The Palmer Method of Business Writing · Lesson 14 · Part 4: First small letters
14. Drill 12: cross-line practice
Goal: Your child makes small o's across the ruled lines with a light, gliding motion.
You'll need
- Wide-ruled lined paper (several sheets)
- A sharp pencil or a smooth gel pen
- The book open at today's page
What's in the book
Lesson 14 is drill 12, small o's made first on the ruled lines, then with the paper turned so that they run across the lines.
The lesson, step by step
Warm up
About three minutes: compact ovals (drill 3), a line of capital A (drill 6) and a line of small o (drill 11). The book asks for this opening at every lesson from here on.
Look at the model
Open the book page. Look at drill 12: rows of small o's with the ruled lines crossing them.
First make the letters on the lines; then turn the paper and make them across.
On the lines
Two lines of small o in groups of five, as in drill 11.
Across the lines
Turn the paper a quarter turn so the ruled lines run up and down, and write rows of small o across them. With no line to sit on, the hand has to glide lightly. Four rows.
Watch for
The hand gliding on the third and fourth fingers, the wrist off the paper, and letters staying small and even.
Gentle check and finish
Hold the page at arm's length. Do the rows look even? Finish by writing "too" or "moo" on a normal line.
Afterwards
Cross-line practice is a good change whenever the hand feels stiff.