New
New
Year 1

Introduction to skills and patterns

I can sit comfortably and hold a pencil ready for handwriting.

New
New
Year 1

Introduction to skills and patterns

I can sit comfortably and hold a pencil ready for handwriting.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Sitting position is important for handwriting.
  2. A comfortable pencil grip can make handwriting easier.
  3. It takes practice to be able to form a letter correctly.
  4. Handwriting patterns can help prepare to form letters.
  5. There are some letter formations that require you to lift the pencil to add a dot or a cross.

Common misconception

Many children will not securely use the correct pencil grip.

Ensure to spend sufficient time checking children's pencil grip and intervening where they need extra support.

Keywords

  • Sitting position - the way we sit when writing, with our feet on the ground, back straight, and our body balanced and comfortable in a chair

  • Letter formation - the way we make each letter, starting at the top and following the correct path to create the shape of the letter.

  • Pencil grip - how we hold the pencil with our fingers, making sure it feels comfortable and steady in our hand.

  • Tripod grip - a special way of holding the pencil with three fingers (thumb, index, and middle fingers) that helps us write smoothly and with control.

  • Tramlines - straight, parallel lines that we can use as a guide to help us write neatly and keep our letters the same size.

Spending time securing the pre-requisites for handwriting is important. The aspects covered in this lesson will be significant in all subsequent lessons.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Select the two examples of the letter h from the letters below.
r
a
m
Correct answer: h
Correct answer: h
Q2.
Select the two examples of the letter c from the letters below.
k
Correct answer: c
e
l
Correct answer: c
Q3.
Select the letter z from the letters below.
o
y
Correct answer: z
r
w
Q4.
Match the lower case letters to the upper case letters.
Correct Answer:c,C

C

Correct Answer:t,T

T

Correct Answer:v,V

V

Correct Answer:p,P

P

Correct Answer:i,I

I

Q5.
Order these letters of the alphabet.
1 - a
2 - b
3 - c
4 - d
5 - e
6 - f
7 - g
Q6.
Tick the two directions which we write onto a page.
Correct answer: top to bottom
bottom to top
Correct answer: left to right
right to left

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