The Palmer Method of Business Writing · Lesson 52–53 · Part 9: S, G, p and P
48. Two days on the small letters
Goal: Over two sessions, your child works through a full page of small-letter groups and makes them even in size and spacing.
You'll need
- Wide-ruled lined paper (several sheets)
- A sharp pencil or a smooth gel pen
- The book open at today's page
- Colored pencils (optional, for a drill design)
What's in the book
Lessons 52 and 53 share one paragraph: spend two days studying the letters on page 52, a page of rows of small letters in groups (i, u, w, v, r, x, o, a, e, s, c, m, n). The page before it, "Movement drill design," shows drills made into pictures.
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).
What the book says
Not forgetting or neglecting the two-space compact oval drill with which each lesson should start, the practice periods of two days might well be spent in study and practice of the letters on page 52.
Look at the model
Open the book page. Page 52 has rows of small letters in groups: i, u, w, v, r, x, o, a, e, s, c, m and n. Every letter is the height of small o.
Day 1
Work down the first half of the page: a line of each letter in groups of five, looking at the book before each line.
Day 2
The second half of the page the same way, then go back to the two letters that were hardest.
Movement drill design (for fun)
The page before shows drills worked into designs: ovals, straight lines and small letters made into pictures. The book suggests this for out-of-school time. Your child may like to make a design with ovals and loops in colored pencil.
Gentle check and finish
Hold the page at arm's length: are the rows even? Finish by writing "summer" or "winner".
Afterwards
Use this guide on two days, as the book suggests.