Abstract:
The present teachings are directed towards a method of teaching handwriting to a student. The method can include playing a first audio cue from a plurality of different audio cues. Each audio cue can include at least one musical note and can correspond to a specific one of a plurality of letter formation strokes. The method can include instructing the student to perform a first movement in response to the student hearing the first audio cue. The first movement can correspond to a first one of the letter formation strokes.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/047680, filed on Sep. 9, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a system and method for teaching handwriting. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
         [0004]    Handwriting generally includes a person holding a writing instrument or utensil (e.g. pen, pencil, stylus, crayon, marker, paintbrush, chalk, etc.) in the person&#39;s hand and manipulating the instrument to mark a writing surface (e.g. paper, chalkboard, canvas, computer screen, etc.) with letters that can make up words and phrases. Handwriting is typically taught by having a student hold the writing utensil and practice marking the letters on the writing surface. 
         [0005]    The letters are typically broken down into specific letter formation strokes or paths that the student can move the writing instrument through to form the letter. For example, the capital letter “D” can be formed by the student making a vertical stroke down, followed by a curved stroke from the top to the bottom. 
         [0006]    Some students, especially younger or developmentally challenged students, can have difficulty controlling the fine motor skills necessary to hold and manipulate the writing instrument. Furthermore, it has been found that children follow a specific progression of line formation as they learn to scribble and write, starting with vertical and horizontal lines, followed by curved lines, and finally diagonal lines. Accordingly, the process of learning handwriting solely through practice with the writing instrument can be difficult, frustrating, and time consuming. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
         [0008]    The present teachings are directed towards a method of teaching handwriting to a student. The method can include playing a first audio cue from a plurality of different audio cues. Each audio cue can include at least one musical note and can correspond to a specific one of a plurality of letter formation strokes. The method can include instructing the student to perform a first movement in response to the student hearing the first audio cue. The first movement can correspond to a first one of the letter formation strokes. 
         [0009]    The present teachings are further directed towards a method of teaching handwriting to a student. The method can include introducing the student to an alphabet letter. The method can include introducing the student to a set of audio cues. Each audio cue can correspond to one of a set of handwriting formational strokes of the alphabet letter and can include at least one musical note. The method can include introducing the student to a set of body movements simultaneously with the set of audio cues. Each body movement can involve at least a whole upper body of the student and can mimic the handwriting formational strokes of the alphabet letter. Each of the audio cues can correspond to one of the body movements. The method can include instructing the student to perform a corresponding one of the body movements when the student hears a corresponding one of the audio cues. The method can include playing the set of audio cues while the student performs the body movements. 
         [0010]    Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is an example of an alphabet, illustrating English letters A-Z in capital and lowercase format; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a chart illustrating a letter learning sequence, letter templates, and letter formation strokes for the capital letters of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a chart illustrating a letter learning sequence, letter templates, and letter formation strokes for the lower case letters of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an example of a musical scale, illustrating musical notes A 3  through A 4 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is an example pairing of musical notes to the letter formation strokes of the capital letters of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6A  is a portion of an example pairing of musical notes to the letter formation strokes of the lowercase letters of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6B  is the remaining portion of the example pairing of  FIG. 6A ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a method of teaching handwriting in flow chart format; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is an example pairing of body movement and musical notes; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is an example pairing of finger movement and musical notes; 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is an example pairing of handwriting and musical notes; 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is an example of a progressive letter template; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is an example of a progressive word template. 
       
    
    
       [0025]    Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         [0027]    The present teachings are directed toward a system and method of teaching handwriting that begins with a student tracing the shape of letters by moving his/her whole body, progresses to the student tracing the shape of the letters by moving only one of his/her arms, and finishes with the student writing the letters on a writing surface with a handwriting instrument. The method matches specific letter formation strokes with specific musical pitch changes to create an auditory correlation between the musical pitch changes and specific spatial movements. The method pairs specific letters with specific letter templates that have landmarks, that do not create the entire letter, to require the student to think about the shape of the letter. Thus, the system and method uses a multi-sensory approach to teaching handwriting. 
         [0028]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , an example of an alphabet  10  is shown. The alphabet  10  can include upper case or capital letters  14  and lower case letters  18 . In the example provided, the alphabet  10  is a modern Roman or Latin alphabet used in the English language. The alphabet  10  can have characters or letters A through Z in the standard alphabetical order of A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z. It is understood that the present teachings can apply to other languages or alphabets. For example, the Spanish, or German languages can include additional letters such as “II” or “B” respectively. In the example provided, the alphabet  10  is shown in a font typical of beginning handwriting, but other styles or fonts of letters can be used. 
         [0029]    With additional reference to  FIG. 2 , each of the capital letters  14  are shown on letter templates generally specific to that letter. Each of the capital letters  14  can be formed using one or more letter formation strokes. These letter formation strokes are described in greater detail below with reference to each of the capital letters  14 . In  FIG. 2 , the capital letters  14  are in an order that groups letters with similar letter formation strokes and are in an order that generally increases with technical handwriting difficulty. Specifically, it has been found that students&#39; coordination with regard to drawing and handwriting generally develops in a specific order. This development generally starts with drawing vertical and horizontal lines, then proceeds to curved shapes, then proceeds to diagonal lines. In the example provided in  FIG. 2 , the capital letters  14  are in the order of L-F-E-T-I-H-D-P-B-O-C-G-J-U-S-Q-R-K-V-Y-A-N-Z-X-M-W, which generally follows the developmental order of learning letters with vertical and horizontal lines first, followed by curved letters, and ending with letters having diagonal components. In one alternative order (not specifically shown), the capital letters  14  can be in the order of L-F-E-D-P-B-R-O-Q-C-G-H-T-I-J-U-S-N-M-K-A-V-W-Y-X-Z. While the preceding orders of the capital letters  14  are given as examples, it is understood that other orders can be used. Additionally, while the following orders of the formation strokes for each letter are given as examples, it is understood that other sequences of the formation strokes can be used. 
         [0030]    The letter L can be formed on an L template  22 L that can include a rectangle  24 , a first dot  26  and a second dot  28 . The rectangle  24  can be oriented such that the longer sides of the rectangle  24  are located on the left and right of the rectangle  24  and the shorter sides are located on the top and bottom of the rectangle  24 . The rectangle is of the size of the proper space (e.g. space on a page of paper or line of text) that the capital letter should take up so as to give a general visual cue or awareness of how large the letter should be and where to stop the letter formation strokes when dots do not specifically provide such cues. In the example provided, the rectangle  24  is lightly shaded without any borders, though other configurations can be used. In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the light shading is represented by cross-hatching. It is understood that the cross-hatching is not actually to be shown as cross-hatching in the rectangle  24  and is only representative of the light shading that makes up or fills the rectangle  24 . The light shading can be any color or degree of shading which allows the dots to be clearly visible, such as light grey for example. 
         [0031]    The first dot  26  can be located in an upper left corner of the rectangle  24 , and the second dot  28  can be located in a lower left corner of the rectangle  24 . The letter L can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 L of the letter L can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 L can start at the second dot  28  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the bottom of the rectangle  24 . 
         [0032]    The letter F can be formed on an F template  22 F that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and a third dot  30 . The third dot  30  can be located at along the left side of the rectangle  24 , linearly between the first and second dots  26 ,  28 . In the example provided, the third dot  30  is located approximately halfway between the first and second dots  26 ,  28 . The letter F can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 F of the letter F can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 F can start at the first dot  26  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the top of the rectangle  24 . A third letter formation stroke  3 F can start at the third dot  30  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the middle of the rectangle  24 . In the example provided, the second and third letter formation strokes  2 F,  3 F have the same length, though other configurations can be used. 
