Casey the Caterpillar PLD

Introduction

Step 1: Oral

Step 2: Auditory

Step 3: Motor

Step 4: Oral and Auditory

Step 5: Auditory, Visual and Motor

Step 6: Motor - Connecting Shapes

Step 7: Letter Recognition and Formation

Step 8: Writing and Reading

Step 9: Practice on Paper

Introduction
Casey the Caterpillar works for any type of script, anywhere in the world. If, fo example, linking is being
taught, then the letters can include entry/exit loops and flicks, e.g.:

The names used for the letter shapes remain constant, no matter what script is being taught. The letter ​d​ is
formed with an open mouth and tall stick irrespective of how it “looks”:

Practice sheets need to be used to make the transition from large boards to paper, and from large
movements to smaller ones.

Reversals are not a part of normal development, they are caused by confusion!
There should only be 3 fingers on the pencil. Any more than this, or if they are moving their whole are when
they are colouring, then they are NOT ready for handwriting. Watch the video VTS_10_1.VOB for how to
put dots on children’s fingers to help with correct pencil grip.

learningskills4kids.com​ for Casey the Caterpillar resources. The Magic Caterpillar ​activity games/pack
looks good!
Step 1: Oral
Tell story of the butterfly, focussing on:
● Language
● Starting point
● Left to right
● Down the page

Draw a tall tree with a gate at the bottom, to the left. Tell the story:
One day, a butterfly flew into Mataura School, and landed on the gate. ​[gate is closed]​ She was
looking for a nice place to lay her eggs. [​ Draw the tree, with three horizontal lines coming out and
leaves on top of each line.] ​She was waving her feelers in the breeze and looking for a safe place to
lay her eggs. The end of the branch isn’t a safe place. She decided to lay her egg right here: ​[Draw
a coloured-in dot where the top branch meets the trunk.]

The birds won’t see it here. The butterfly laid her egg, then flew away. ​[Rub out the caterpillar.]​ After
a little while a caterpillar came out, and it had an open mouth because it was very hungry.

[Have Ss raise their left hands and make an “open mouth” C shape, and go “munch munch munch
munch” along the line. This is ​crucial​ for directionality. Every time you say open mouth, you want
them all to automatically hold up their left hands in a C.]

As the caterpillar walked along the branch, she got bigger and fatter. Her open mouth looked like
this all the way. And she never, ever turns round and goes the other way, because if she did what
would she have to eat? Nothing!
You’ll kill the caterpillar if you do it this way! ​[Have Ss hold up their right hand in a C shape, then
push it down and say “No caterpillar, you can’t walk that way!”, emphasise that the caterpillar will die
if it walks the wrong way along the branch.]

Munch munch munch munch, juicy green leaves for my lunch. Oh my goodness, now she’s a big fat
caterpillar. ​[Rub out all the leaves on the first branch, draw a bigger caterpillar with the same open
mouth at the end of the branch.]
 Now she’s feeling very sleepy, so she has to build a chrysalis out on this twig. Can you build
yourself a chrysalis? ​[Together mime wrapping yourself up, then go to sleep.] ​Now push yourself out
and pull that chrysalis all the way down. ​[Mime pushing outwards with hands all the way around,
then pulling chrysalis from above head and down.] ​Dry your wings and go for a fly around the
classroom… now butterflies come back, and sit on your gate that’s closed.

She waves her feelers in the breeze and says “I need somewhere to lay my egg.”

​ his teaches where to start on line, it teaches left to right, and it teaches
Repeat the story three times.​ T
going to the next line and back to the starting point. The tree is the margin, the branches are the lines.

Step 2: Auditory
Read Casey the Caterpillar story to:
● Familiarise Ss with the story
● Develop recognition of shapes
● Establish labels for the shapes

Casey the Caterpillar isn’t a shared book, it’s part of the handwriting programme and should be used during
handwriting time.

Have Ss join in with actions:

● Feelers
● Open mouth
● Fatter

Illicit Ss to name important shapes in the story, e.g.

● Tall stick
● Tunnel
● Short stick
● Stick hanging down
● Gumnut cup
● Ladybird spots
● Grasshopper legs
● Possum tail
These characters will later be used in writing.

Step 3: Motor
Using individual boards, Ss draw the tree, branch, and an egg at the start of each one. This does the
following:
● Firmly established left to right
● Consolidates the starting point
● Encourages verbalisation of the process

Chalk boards are best, as they have drag that gives sensory feedback, promote large arm movements (not
fine motor finger movements), and allow quick and easy corrections. Lastly, students can ​only​ use three
fingers to hold a small piece of chalk, which is crucial!
Buy chalk boards from ​https://learningskills4kids.com/

Step 4: Oral and Auditory

Retell the story connecting it to Casey the Caterpillar, drawing the shapes on the branches. Ss label the
shapes. Focus is on:
● Recognising and naming the shapes
● Recognising where the shapes are drawn in relation to the branch
● Locating shapes in names and words

Draw the gate, tree and branches again. As Casey walks along the branch, she makes the shapes from the
story. Prompt Ss with questions like ​What shape is this? ​ when you draw a c, expect answer “open mouth”.
This is what the shapes will look like; note the placement of the ladybird spot:

There are two shapes that aren’t in the story, which are the sloping sticks.

