Joining Letters
Begin to join letters using diagonal and horizontal strokes, understanding which letter pairs are best left unjoined, forming letters of correct size relative to one another
What a learner can do afterwards
- Join 'in', 'un', 'it' with a diagonal stroke connecting the letters
- Leave letters like 'b' unjoined when followed by certain letters, explaining why
- Write with consistent letter sizing on lined paper, ascenders and descenders in proportion
1 · Read
When you write cards and little stories, joining some letters helps your writing flow. That little connecting line is called a joining stroke. It goes across or diagonally, linking the end of one letter to the start of the next, so your pencil never has to lift.
Mia writes the word "in." She finishes the down-stroke of the i, then draws a small diagonal line up into the n. Her pencil stays on the paper the whole time, so the two letters flow together.
If a join looks tangled and the next letter is hard to read, a tiny gap can look neater.
Joins are not all diagonal. The letter o finishes high, so after an o the stroke runs straight across the top, like in 'on'. Letters like b, v and w finish high and can join across the top, like in 'bow'. If a join looks tangled and the next letter is hard to read, leave a small gap. At a gap lift the pencil and start the next letter.
In a joined word with i or t, write the whole word first. Then lift the pencil and go back to dot the i or cross the t.
Keep your letters the right size next to each other. Tall letters like l, h, and t reach up to the top line. Letters with tails, like g and y, dip below the bottom line. The rest stay small and sit evenly between the lines.
Join most letters with a smooth stroke, leave a small gap when a join looks tangled and is hard to read, and keep every letter sized right on the line.
Reading written for this dataset.
2 · Watch
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Where it sits
23 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.