         [0033]    The letter E can be formed on an E template  22 E that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The letter E can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 E of the letter E can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 E can start at the first dot  26  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the top of the rectangle  24 . A third letter formation stroke  3 E can start at the third dot  30  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the middle of the rectangle  24 . A fourth letter formation stroke  4 E can start at the second dot  28  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the bottom of the rectangle  24 . In the example provided, the second, third, and fourth letter formation strokes  2 E,  3 E,  4 E have the same length, though other configurations can be used. 
         [0034]    The letter T can be formed on a T template  22 T that can include the rectangle  24 , and two dots: a fourth dot  32 , and a fifth dot  34 . The letter T can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 T of the letter T can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2 T can start at an upper left corner of the rectangle  24  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the top of the rectangle  24 , through the fourth dot  32 , and to the upper right corner of the rectangle  24 . 
         [0035]    The letter I can be formed on an I template  22 I that can include the rectangle  24 , the fourth dot  32 , and the fifth dot  34 . The letter I can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 I of the letter I can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2 I can start at an upper left corner of the rectangle  24  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the top of the rectangle  24 , through the fourth dot  32 , and to the upper right corner of the rectangle  24 . A third letter formation stroke  3 I can start at the lower left corner of the rectangle  24  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the bottom of the rectangle  24 , through the fifth dot  34 , and to a lower right corner of the rectangle  24 . It is understood that other fonts may omit the first and third letter formation strokes  1 I,  3 I of the letter I. 
         [0036]    The letter H can be formed on an H template  22 H that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The letter H can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 H of the letter H can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 H can start at the upper right corner of the rectangle  24  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the lower right corner of the rectangle  24 . A third letter formation stroke  3 H can start at the third dot  30  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the middle of the rectangle  24 , to the right side of the rectangle  24 . 
         [0037]    The letter D can be formed on a D template  22 D that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , and the second dot  28 . The letter D can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 D of the letter D can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 D can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a tall-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the second dot  28 . 
         [0038]    The letter P can be formed on a P template  22 P that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The letter P can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 P of the letter P can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 P can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the third dot  30 . 
         [0039]    The letter B can be formed on a B template  22 B that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The letter B can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 B of the letter B can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 B can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3 B can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the second dot  28 . 
         [0040]    The letter O can be formed on an O template  22 O that can include the rectangle  24 , the fourth dot  32 , and the fifth dot  34 . The letter O can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 O of the letter O can start at the fourth dot  32  and can proceed in a tall-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the left and back to the right to end at the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2 O can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a tall-curve up motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the fourth dot  32 . 
         [0041]    The letter C can be formed on a C template  22 C that can include the rectangle  24 , the fourth dot  32 , and the fifth dot  34 . The letter C can be formed using one letter formation stroke. A first letter formation stroke  1 C of the letter C can start at the fourth dot  32  and can proceed in a tall-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the left and back to the right to end at the fifth dot  34 . 
         [0042]    The letter G can be formed on a G template  22 G that can include the rectangle  24 , the fourth dot  32 , and the fifth dot  34 . The letter G can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 G of the letter G can start at the fourth dot  32  and can proceed in a tall-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the left and back to the right to end at the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2 G can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a short-line up motion that can end at the middle of the rectangle  24 . A third letter formation stroke  3 G can start horizontally between the end of the second letter formation stroke  2 G (i.e. the middle of the rectangle  24 ) and the first letter formation stroke  1 G and can proceed in a straight, line-across motion horizontally to the right side of the rectangle  24 , intersecting with the end of the second letter formation stroke  2 G. 
         [0043]    The letter J can be formed on a J template  22 J that can include the rectangle  24 , the fourth dot  32 , and the fifth dot  34 . The letter J can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 J of the letter J can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to end at the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2 J can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a bottom curve motion that curves upward in an arc to the left and ends before the middle of the rectangle  24 . A third letter formation stroke  3 J can start at an upper left corner of the rectangle  24  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the top of the rectangle  24 , through the fourth dot  32 , and to the upper right corner of the rectangle  24 . It is understood that other fonts may omit the third letter formation stroke  3 J of the letter J 
         [0044]    The letter U can be formed on a U template  22 U that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , and a sixth dot  36 . The sixth dot  36  can be located in an upper right corner of the rectangle  24 . The letter U can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 U of the letter U can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion down the left side of the rectangle  24 , but ending before the bottom left corner of the rectangle  24 . A second letter formation stroke  2 U can start at the end of the first letter formation stroke  1 U and proceed in a bottom curve motion that curves upward in an arc to the right and ends before the middle of the rectangle  24 . A third letter formation stroke  3 U can start at the end of the second letter formation stroke  2 U and proceed in a straight, tall-line up motion up the right side of the rectangle  24  to end at the sixth dot  36 . 
         [0045]    The letter S can be formed on an S template  22 S that can include the rectangle  24 , the fourth dot  32 , the fifth dot  34 , and a seventh dot  38 . The seventh dot  38  can be located in the center of the rectangle  24 . The letter S can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 S of the letter S can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the left and back to the right to end at the seventh dot  38 . A second letter formation stroke  2 S can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the fifth dot  34 . 
         [0046]    The letter Q can be formed on a Q template  22 Q that can include the rectangle  24 , the fourth dot  32  and the fifth dot  34 . The letter Q can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 Q of the letter Q can start at the fourth dot  32  and can proceed in a tall-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the left and back to the right to end at the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2 Q can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a tall-curve up motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the fourth dot  32 . A third letter formation stroke  3 Q can start proximate to the center of the rectangle  24  and proceed in a straight, small-diagonal motion down and toward the bottom right corner of the rectangle  24 , such that the third letter formation stroke  3 Q crosses the second letter formation stroke  2 Q. The third letter formation stroke  3 Q can end outside of the rectangle  24 . 
         [0047]    The letter R can be formed on an R template  22 R that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The letter R can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 R can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 R can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3 R can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to end at the lower right corner of the rectangle  24 . 
         [0048]    The letter K can be formed on a K template  22 K that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The letter K can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 K of the letter K can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 K can start at the top right corner of the rectangle  24  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3 K can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the bottom right corner of the rectangle  24 . 
         [0049]    The letter V can be formed on a V template  22 V that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the fifth dot  34 , and the sixth dot  36 . The letter V can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 V of the letter V can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion to the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2 V can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal up motion to the sixth dot  36 . 
         [0050]    The letter Y can be formed on a Y template  22 Y that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , the sixth dot  36 , and the seventh dot  38 . the letter Y can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 Y of the letter Y can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the seventh dot  38 . A second letter formation stroke  2 Y can start at the sixth dot  36  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion through the seventh dot  38  and to the second dot  28 . 
         [0051]    The letter A can be formed on an A template  22 A that can include the rectangle  24 , the second dot  28 , the fourth dot  32 , and an eighth dot  40 . The eighth dot  40  can be located in the bottom right corner of the rectangle  24 . The letter A can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 A of the letter A can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 A can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion to the eighth dot  40 . A third letter formation stroke  3 A can start in the middle of the first letter formation stroke  1 A and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion in the middle of the rectangle  24  and end at the middle of the second letter formation stroke  2 A. 
