Handwriting: Words and Sentences — Answer Key
Part A: Sort the Words
Sort each word or number into the correct category box.
1. Sort each letter by the direction you start writing it.
Start at the Top (pull down)
ltd Start with a Curve
coa The letters l, t, and d each begin with a straight pulled-down stroke from the top. The letters c, o, and a all start with a rounded curve, not a line.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. We hold a pencil with three fingers called the tripod grip.
A tripod is a stand with three legs, and the tripod grip uses three fingers (thumb, pointer, middle) to steady the pencil. The three points work like a tripod holding a camera.
2. In English, we write words from left to right.
English words move across the page from the left edge toward the right edge. Your pencil travels left to right as each new letter is added.
3. The pencil should rest on your middle finger when you write.
In the tripod grip, the thumb and pointer pinch the pencil while it rests on the side of the middle finger. The middle finger acts like a shelf that supports the pencil.
4. After finishing one line of writing, you move to the next line.
When one line is full, return your pencil to the left margin of the line directly below. That next line down is where you keep writing.
5. Print letters are written one at a time and do not connect together.
Print letters stand alone with small gaps between them, unlike cursive letters which link up. Each print letter is its own shape and does not connect to the next.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. You should grip the pencil as tightly as possible.
True False
A too-tight grip tires your hand and can smudge or press through the paper. A relaxed, gentle hold lets your hand move smoothly and write longer without hurting.
2. In English, we write from left to right across the page.
True False
English reading and writing always move from the left side to the right side. Your pencil starts on the left margin and ends at the right edge of the line.
3. Print letters are separate and do not join together.
True False
Print letters are drawn one at a time with tiny gaps between them. Joining letters with flowing lines is done in cursive, not in print.
4. You should start writing in the middle of the line.
True False
Writing always begins at the left side of the line, right after the margin. Starting in the middle would leave your page looking crooked and uneven.