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Pre-cursive formation of c, a and d

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can form the pre-cursive letters c, a and d.

Key learning points

  1. The pre-cursive letters c, a and d all start on the baseline with a lead in
  2. The pre-cursive letters c, a and d all have a curved up stroke on the baseline as the lead out
  3. The letters c and a are x-height letters
  4. The letter d has an ascender
  5. The letters c, a and d are all formed by curling round in an anti-clockwise direction

Keywords

  • Lead in - the stroke or line that guides us into starting a letter

  • Lead out - the stroke or line that guides us to smoothly finish a letter

  • X-height letter - letters that sit between the baseline and the x-height line

  • Curved up stroke - single movement of a pencil in a upward movement

Common misconception

For these letters, children may finish on the baseline and forget the curved stroke as the lead out

Emphasise to the children through modelling that there has to be a 'tail' for the letter to join to the next letter.

Teacher tip

When modelling, ensure to emphasise the lead in and lead out. It can sometimes be helpful to describe it as the letters holding out their hands to join together. If you forget the lead in or lead out then they can't hold hands.

Content guidance

Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
(Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Select the correct formation of the lower case letter c in print.

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Q2.
Select the correct formation of the lower case letter a in print.

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Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
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Q3.
Select the correct formation of the lower case letter d in print.

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Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
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Q4.
Select the correct formation of the pre-cursive letter b.

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Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
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Q5.
Select the correct formation of the pre-cursive letter p.

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Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
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Q6.
Select the correct formation of the pre-cursive letters h and k.

Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
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An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
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An image in a quiz

To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: Pre-cursive formation of c, a and d, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...