         [0052]    The letter N can be formed on an N template  22 N that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , the sixth dot  36 , and the eighth dot  40 . The letter N can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 N of the letter N can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion along the left side of the rectangle  24  to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 N can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion across the center of the rectangle  24  to the eighth dot  40 . A third letter formation stroke  3 N can start at the eighth dot  40  and proceed in a straight, tall-line up motion along the right side of the rectangle  24  to the sixth dot  36 . 
         [0053]    The letter Z can be formed on a Z template  22 Z that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , the sixth dot  36 , and the eighth dot  40 . The letter Z can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 Z of the letter Z can start at the first dot  26  and proceed to the right in a straight, line-across motion across the top of the rectangle  24  to the sixth dot  36 . A second letter formational stroke  2 Z can start at the sixth dot  36  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion across the center of the rectangle  24  to the second dot  28 . A third letter formation stroke  3 Z can start at the second dot  28  and proceed to the right in a straight, line across motion across the bottom of the rectangle  24  to the eighth dot  40 . 
         [0054]    The letter X can be formed on an X template  22 X that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , the sixth dot  36 , and the eighth dot  40 . The letter X can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 X of the letter X can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion across the center of the rectangle  24  to the eighth dot  40 . A second letter formation stroke  2 X can start at the sixth dot  36  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion across the center of the rectangle  24  to the second dot  28 . 
         [0055]    The letter M can be formed on an M template  22 M that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the seventh dot  38 . The letter M can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 M of the letter M can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion down the left side of the rectangle  24  to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2 M can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the seventh dot  38 . A third letter formation stroke  3 M can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal up motion to the top right corner of the rectangle  24 . A fourth letter formation stroke  4 M can start at the end of the third letter formation stroke  3 M (i.e. the top right corner of the rectangle  24 ) and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion down the right side of the rectangle  24  to the bottom right corner of the rectangle  24 . Alternatively, the seventh dot  38  can be replaced with the fifth dot  34  and the second and third letter formation strokes  2 M and  3 M can be straight, tall-diagonal down and straight, tall-diagonal up motions, respectively. 
         [0056]    The letter W can be formed on a W template  22 W that can include the rectangle  24 , the first dot  26 , the fourth dot  32 , and a ninth dot  42 . The ninth dot  42  can be located vertically along the bottom side of the rectangle  24  and horizontally equidistant from the first dot  26  and the fourth dot  32 . The letter W can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1 W of the letter W can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion to the ninth dot  42 . A second letter formation stroke  2 W can start at the ninth dot  42  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal up motion to the fourth dot  32 . A third letter formation stroke  3 W can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion to end at the bottom side of the rectangle  24  and horizontally equidistant from the fourth dot  32  and the top right corner of the rectangle  24 . A fourth letter formation stroke  4 W can start at the end of the third letter formation stroke  3 W and proceed to the top right corner of the rectangle  24 . 
         [0057]    With additional reference to  FIG. 3 , each of the lower case letters  18  are shown on letter templates specific to that letter. Each of the lower case letters  18  can be formed using one or more letter formation strokes. These letter formation strokes described in greater detail below with reference to each of the lower case letters  18 . In  FIG. 3 , the lower case letters  18  are in an order that groups letters with similar letter formation strokes and are in an order that generally increases with technical handwriting difficulty. In the example provided in  FIG. 3 , the lower case letters  18  are in the order of l-i-t-h-n-m-r-b-f-c-o-a-d-g-q-p-j-e-s-u-v-w-x-z-y-k. In one alternative order, the lower case letters  18  can be in the order l-i-t-h-n-m-r-b-f-c-o-a-d-g-q-p-j-e-s-u-v-w-x-z-y-k. While the preceding orders of the lower case letters  18  are given as examples, it is understood that other orders can be used. Additionally, while the following orders of the formation strokes for each letter are given as examples, it is understood that other sequences of the formation strokes can be used. 
         [0058]    The letter I can be formed on an I template  22 I that can include a rectangle  24 I, the first dot  26  and the second dot  28 . The rectangle  24 I can be similar to the rectangle  24  used with the capital letters  14  in  FIG. 2 , except as shown and described herein. More specifically, since the proper space needed for the letter I is less than that of the rectangle  24 , the rectangle  24 I can be narrower than rectangle  24 . The full size of rectangle  24  relative to rectangle  24 I is shown in dashed lines. The rectangle  24 I can also include a light dotted line that spans the entire rectangle  24 I horizontally across the center of the rectangle  24 I. The horizontal light dotted line provides a visual cue as to the middle of the rectangle  24 I. The letter I can be formed using one letter formation stroke. A first letter formation stroke  1 I of the letter I can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the second dot  28 . 
         [0059]    The letter i can be formed on an i template  22   i  that can include a rectangle  24   i,  the seventh dot  38 , and the fifth dot  34 . The rectangle  24   i  can be similar to the rectangle  24 I except as shown and described herein. More specifically, the rectangle  24   i  can be centered around the seventh dot  38 . The full size of rectangle  24  relative to rectangle  24   i  is shown in dashed lines. The letter i can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   i  of the letter i can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2   i  can be a dot or point located directly above the first letter formation stroke  1   i  and between the top of the rectangle  24   i  and the seventh dot  38 . 
         [0060]    The letter t can be formed on a t template  22   t  that can include a rectangle  24   t,  the fourth dot  32 , the fifth dot  34 , and the seventh dot  38 . The rectangle  24   t  can be similar to the rectangle  24   i.  The letter t can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   t  of the letter t can start at the fourth dot  32  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2   t  can start on the left side of the rectangle  24   t,  vertically aligned with the seventh dot  38 , and proceed right in a straight, line-across motion near the top, that passes through the seventh dot  38  and to the right side of the rectangle  24   t.    
         [0061]    The letter h can be formed on an h template  22   h  that can include a rectangle  24   h,  the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The rectangle  24   h  can be similar to the rectangle  24  used with the capital letters  14  in  FIG. 2 , except as shown and described herein. More specifically, since the proper space needed for the letter h is less than that of the rectangle  24  and greater than that of rectangle  24 I, the rectangle  24   h  can be narrower than rectangle  24 , but wider than rectangle  24 I. The full size of rectangle  24  relative to rectangle  24   h  is shown in dashed lines. The rectangle  24   h  can also include the light dotted line that spans the entire rectangle  24   h  horizontally across the center of the rectangle  24 I. The letter h can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   h  of the letter h can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion through the third dot  30  and to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2   h  can start at the second dot  28  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion to the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3   h  can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a top-curve motion at the middle of the rectangle  24   h  that arcs up and then back down. A fourth letter formation stroke  4   h  can start at the end of the third letter formation stroke  3   h  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the bottom right corner of the rectangle  24   h.    
         [0062]    The letter n can be formed on an n template  22   n  that can include a rectangle  24   n,  the second dot  28 , the third dot  30 , and the fifth dot  34 . The rectangle  24   n  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter n can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   n  can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2   n  can start at the second dot  28  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion and end just below the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3   n  can start at the end of the second letter formation stroke  2   n  and proceed in a top-curve motion at the middle of the rectangle  24   n  that arcs up and then back down. A fourth letter formation stroke  4   n  can start at the end of the third letter formation stroke  3   n  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the lower right corner of the rectangle  24   n  to end at the fifth dot  34 . 
