The Palmer Method of Business Writing · Lesson 49 · Part 8: w, x, v, h, y, J and I
45. Drill 54: the reverse oval and capital J
Goal: Your child makes reverse ovals and swings from them into capital J, starting with an upward stroke below the line.
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 49 begins "The reverse oval and its application": a page on ovals made the other way round, and drill 54, a reverse oval swung into capital J.
The lesson, step by step
Warm up
About three minutes: compact ovals, then a line each of small o, small m and small l (drills 3, 11, 14 and 33).
Reverse ovals
A reverse oval starts with an upward stroke on the left side, the opposite direction from the ovals so far. Four or five minutes of reverse ovals (two or three for a young child), until the motion is light and even.
Look at the model
Open the book page. Look at drill 54: a reverse oval, then a J, again and again.
J should begin with an upward stroke from a point just below the base line; the turn at the top should be round; the upper part should be a little longer than the lower part, and twice its width.
Oval into J
Make the oval to a count of six, lift the pen at the top, swing it through the air to the right and below the line, and strike the paper moving upward to start the J. Fill half a page.
Gentle check
Is the top of the J round and wider than the bottom?
Finish
Write "Jan" or "Joy".