The Palmer Method of Business Writing · Lesson 20 · Part 4: First small letters

20. Drill 20: small e

Goal: Your child writes connected small e's as tall as small o, in groups of five.

⏱ About 12 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗ 🖨 Copywork sheet

You'll need

  • Wide-ruled lined paper (several sheets)
  • A sharp pencil or a smooth gel pen
  • The book open at today's page
  • A watch, clock or phone timer that shows seconds (only for the optional speed check)

What's in the book

Lesson 20 is drill 20, small e in groups of five, with the advice to compare it with rows of small o and m.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Three to five minutes: compact ovals (drill 3), a line of small o (drill 11) and a line of small m (drill 14). This is the book's daily opening from now on.

    Also review the m and n of Lesson 19.

  2. Look at the model

    Open the book page. Look at drill 20: rows of tiny e's, each with a small, clear loop. They are only one-sixteenth of an inch tall, the same as o and m.

  3. Groups of five

    The count for small e in groups of five, is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

    Four lines.

    Optional speed target: twenty-eight groups, or one hundred and forty letters, a minute.

  4. Compare the heights

    Make one row of o's and one row of m's just under a row of e's. All three should be the same height.

  5. Watch for

    A loop that is open but small. A closed loop looks like i; a big loop looks like l.

  6. Gentle check and finish

    Find the best group of five e's. Finish by writing "time", "nine" or "meet".

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