         [0063]    The letter m can be formed on an m template  22   m  that can include a rectangle  24   m,  the second dot  28 , the third dot  30 , and the fifth dot  34 . The rectangle  24   m  can be similar to the rectangle  24 , except as shown and described herein. In the example provided, the rectangle  24   m  can take up the same space as the rectangle  24  but can include the horizontal dotted line across the middle of the rectangle  24   m.  The letter m can be formed in seven letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   m  of the letter m can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2   m  can start at the second dot  28  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion and end just below the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3   m  can start at the end of the second letter formation stroke  2   m  and proceed in a top-curve motion at the middle of the rectangle  24   m  that arcs up and then back down to the right to end at the center of the rectangle  24   m.  A fourth letter formation stroke  4   m  can start at the end of the third letter formation stroke  3   m  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the fifth dot  34 . A fifth letter formation stroke  5   m  can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion and end vertically just below the third dot  30  (i.e. at the end of the third letter formation stroke  3   m.  A sixth letter formation stroke  6   m  can start at the end of the fifth letter formation stroke  5   m  and proceed in a top-curve motion at the middle of the rectangle  24   m  that arcs up and then back down to the right at the right side of the rectangle  24   m.  A seventh letter formation stroke  7   m  can start at the end of the sixth letter formation stroke  6   m  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion along the right side to the bottom right corner of the rectangle  24   m.    
         [0064]    The letter r can be formed on an r template  22   r  that can include a rectangle  24   r,  the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The rectangle  24   r  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter r can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   r  of the letter r can begin at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, line-down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2   r  can begin at the second dot  28  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion and end just below the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3   r  can start at the end of the second letter formation stroke  2   r  and proceed in a top-curve motion at the middle of the rectangle  24   r  that arcs up and then back down to the right to end at the center of the rectangle  24   r.    
         [0065]    The letter b can be formed on a b template  22   b  that can include a rectangle  24   b,  the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the third dot  30 . The rectangle  24   b  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter b can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   b  can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2   b  can start at the second dot  28  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion to end just below the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3   b  can start at the end of the second letter formation stroke  2   b  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that curves in an arc toward the right and back to the left to end at the second dot  28 . 
         [0066]    The letter f can be formed on an f template  22   f  that can include a rectangle  24   f,  the second dot  28 , the third dot  30 , a tenth dot  44 , and an eleventh dot  45 . The rectangle  24   f  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The tenth dot  44  can be located horizontally in line with the second and third dots  28 ,  30 , and can be vertically approximately half-way between the third dot  30  and the top of the rectangle  24   f.  The eleventh dot  45  can be located in the upper right corner of the rectangle  24   f.  The letter f can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   f  of the letter f can start at the eleventh dot  45  and proceed in a top-curve motion at the top of the rectangle  24   f  that proceeds in a straight line to the left, then curves downward to the tenth dot  44 . A second letter formation stroke  2   f  can start at the tenth dot  44  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the second dot  28 . A third letter formation stroke  3   f  can start left of the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, line-across motion across near the top, that proceeds toward the right of the rectangle  24   f , passing through the third dot  30  and ending slightly to the right of the third dot  30 . 
         [0067]    The letter c can be formed on a c template  22   c  that can include a rectangle  24   c,  the fifth dot  34 , and the seventh dot  38 . The rectangle  24   c  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter c can be formed using one letter formation stroke. A first letter formation stroke  1   c  of the letter c can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs to the left and back to the right to the fifth dot  34 . 
         [0068]    The letter o can be formed on an o template  22   o  that can include a rectangle  24   o,  the fifth dot  34 , and the seventh dot  38 . The rectangle  24   o  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h  except as shown and described herein. More specifically, the rectangle  24   o  can be centered about the seventh dot  38 . The letter o can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   o  of the letter o can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs to the left and back to the right to the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2   o  can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a short-curve up motion that arcs to the right and back to the left to the seventh dot  38 . 
         [0069]    The letter a can be formed on an a template  22   a  that can include a rectangle  24   a,  the eighth dot  40 , and twelfth dot  46 . The rectangle  24   a  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h  except as shown and described herein. More specifically, the rectangle  24   a  can be positioned such that the eighth dot  40  is located in the lower right corner of the rectangle  24   a.  The twelfth dot  46  can be located at the middle of the right side of the rectangle  24   a,  above the eighth dot  40 . The letter a can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   a  of the letter a can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs to the left and back to the right to end at the eighth dot  40 . A second letter formation stroke  2   a  can start at the eighth dot  40  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion to the twelfth dot  46 . A third letter formation stroke  3   a  can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the eighth dot  40 . 
         [0070]    The letter d can be formed on a d template  22   d  that can include a rectangle  24   d,  the sixth dot  36 , the eighth dot  40 , and the twelfth dot  46 . The rectangle  24   d  can be similar to the rectangle  24   a.  A first letter formation stroke  1   d  of the letter d can start at the sixth dot  36  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the eighth dot  40 . A second letter formation stroke  2   d  can start at the eighth dot  40  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion to the twelfth dot  46 . A third letter formation stroke  3   d  can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs to the left and back to the right to the eighth dot  40 . 
         [0071]    The letter g can be formed on a g template  22   g  that can include a rectangle  24   g,  the eighth dot  40 , the twelfth dot  46 , a thirteenth dot  48 , and a line  50 . The rectangle  24   g  can be similar to the rectangle  24   d  except as shown and described herein. More specifically, the rectangle  24   g  can extend below the rectangle  24   d.  The thirteenth dot  48  can be located horizontally in line with the eighth dot  40  and the twelfth dot  46  and vertically between the eighth dot  40  and the bottom of the rectangle  24   g.  The line  50  can be a solid horizontal line that passes through the eighth dot  40  and extends across the whole rectangle  24   g.  The letter g can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   g  of the letter g can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs to the left and back to the right to the eighth dot  40 . A second letter formation stroke  2   g  can start at the eighth dot  40  and proceed in a straight, line-up motion to the twelfth dot  46 . A third letter formation stroke  3   g  can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion below the line  50  and to the thirteenth dot  48 . A fourth letter formation stroke  4   g  can start at the thirteenth dot  48  and proceed in a low bottom-curve motion that arcs down toward the left and back up to end below the line  50 . 
         [0072]    The letter q can be formed on a q template  22   q  that can include a rectangle  24   q,  the eighth dot  40 , the twelfth dot  46 , the thirteenth dot  48 , and the line  50 . The rectangle  24   q  can be similar to the rectangle  24   g.  The letter q can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   q  of the letter q can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs to the left and back to the right to the eighth dot  40 . A second letter formation stroke  2   q  can start at the eighth dot  40  and proceed in a straight, line-up motion to the twelfth dot  46 . A third letter formation stroke  3   q  can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to end below the line  50  at the thirteenth dot  48 . A fourth letter formation stroke  4   q  can start at the eighth dot  40  and proceed in a bottom-curve motion that arcs down and back up to the right to end below the line  50 . 
         [0073]    The letter p can be formed on a p template  22   p  that can include a rectangle  24   p,  the second dot  28 , the third dot  30 , a fourteenth dot  52 , and the line  50 . The rectangle  24   p  can be similar to the rectangle  24   g  except as shown and described herein. More specifically, the rectangle  24   g  can be horizontally positioned such that the second and third dots  28 ,  30  are positioned along the left side of the rectangle  24   p.  The fourteenth dot  52  can be located horizontally in line with the second dot  28  and the third dot  30  and vertically between the second dot  28  and the bottom of the rectangle  24   p.  The letter p can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   p  of the letter p can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down below the line  50  motion to end at the fourteenth dot  52 . A second letter formation stroke  2   p  can start at the fourteenth dot  52  and proceed in a straight, tall-line up motion to the third dot  30 . A third letter formation stroke  3   p  can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs to the right and back to the left to end at the second dot  28 . 
