The Palmer Method of Business Writing · Lesson 8 · Part 3: First capitals: A, O and C

8. Drill 6: capital A

Goal: Your child makes capital A in groups of five, with a tiny stop at the top so that the letter closes without a loop.

⏱ About 15 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 8 is drill 6, capital A in groups of five, three groups to a line. It explains the small stop at the top of A and gives a rhyming "conversational count" to say while writing.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    Run the writing machine for a minute without the pencil. Then make one line of straight push-pulls and one line of ovals from Lesson 4, two ruled spaces tall. Check that the wrist and the side of the hand stay off the paper.

    Then two or three minutes of compact ovals (drill 3).

  2. Look at the model

    Open the book page. Look at drill 6. Each A starts with the pen moving downward, and the top is closed sharply where the up stroke meets the last down stroke. A dotted line shows the pen path through the air between letters.

  3. The stop at the top

    Without a tiny stop at the top, the A gets a loop. The book has a chant for it:

    You stop, you stop, at the top, you stop, every time, at the top. How long do you stop at the top? Not long, but you stop, every time, at the top.

    Say it together while your child writes.

  4. Groups of five

    Make five A's, move the paper a little to the left, five more, move again, five more, then move the paper back for a new line. Five lines.

    Optional speed target: the book asks for sixty-five, and soon seventy-five, a minute, counted 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, move the paper.

  5. Watch for

    Size the same as the book's A, the same slant every time, an even gap between letters, and a clean start and finish.

  6. Gentle check and finish

    Your child picks their best A and compares it with the book. What is the same? What is different? Finish with the word "Am" or "An", once or twice.

Afterwards

From now on, start every writing time with a minute of ovals and a line of capital A.

Tip

Moving the paper with the left hand after each group is part of the drill. It keeps the arm in the same comfortable place.

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