Focus on where the shapes are in relation to the branch. Talk about how only the possum tail and the
hanging stick go below the branch/line. Draw a “broken branch” and discuss how only the tall stick, the
feeler and the ladybird dot go above the broken stick.
Write children’s names up on the board and identify all the different shapes from the story in their names.
Focus on one or two shapes from the story at a time.

Who has a tall stick in their name? [​ Look for students to suggest their own names. Write child’s name on a
stick.]

Has Sarah got a tall stick in their name? Sarah, where’s your tall stick? ​[Chils comes up and points out
where their tall stick is.]
During Shared Writing, make sure that you draw the branches on the page.

​ s come up and
In this word here, can anyone find a tall stick? Can anyone find a tall stick and a twig? S
circle what they find.

Step 5: Auditory, Visual and Motor

Students draw a tree trunk, branch, and egg. They draw the basic shapes with a focus on correct size and
position in relation to each other and the line. Focus is on automaticity, in this order:
1. Tall stick, short stick, open mouth, tunnel, unfinished tunnel, twig and spot, ​then
2. Possum tail, gate that is closed, cup, hanging stick, ​then
3. Feeler, snake shape, twirly vine, sloping sticks.

Students have their own small chalkboards. Could also use their maths books. The benefit of a mini
chalkboard is that mistakes can be rubbed out.
Focus on ensuring that Ss are starting from the correct place, e.g. at the top of the feeler, not the bottom.

Teach tall stick and short stick together, so that they can see the difference. Can draw a “broken branch” so
that the size is correct.

Teach them the patterns, using the language of the programme, e.g. open mouth, feeler, Sammy snake.
Once they can draw these shapes automatically, e.g. “Do this patter for me: tall stick tunnel, tall stick,
tunnel”, and it is absolutely instant and correct, then you are ready for the next step.

Step 6: Motor - Connecting Shapes

Students connect shapes in the following order:
1. c, a, d, l, t, i, m, n, h, e, o, r, s
2. g, b, p, u, y, q
3. k, w, v, x, z

NB: at this point, letter’s names are not being taught.

The teacher demonstrates the shapes and says “Draw an open mouth, short stick.”

Say “OK, you’re pretty good at this now! So don’t lift your hand.” You may hold a child’s hand to ensure that
they don’t lift their hand.

Step 7: Letter Recognition and Formation

Forming and naming letters - introduce letter names and sounds as the shapes are connected and as
phonological and phonemic awareness develops.
1. c, a, d, l, t, i, m, n, h, e, o, r, s
2. g, b, p, u, y, q
3. k, w, v, x, z

Games you can play:

 ● “I’m thinking of a letter and it is a short stick, tunnel. What letter am I thinking of?” (n)
● Students tell the teacher how to write letters. The teacher says “I want to write a ​t.​ What shapes
should I use?”

Introduce letter names when Ss know the sounds of the letters, i.e. phonemic awareness:
● “Can you hear ​k​ in stick? Can you hear ​k i​ n spoon?” Holding items up and putting them in different
piles depending on whether the sound is in their name or not.
Ss also need the visual skills, e.g. they can identify the odd one out in the list nhn or n[backwards n]n

Put a letter “a” on a stick. Say “I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, this is A. Have you got this letter
in your name/book?”

Can link this with your phonics programme.

Steps at this stage:

1. Introduce letter.
2. Talk about what shapes make the letter.
3. Write the letter on the board.
4. Children write the letter on their boards, saying the shapes as they form the letters correctly, and
saying its name.
5. Then link to listening skills/sounds.
6. Use games (see above) to reinforce.

Step 8: Writing and Reading

Recognising letters in words, and writing letters and words:
● Dictate shapes for letters and words. Students write on own chalk boards initially, e.g. own name,
the, I, am, in, to, my, mum, dad, we, went, look, like
● Students find shapes and letters in words in written material

Play games that connect writing and reading, e.g.:

● “There’s a letter A in this word. Who can find it? Yes, there it is. How do you make it. That’s right,
open mouth, short stick.”
● “In this word here, there’s a hanging stick, gate, close it. What letter am I talking about? It’s a P.”
 ● “Who can find this word, it’s on this page. It’s a tall stick, twig, long stick tunnel, twig open mouth.
What word are you looking for? THE! Can you find it?”

Children can be writing with a pencil at this stage.

Step 9: Practice on Paper

Using the worksheets:
● Practice sheets have 2 sizes of lines
● They review the total process - smaller and on paper, and using a pencil
● Introduce the students to the practice sheets in the size that their fine motor coordination best suits
● Use the sheets for daily handwriting practice, or to practice letter formations that are not well
consolidated.

The worksheets are grouped by the starts, e.g. short stick starts, open mouth starts.

Students are now writing in proper handwriting books. When they have consolidated the skills, you no
longer need to teach handwriting!

There should be no letter reversals.

This can be used as a remedial programme, as well as for beginning writers.