         [0074]    The letter j can be formed on a j template  22   j  that can include a rectangle  24   j,  the eighth dot  40 , the twelfth dot  46 , the thirteenth dot  48 , and the line  50 . The rectangle  24   j  can be similar to the rectangle  24   g.  The letter j can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   j  of the letter j can start at the twelfth dot  46  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion below the line  50 , through the eighth dot  40  and to the thirteenth dot  48 . A second letter formation stroke  2   j  can start at the thirteenth dot  48  and proceed in a bottom-curve motion that arcs toward the left, down and back up, remaining below the line  50 . A third letter formation stroke  3   j  can be a dot or point formed horizontally in line with the first letter formation stroke  1   j  and vertically above the twelfth dot  46 . 
         [0075]    The letter e can be formed on an e template  22   e  that can include a rectangle  24   e,  the fifth dot  34 , a fifteenth dot  54 , a sixteenth dot  56 , and a seventeenth dot  57 . The rectangle  24   e  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h . The fifteenth dot  54  can be located horizontally in-line with the fifth dot  34  and vertically approximately half-way between the fifth dot  34  and the center of the rectangle  24   e.  The sixteenth dot  56  can be located vertically in line with the fifteenth dot  54  and along the left side of the rectangle  24 . The seventeenth dot  57  can be located in the center of the rectangle  24   e.  The letter e can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   e  of the letter e can start at the sixteenth dot  56  and proceed in a straight, line-across motion to the right to end at the fifteenth dot  54 . A second letter formation stroke  2   e  can start at the fifteenth dot  54  and proceed in a top-curve motion at the middle of the rectangle  24   e  that arcs up toward the left to the seventeenth dot  57 . A third letter formation stroke  3   e  can start at the seventeenth dot  57  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs down to the left, through the sixteenth dot  56 , and back to the right to end at the fifth dot  34 . 
         [0076]    The letter s can be formed on an s template  22   s  that can include a rectangle  24   s,  the fifth dot  34 , the seventh dot  38 , and the fifteenth dot  54 . The rectangle  24   s  can be similar to the rectangle  24   o.  The letter s can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   s  of the letter s can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs down toward the left and back to the right to end at the fifteenth dot  54 . A second letter formation stroke  2   s  can start at the fifteenth dot  54  and proceed in a short-curve down motion that arcs down and toward the right and back to the left to end at the fifth dot  34 . 
         [0077]    The letter u can be formed on a u template  22   u  that can include a rectangle  24   u,  the third dot  30 , the fifth dot  34 , and the seventh dot  38 . The rectangle  24   u  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter u can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   u  of the letter u can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the bottom left corner of the rectangle  24   u.  A second letter formation stroke  2   u  can start at the end of the first letter formation stroke  1   u  (i.e. at the bottom left corner of the rectangle  24   u ) and proceed in a bottom-curve motion that curves down and to the right and back up to the fifth dot  34 . A third letter formation stroke  3   u  can start at the fifth dot  34  and proceed in a straight, short-line up motion to the seventh dot  38 . A fourth letter formation stroke  4   u  can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a straight, short-line down motion to the bottom right of the rectangle  24   u.    
         [0078]    The letter v can be formed on a v template  22   v  that can include a rectangle  24   v,  the third dot  30 , the seventh dot  38 , and a nineteenth dot  60 . The rectangle  24   v  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The nineteenth dot  60  can be located vertically along the bottom of the rectangle  24   v  and horizontally half-way between the third and seventh dots  30 ,  38 . The letter v can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   v  of the letter v can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the nineteenth dot  60 . A second letter formation stroke  2   v  can start at the nineteenth dot  60  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal up motion to the seventh dot  38 . 
         [0079]    The letter w can be formed on a w template  22   w  that can include a rectangle  24   w,  the third dot  30 , the seventh dot  38 , and the nineteenth dot  60 . The rectangle  24   w  can be similar to the rectangle  24   m.  The letter w can be formed using four letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   w  of the letter w can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the nineteenth dot  60 . A second letter formation stroke  2   w  can start at the nineteenth dot  60  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal up motion to the seventh dot  38 . A third letter formation stroke  3   w  can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the bottom side of the rectangle  24   w  at a location that is horizontally half-way between the seventh dot  38  and the right side of the rectangle  24   w.  A fourth letter formation stroke  4   w  can start at the end of the third letter formation stroke  3   w  and proceed in a straight, diagonal-up motion to the right side of the rectangle  24   w  to a location that is vertically aligned with the third and seventh dots  30 ,  38 . 
         [0080]    The letter x can be formed on an x template  22   x  that can include a rectangle  24   x,  the second dot  28 , the third dot  30 , the fifth dot  34 , and the seventh dot  38 . The rectangle  24   x  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter x can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   x  of the letter x can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, diagonal-line down motion to the fifth dot  34 . A second letter formation stroke  2   x  can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a straight, diagonal-line down motion to the second dot  28 . 
         [0081]    The letter z can be formed on a z template  22   z  that can include a rectangle  24   z,  the second dot  28 , the third dot  30 , the fifth dot  34 , and the seventh dot  38 . The rectangle  24   z  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter z can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   z  of the letter z can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, line-across motion across the middle of the rectangle  24   z  to the seventh dot  38 . A second letter formation stroke  2   z  can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a straight, diagonal-down motion to the second dot  28 . A third letter formation stroke  3   z  can start at the second dot  28  and proceed in a straight, line-across motion across the bottom of the rectangle  24   z  to the fifth dot  34 . 
         [0082]    The letter y can be formed on a y template  22   y  that can include a rectangle  24   y,  the third dot  30 , the seventh dot  38 , fourteenth dot  52 , the nineteenth dot  60 , and the line  50 . The rectangle  24   y  can be similar to the rectangle  24   p.  The letter y can be formed using two letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   y  of the letter y can start at the third dot  30  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the nineteenth dot  60 . A second letter formation stroke  2   y  can start at the seventh dot  38  and proceed in a straight, tall-diagonal down motion, through the nineteenth dot  60 , and below the line  50  to end at the fourteenth dot  52 . 
         [0083]    The letter k can be formed on a k template  22   k  that can include a rectangle  24   k,  the first dot  26 , the second dot  28 , and the sixteenth dot  56 . The rectangle  24   k  can be similar to the rectangle  24   h.  The letter k can be formed using three letter formation strokes. A first letter formation stroke  1   k  of the letter k can start at the first dot  26  and proceed in a straight, tall-line down motion to the second dot  28 . A second letter formation stroke  2   k  can start at the right side of the rectangle  24   k  at a location that is vertically aligned with the center of the rectangle  24   k  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the sixteenth dot  56 . A third letter formation stroke  3   k  can start at the sixteenth dot  56  and proceed in a straight, short-diagonal down motion to the right side of the rectangle  24   k  to end at the bottom right corner of the rectangle  24   k.    
         [0084]    The letter formation strokes and their respective orders described above are examples and are not meant to limit the teachings to exclude minor deviations and/or re-ordering of the letters or letter formation strokes from those described above. 
         [0085]    With additional reference to  FIG. 4 , an example of a musical notation  400  is shown including notes in ascending pitch order: G 3    410 , A 3    412 , B 3    414 , C 4    416 , D 4    418 , E 4    420 , F 4    422 , G 4    424 , and A 4    426  on a staff  450 . It is understood that additional notes can be used, such as additional notes (not specifically shown) having a higher pitch than the A 4  note  426  or a lower pitch than the A 3  note  412  for example. It is also understood that half-step notes can be used, such as sharps or flats for example. The notes are shown as quarter notes only for illustration purposes and it is understood that different time durations (e.g. eighth notes, half notes, whole notes, etc.) can be used. 
