Choose exam board for KS4 Computer Science (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 English
Choose exam board for KS4 French
Choose exam board for KS4 Geography
Choose exam board for KS4 German
Choose exam board for KS4 History
Choose tier for KS4 Maths
Choose exam board for KS4 Music
Choose exam board for KS4 Physical education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Religious education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Spanish

      The fourth join: wl, ok, rt and rl with lead in

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can correctly form the fourth join with a lead in and lead out.

      Key learning points

      1. The letters all have a lead in and a lead out.
      2. The pencil does not lift when forming the join.
      3. The fourth join goes from the x-height line up towards the ascender line.
      4. The joins wl, ok and rl all reach the ascender line.
      5. The join rt, reaches to between the x-height line and the ascender line.

      Keywords

      • Cursive - style of handwriting where the letters are joined together in a flowing and connected manner

      • 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 line - this is the line that x-height letters reach

      • Ascender line - this is the top line of the tramlines

      Common misconception

      Children will often want to take their pencil off to form the join.

      Emphasise the flowing motion of cursive writing. The letters need to be joined together so the pencil needs to stay on the page.

      Teacher tip

      Encourage the children to hold their hands together and imagine they are letters being joined together. If you lift your pencil then you are breaking the connection and they can't hold hands.

      Content guidance

      Risk assessment required - physical activity

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

      Loading...

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which style of writing comes before cursive?

      joined up
      Correct answer: pre-cursive
      print

      Q2.
      Select the letters which have ascenders.

      o
      Correct answer: b
      Correct answer: f
      Correct answer: t
      r

      Q3.
      Select the correct formation of the fourth join of 'ob'.

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

      Q4.
      Select the correct formation of the fourth join of 'of'.

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

      Q5.
      Select the correct formation of the fourth join of 'ot'.

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

      Q6.
      Select the correct formation of the fourth join of 'oh'.

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

      To help you plan your 2 English lesson on: The fourth join: wl, ok, rt and rl with lead in, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...