the correct formation of the pre-cursive letter Q? Have a look at these three Qs.

Hmm, two of them should not really be there, but one is the correct one.

Choose which is which.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected the Q at the end.

This one is the correct Q.

It's got the lead in.

It's sitting in between the x-height line and the descender line, and it's got that lovely diagonal line off to the side, which acts as the lead out.

Great job, everyone for choosing this.

For your task, I'd like you to practise forming the pre-cursive letter Q.

First of all, go over the grey examples.

Next, try using the starting dot.

And finally, complete two lines independently on your tramlines.

Enjoy every Q, stay focused, have fun.

See you when you're finished.

Pause the video here.

So here we are back together again.

I am liking the look of these Qs.

I've got some questions.

Did you start on the baseline? Did you remember a lead in? And how about a lead out? Did you form that diagonal line at the end as the lead out? Did you have fun? Did you stay focused? I hope so.

Choose your best Q, circle it.

Celebrate.

You've done a fantastic job, team.

Well done.

In our lesson, pre-cursive formation of O, G and Q, we have covered the following: the pre-cursive letters O, G, and Q all have a lead in and a lead out.

The pre-cursive letters O, G and Q all start on the baseline.

Letter O is an x-height letter.

The pre-cursive letter G has a loop as its lead out to support a smooth connection to the next letter when writing in cursive.

And the pre-cursive letter Q has a diagonal line at the end as the lead out.

So as you can see, this has been quite an interesting lesson because actually, there's three different kinds of lead outs in this lesson.

So you've really worked hard and you've covered quite a range of things.

So well done.

Hope you're feeling proud of yourselves and I hope you're looking forward to the next lesson as much as I am and I'll see you there.

Bye for now.