         [0086]    With additional reference to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 A and  6 B, example pairings of musical notes to the letter formation strokes of the capital letters  14  and lower case letters  18 , respectively discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , are shown. Generally, vertical downward motions are paired with descending pitches, vertical upward motions are paired with ascending pitches, diagonal downward motions are paired with descending pitches that change more quickly than vertical downward motions, diagonal upward motions are paired with ascending pitches that change more quickly than vertical upward motions, curves are paired with sliding notes, and horizontal lines are paired with single notes. 
         [0087]    In the example provided, tall-line down motions (e.g.  1 B,  1 D,  1 E,  1 F,  1 H,  3 H,  1 I,  1 J,  1 K,  1 L,  1 M,  4 M,  1 N,  1 P,  1 R,  1 T,  1 U,  1   b,    3   d,    2   f,    1   h ,  1   k,    1   l ,  1   t ) are paired to a pitch change from G to C, though other descending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note G 4    424  is played, followed directly by the note C 4    416  in the case of letter formation strokes  1 L,  1 T,  21 ,  1 D,  1 J,  1 U,  1 N,  1 M, and  1 I. In the example provided, letters that have subsequent letter formation strokes that start or end at locations in the middle of the tall-line down motion (e.g. the letters F, E, H, P, B, R, K, t, h, b, f, d, k) can include an intermediate note between the G 4    424  and C 4    416  notes. For example, the note G 4    424  is played, followed directly by a note such as E 4    420  to indicate an important middle position, followed directly by note C 4    416 . 
         [0088]    In the example provided, tall-line down motions that go below the line  50  (e.g.  3   g,    1   j,    1   p ,  3   q ) are paired with a pitch change from E to A, though other descending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note E 4    420  is played, followed directly by an intermediate note such as C 4    416 , to indicate an important middle position, followed directly by note A 3    412 . 
         [0089]    In the example provided, tall-line up motions (e.g.  3 N,  3 U,  2   d,    2   p ) are paired to a pitch change from C to G, though other ascending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note C 4    416  is played, followed directly by the note G 4    424 . 
         [0090]    In the example provided, short-line down motions (e.g.  3   a ,  4   h,    1   i,    1   m ,  4   m,    7   m,    1   n,    4   n,    1   r ,  1   u ,  4   u ) are paired with a pitch change from E to C, though other descending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note E 4    420  is played, followed directly by the note C 4    416 . 
         [0091]    In the example provided, short-line up motions (e.g.  2 G,  2   a ,  2   b,    2   g,    2   h,    2   m,    5   m,    2   n,    2   q,    2   r,    3   u ) are paired to a pitch change from C to E, though other ascending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note C 4    416  is played, followed directly by the note E 4    420 . 
         [0092]    In the example provided, tall-diagonal down motions (e.g.  1 A,  2 A,  2 N,  1 V,  1 W,  3 W,  1 X,  2 X,  2 Y,  2 Z) are paired to a pitch change from G to C that is faster than the pitch change for tall-line down motions, though other descending pitch changes can be used. For example, the notes of the tall-line down motion may be whole notes, while the notes of the tall-diagonal down motions may be half or quarter notes. In the example provided, the note G 4    424  is played, followed directly by the note C 4    416 . 
         [0093]    In the example tall-diagonal down motions that go below the line  50  (e.g.  2   y ) are paired to a pitch change from E to A that is faster than the pitch change for tall-line down motions, though other descending pitch changes can be used. For example, the notes of the tall-line down motion may be whole notes, while the notes of the tall-diagonal down motions that go below the line  50  may be half or quarter notes. In the example provided, the note E 4    420  is played, followed directly by the note A 3    412 . 
         [0094]    In the example provided, tall-diagonal up motions (e.g.  2 V,  2 W,  4 W) are paired to a pitch change from C to G that is faster than the pitch change for tall-line up motions, though other ascending pitch changes can be used. For example, the notes of the tall-line up motion may be whole notes, while the notes of the tall-diagonal up motions may be half or quarter notes. In the example provided, the note C 4    416  is played, followed directly by the note G 4    424  in the case of letter formation strokes  2 V,  2 W, and  4 W. 
         [0095]    In the example provided, short-diagonal down motions (e.g.  2 K,  3 K,  2 M,  3 R,  1 Y,  2   k,    3   k,    1   v,    1   w,    3   w,    1   x ,  2   x,    1   y,    2   z ) are paired to a pitch change from G to E, E to C, or from D to C that is faster than the pitch change for tall-line down motions, though other descending pitch changes can be used. For example, the notes of the tall-line down motion may be whole notes, while the notes of the short-diagonal down motions may be half or quarter notes. In the example provided, the note G 4    424  is played, followed directly by the note E 4    420  in the case of letter formation strokes  2 K,  2 M, and  1 Y. In the example provided, the note E 4    420  is played, followed directly by the note C 4    416  in the case of letter formation strokes  3 K,  3 R,  1   v,    1   w,    3   w,    1   x ,  2   x,    1   y,  and  2   z.  In the example provided, the note D 4    418  is played, followed directly by the note C 4    416  in the case of letter formation strokes  3 Q,  2   k  and  3   k.    
         [0096]    In the example provided, short-diagonal up motions (e.g.  3 M,  2   v,    2   w,    4   w ) are paired to a pitch change from C to E or D to E that is faster than the pitch change for tall-line up motions, though other ascending pitch changes can be used. For example, the notes of the tall-line up motion may be whole notes, while the notes of the short-diagonal up motions may be half or quarter notes. In the example provided, the note C 4    416  is played, followed directly by the note E 4    420  in the case of letter formation strokes  3 M,  2   v,    2   w,  and  4   w.    
         [0097]    In the example provided, tall-curve down motions (e.g.  1 C,  2 D,  1 G,  1 O,  1 Q) are paired to a sliding pitch change from G to C, though other descending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note G 4    424  is played and the notes from G 4    424  to C 4    416  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0098]    In the example provided, tall-curve up motions (e.g.  2 O,  2 Q) are paired to a sliding pitch change from C to G, though other ascending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note C 4    416  is played and the notes from C 4    416  to G 4    424  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0099]    In the example provided, short-curve down motions (e.g.  2 B,  3 B,  2 P,  2 R,  1 S,  2 S,  1   a ,  3   b,    1   c ,  1   d ,  3   e,    1   g,    1   o ,  3   p,    1   s ,  2   s ) are paired to a sliding pitch change from E to C, though other descending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note E 4    420  is played and the notes from E 4    420  to C 4    416  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0100]    In the example provided, short-curve up motions (e.g.  2   o ) are paired to a sliding pitch change from C to E, though other ascending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note C 4    416  is played and the notes from C 4    416  to E 4    420  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0101]    In the example provided, line-across motions across the bottom of the rectangle  24  (e.g.  4 E,  3 I,  2 L,  3 Z,  3   z ) are paired with a single, relatively low note such as C 4    416 . 
         [0102]    In the example provided, line-across motions across the middle of the rectangle  24  (e.g.  3 A,  3 E,  3 F,  3 G,  2 H,  1   e ,  1   z ) are paired with a single, relatively mid-pitch note. In the example provided, the single note E 4    420  is played in the case of letter formation strokes  3 A,  3 E,  3 F,  3 G,  2 H, and the single note D 4    418  is played in the case of letter formation strokes  1   e  and  1   z.    
