Driving Letters

Name: Driving Letters
Brand: Driving Lettershttps://drivingletters.com/

by Driving Lettershttps://drivingletters.com/

ElaGrades Pre-K–1

About This Curriculum

<cite index="11-1,11-2,11-3">Driving Letters is a fun handwriting curriculum for children to learn to print lowercase letters properly on lines with a dotted line through the center. It has two components: the picture book Little Ricky and the Driving Letters and the Toolkit for Driving Letters.</cite>

What makes it unique: <cite index="8-4,13-7">Uses a car and driving theme to make handwriting fun and engaging for children</cite>

Driving Letters: Creative Handwriting Program for Early Learners

Driving Letters is a handwriting-focused curriculum that teaches lowercase letter formation through a car-themed story and activities. The program uses color-coded 'driving clubs' to help Pre-K and Grade 1 students learn proper letter placement on lined paper through games, worksheets, and hands-on practice.

Best for

Pre-K and Grade 1 teachers seeking a creative, game-based approach to teaching handwriting fundamentals, particularly for students who struggle with traditional letter formation methods

Evaluation Criteria

3 strengths · 3 concerns · 2 neutral · 1 insufficient evidence

Teacher TrainingStrength

The curriculum includes detailed implementation guidance and assessment tools.

Provides progress charts, record-keeping sheets, mastery rubrics, and specific instructions for games and activities

Direct InstructionStrength

The curriculum provides structured, explicit instruction for letter formation.

Uses clear visual cues like Start, Stop, and Pause signals, arrows, dotted lines, and step-by-step formation models for each letter

Retrieval PracticeStrength

The program includes games and activities that require students to recall and apply letter formation knowledge.

Features sorting games, movement activities like 'Three Corners for Driving Letter Clubs,' and repeated practice through various formats

Knowledge RichConcern

This is a skills-focused handwriting program rather than a knowledge-building curriculum.

The curriculum focuses exclusively on letter formation and handwriting mechanics through a car-themed approach, without systematic domain knowledge building

Systematic PhonicsConcern

The curriculum does not include phonics instruction, focusing solely on letter formation.

Reviews describe only handwriting practice and letter formation activities, with no mention of letter-sound relationships or decoding instruction

Vocabulary BuildingConcern

Vocabulary instruction is not a component of this handwriting-focused program.

The curriculum concentrates on motor skills and letter formation rather than word knowledge or vocabulary development

Writing InstructionNeutral

The program teaches foundational handwriting mechanics but not broader composition skills.

Includes systematic letter formation instruction with arrows, dotted lines, and proper spacing, but focuses on mechanics rather than writing as communication

Whole Books Vs ExcerptsNeutral

The curriculum includes one complete picture book (Little Ricky and the Driving Letters) as its foundational text.

The program centers around a 20-page illustrated story that introduces the driving club concept, available as PDF, Kindle, or print

Text ComplexityInsufficient Evidence

Text complexity is not applicable as this is primarily a handwriting curriculum.

The single picture book serves as an introduction to concepts rather than as reading material for comprehension development

Sources: cathyduffyreviews.com