New
New
Year 1

Formation of e, s and f

I can form the letters e, s and f.

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New
New
Year 1

Formation of e, s and f

I can form the letters e, s and f.

Link copied to clipboard

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The letters e and s are x-height letters.
  2. The letter is e is formed by "going across and around".
  3. The letter s is formed by "starting at the top, curling up and around and back round again".
  4. The letter f "starts by curling up, straight down and curls up just above the descender line".
  5. The letter f has a cross on the x-height line

Keywords

  • X-height letter - letters that reach the middle height on the line

  • X-height line - this is the line that x-height letters go up to

  • Baseline - this is the line that most letters sit on

  • Ascender line - the line above the x-height line which most letters with ascenders reach up to

  • Anti-clockwise - moving or going in the opposite direction of a clock's hands

Common misconception

Direction of movement for the s and e can be challenging.

Use the clock in the classroom to remind children of the anti-clockwise direction. Put arrows on the children's page to support.


To help you plan your year 1 english lesson on: Formation of e, s and f, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Lots of modelling of the letter s will be required. Practising curved writing patterns frequently will support the formation of these letters.
Teacher tip

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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6 Questions

Q1.
Select the correct formation of the lower case letter o in print.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q2.
Select the correct formation of the lower case letter g in print.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q3.
Select the correct formation of the lower case letter q in print.
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 letter e.
Correct answer: e
d
Correct answer: e
Correct answer: e
g
Q5.
Select the letter s.
Correct answer: s
t
e
Correct answer: s
Correct answer: s
Q6.
Select the letter f.
Correct answer: f
Correct answer: f
h
Correct answer: f
g

Additional material

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