         [0103]    In the example provided, line-across motions across the top of the rectangle  24  (e.g.  2 E,  2 F,  2 I,  3 J,  2 T,  1 Z,  3   f,    2   t ) are paired with a single, relatively high note. In the example provided, the single note G 4    424  is played in the case of letter formation strokes  2 E,  2 F,  21 ,  3 J,  2 T, and  1 Z, and the single note E 4    420  is played in the case of letter formation strokes  3   f  and  2   t.    
         [0104]    In the example provided, top-curve motions located at the middle of the rectangle  24  (e.g.  2   e,    3   h,    3   m,    6   m,    3   n,    3   r ) are paired to a sliding pitch change from G to A and back to G, though other ascending-descending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note G 4    424  is played and the notes from G 4    424  to A 4    426  and back to G 4    424  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0105]    In the example provided, top-curve motions located at the top of the rectangle  24  (e.g.  1   f ) are paired to a sliding pitch change from G to F, though other descending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note G 4    424  is played and the notes from G 4    424  to F 4    422  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0106]    In the example provided, bottom-curve motions (e.g.  2 J,  2 U,  2   u ) are paired to a sliding pitch change from C to B and back to C, though other descending-ascending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note C 4    416  is played and the notes from C 4    416  to B 3    414  and back to C 4    416  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0107]    In the example provided, low bottom-curve motions that go below the line  50  (e.g.  4   g,    2   j,    4   q ) are paired to a sliding pitch change from A to G and back to A, though other descending-ascending pitch changes can be used. In the example provided, the note A 3    412  is played and the notes from A 3    412  to G 3    410  and back to A 3    412  are played in a sliding manner which is commonly indicated by a slide or glissando on musical notation for example. 
         [0108]    In the example provided, dot or point above motions (e.g.  2   i ,  3   j ) are paired with a single, solid note of relatively higher pitch, such as G 4    424  for example. 
         [0109]    Due to the specific number and placement of the dots of each letter template discussed above, the dots act as visual landmarks to support spatial placement of the lines during letter formation strokes. With the exception of a few letters (e.g. V, Y, N, Z, X, I, v, x, z, and y), the dot landmarks also do not create the entire letter (for example like a connect-the-dot or dot-to-dot pattern would). In this way, the learner is required to think in order to create the letter correctly. However, even in the letters such as V, Y, N, Z, X, I, v, x, z, or y, the letter template does not include any directionality or cues as to the sequence for using the dots. Thus, the learner is also required to think in order to create these letters correctly. 
         [0110]    With additional reference to  FIG. 7 , a method  710  of teaching handwriting is shown in flow chart format. The method  710  can include a plurality of steps and is called the “Connect Experience Write” program or CEW. At step  714 , and with additional reference to  FIG. 8 , a student  810  can be taught, or have reinforced, general spatial concepts such as a top  814 , bottom  818 , left  822 , and right  826  sides of the student&#39;s  810  body. These spatial concepts are important foundational concepts of handwriting. 
         [0111]    At step  714 , an instructor  830  ( FIG. 8 ) can play a first musical song that includes lyrics that state or reinforce the general spatial concepts. The first musical song&#39;s lyrics or the instructor  830  can instruct the student  810  to move his/her body in accordance with the general spatial regions stated in the first musical song&#39;s lyrics. While listening to the first musical song, the student  810  can follow along to the lyrics and perform the movements described by the lyrics. For example, the first musical song can state movements such as shaking, moving, or waving arms in various directions such as at the top  814  of the student&#39;s  810  range of motion, at the bottom  818 , to the left  822 , and to the right  826 . The first musical song can also include other general or broad movements that aid in reinforcement of general spatial concepts. 
         [0112]    The first musical song can teach the student  810  to identify the top  814 , bottom  818 , left  822 , and right  826  of the student&#39;s  810  body. After the general spatial concepts have been adequately reinforced, the method  710  can proceed to step  718 . 
         [0113]    It is understood that the mastering of the spatial concepts may occur quickly (e.g. in a single playing of the first musical song), or more gradually (e.g. taking multiple performances of the first musical song). Depending on the student  810 , mastering the spatial concepts may occur over an extended period of time (e.g. days or weeks), wherein the exercise of listening to and following along with the first musical song can occur periodically. Alternatively, the student  810  may have already learned the general spatial concepts and the step  714  can be skipped or can be used as a refresher or a warm-up to be immediately followed by step  718 . 
         [0114]    At step  718 , the student  810  ( FIG. 8 ) can be taught, or have reinforced, isolation of more specific regions or areas of the student&#39;s  810  body, such as shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers for example. At step  718 , the instructor  830  can play a second musical song that includes lyrics that state or reinforce the more specific areas of the student&#39;s  810  body. The second musical song&#39;s lyrics or the instructor  830  can instruct the student  810  to move these more specific areas of his/her body. While listening to the second musical song, the student  810  can follow along to the lyrics and perform the movements described by the lyrics. For example, the second musical song can state finer movements such as reaching up high, moving arms by flexing and extending of the elbows, making and releasing a fist, or flexing the wrists up and down. 
         [0115]    The second musical song can teach the student  810  to identify and control the more specific parts of his/her body. After the more specific parts and movements have been adequately reinforced, the method  710  can proceed to step  722 . 
         [0116]    It is understood that the mastering of the more specific parts of the student&#39;s  810  body and movements may occur quickly (e.g. in a single playing of the second musical song), or more gradually (e.g. taking multiple performances of the second musical song). Depending on the student  810 , mastering the more specific parts and movements of the student&#39;s  810  body may occur over an extended period of time (e.g. days or weeks), wherein the exercise of listening to and following along with the second musical song can occur periodically. Alternatively, the student  810  may have already learned these parts and movements of their bodies and the step  718  can be skipped or can be used as a refresher or a warm-up to be immediately followed by step  722 . Thus the learning process from spatial concepts at step  714  to more specific movements at step  718  follows a person&#39;s natural coordination development. 
         [0117]    At step  722 , the student  810  ( FIG. 8 ) can be taught to associate specific audio cues and pitch changes with specific, whole body movements that span the whole range of the student&#39;s  810  body, from above the head, to the toes, and as far left and right as the student  810  can reach. Generally, the whole body movements should be similar to the letter formation strokes discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         [0118]    Specifically, at step  722 , one of the letters  14  or  18  ( FIG. 2  or  3 ) can be displayed in front of the student  810  ( FIG. 8 ), such that the student  810  can see the letter throughout the exercises of step  722 . The instructor  830  can then play the audio cues while simultaneously performing the whole body movements in front of the student  810 . The student  810  is instructed to mirror the instructor&#39;s  830  whole body movements while the audio cues are played, thereby activating the brain regions important to learning and associating the movements with the audio cues. 
         [0119]    In the example shown in  FIG. 8 , the instructor  830  and student  810  are performing whole body movements for the letter L. As discussed with reference to  FIG. 2 , the letter L includes a tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L and a line-across the bottom letter formation stroke  2 L. As discussed with reference to  FIG. 5 , the letter L is paired with a set of audio cues  832 . Specifically, the tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L is paired with a G to C pitch change, and the line across the bottom letter formation stroke  2 L is paired with a single note C. 
