Formation of e, s and f

I can form the letters e, s and f.

New

Year 1

I can form the letters e, s and f.

Slide deck

The letters e and s are x-height letters.
The letter is e is formed by "going across and around".
The letter s is formed by "starting at the top, curling up and around and back round again".
The letter f "starts by curling up, straight down and curls up just above the descender line".
The letter f has a cross on the x-height line

Direction of movement for the s and e can be challenging.

Use the clock in the classroom to remind children of the anti-clockwise direction. Put arrows on the children's page to support.

X-height letter - letters that reach the middle height on the line
X-height line - this is the line that x-height letters go up to
Baseline - this is the line that most letters sit on
Ascender line - the line above the x-height line which most letters with ascenders reach up to
Anti-clockwise - moving or going in the opposite direction of a clock's hands

Lots of modelling of the letter s will be required. Practising curved writing patterns frequently will support the formation of these letters.

Teacher tip

Adult supervision required

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