         [0120]    Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 8 , when the note G  834  is played, the instructor  830  (and the student  810  mirroring the instructor  830 ) holds his/her hands high above his/her head to start at the top of his/her range of motion. As the pitch changes from the G note  834  to the C note  838 , the instructor  830  (and the student  810  mirroring the instructor  830 ) moves his/her body throughout its whole range of motion in a tall-line down motion until his/her hands are near his/her feet. As the next C note  842  is played, the instructor  830  (and the student  810  mirroring the instructor  830 ) move his/her arms along the bottom of his/her body to make a line-across motion. 
         [0121]    In the example provided, the instructor  830  is facing the student  810  and thus move his/her body in the opposite left/right directions from the actual letter formation strokes so that when the student  810  mirrors the instructor&#39;s  830  motions, the student  810  moves in the correct left/right direction. While the example provided shows the instructor  830  facing the student  810  and the student  810  mirroring the instructor  830 , other methods of introducing the audio cues  832  and whole body movements can be used, such as the student  810  watching a video for example. 
         [0122]    While the letter L is used as an example, it is understood that the other letters  14 ,  18  are to be performed similarly with whole body movements that mimic the letter formation strokes discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and paired with the notes described above with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The letters  14 ,  18  can be introduced in the order described above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , which follow the developmental learning patterns of vertical and horizontal lines first, followed by curves, followed by diagonal lines. After the whole body movements have been adequately associated with the audio cues  832 , the method  710  can proceed to step  726 . 
         [0123]    At step  726 , the student  810  ( FIG. 8 ) can be taught to move his/her whole arm (e.g. moving at the shoulder and/or elbow) to the audio cues taught in step  722 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , a large letter template  910  for one of the letters  14 ,  18  can be placed or displayed on a generally vertical surface in front of the student  810 . The large letter template  910  can be similar to the letter templates  22  discussed with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Generally, the audio cue for the letter can be played while the student  810  moves his/her arm to trace the letter formation strokes of that letter on the large letter template  910  with his/her finger  914 . Alternatively, the student  810  can trace the letter formation strokes of that letter on the large letter template  910  with his/her whole hand or multiple fingers if the student cannot isolate his/her individual finger  914 . 
         [0124]    In the example shown in  FIG. 9 , the student  810  is shown performing the arm/finger movements for the letter L. As discussed with reference to  FIG. 2 , the letter L includes a tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L and a line-across the bottom letter formation stroke  2 L. As discussed with reference to  FIG. 5 , the letter L is paired with the set of audio cues  832 . Specifically, the tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L is paired with a G to C pitch change, and the line across the bottom letter formation stroke  2 L is paired with a single note C. 
         [0125]    Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 9 , when the note G  834  is played, the student  810  moves his/her whole arm to point with his/her finger  914  to the top left corner of the large letter template  910 . As the pitch changes from the G note  834  to the C note  838 , the student  810  can move his/her finger  914  vertically down to the lower left corner of the large letter template  910  to form the tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L. As the next C note  842  is played, the student  810  can move his/her finger  914  along the bottom of the large letter template  910  to form the line-across letter formation stroke  2 L. 
         [0126]    While the letter L is used as an example, it is understood that the other letters  14 ,  18  are to be performed similarly on large letter templates with whole arm movements that mimic the letter formation strokes discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and paired with the notes described above with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The letters  14 ,  18  can be introduced in the order described above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , which follow the developmental learning patterns of vertical and horizontal lines first, followed by curves, followed by diagonal lines. After the student  810  has mastered the whole arm movements with the audio cues  832 , the method  710  can proceed to step  730 . 
         [0127]    At step  730 , the student  810  ( FIG. 8 ) can be taught to move his/her hand with a handwriting instrument to the audio cues taught in step  722  and reinforced in step  726 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , a small letter template  1010  for one of the letters  14 ,  18  can be placed or displayed on a generally horizontal surface in front of the student  810 . The small letter template  1010  can be similar to the letter templates  22  discussed with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Generally, the audio cue for the letter can be played while the student  810  moves his/her hand  1014  to write the letter formation strokes of that letter on the small letter template  1010  with a writing instrument  1018  (e.g. a pencil, pen, etc). In this way, the method  710  progresses in the same manner as the student&#39;s  810  natural development by starting with whole body, gross motor movements, continuing to arm movements on a vertical surface, and finishing with handwriting on a horizontal surface. 
         [0128]    In the example shown in  FIG. 10 , the student  810  is shown performing the handwriting movements for the letter L. As discussed with reference to  FIG. 2 , the letter L includes a tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L and a line-across the bottom letter formation stroke  2 L. As discussed with reference to  FIG. 5 , the letter L is paired with the set of audio cues  832 . Specifically, the tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L is paired with a G to C pitch change, and the line across the bottom letter formation stroke  2 L is paired with a single note C. 
         [0129]    Accordingly, as shown in  FIG. 10 , when the G note  834  is played, the student  810  moves his/her hand  1014  to move the writing instrument  1018  to the top left corner of the small letter template  1010 . As the pitch changes from the G note  834  to the C note  838 , the student  810  can move the writing instrument  1018  vertically down to the lower left corner of the small letter template  1010  to write the tall-line down letter formation stroke  1 L. As the next C note  842  is played, the student  810  can move the writing instrument  1018  along the bottom of the small letter template  1010  to write the line-across letter formation stroke  2 L. 
         [0130]    While the letter L is used as an example, it is understood that the other letters  14 ,  18  are to be performed similarly on small letter templates with handwriting movements that follow the letter formation strokes discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and paired with the notes described above with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The letters  14 ,  18  can be introduced in the order described above with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , which follow the developmental learning patterns of vertical and horizontal lines first, followed by curves, followed by diagonal lines. 
         [0131]    With additional reference to  FIG. 11 , an example of a progressive letter template is shown and indicated by reference numeral  1110 . The progressive letter template  1110  can be used in place of the small letter template  1010  ( FIG. 10 ) during step  730  ( FIG. 7 ). The progressive letter template  1110  can include a plurality of small letter templates  22  that can fade away to trigger learning. Additionally or alternatively, the audio cues (e.g. audio cue  832  of  FIG. 8 ) can be faded away to further trigger learning. In the example provided, the progressive letter template  1110  is shown for the letter L and can include a first row  1114 , a second row  1118 , and a third row  1122 , though other configurations can be used. 
         [0132]    The first row  1114  can have one or more L templates  22 L followed by a modified L template  22 L′. The modified L template  22 L′ can include the rectangle  24 ′ similar to rectangle  24 , but can include fewer or no dots (e.g. dots  26  and  28 ). The familiar rectangle  24 ′ but the lack of dots can trigger the learning areas of the brain to allow the student  810  ( FIG. 8 ) to write the letter in the rectangle  24 ′ without the visual cues of the dots. After the modified L template  22 L′, the first row  1114  can have another instance of the regular L template  22 L to reinforce the correct letter formation strokes. The second row  1118  can be a full row of modified L templates  22 L′. The third row can be a blank row without a specific letter template. 
         [0133]    With additional reference to  FIG. 12 , a progressive word template  1210  is shown. The progressive word template  1210  can have letter templates of each letter of a specific word on a row. In the example provided, a first row  1214  has the letter templates  22 E,  22 L, and  22 F to spell the word ELF. In the example provided, a second row  1218  repeats the templates  22 E,  22 L, and  22 F, and a third row  1222  includes modified templates  22 ′ that have the rectangle  24 ′ and no dots. 
         [0134]    The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. 
         [0135]    Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. 
         [0136]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
         [0137]    Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments. 
         [0138]    Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.