First Writing
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- When the child is learning the sandpaper letters, he can be introduced
to writing, especially if he does well with the insets for design and is
controlling a pencil well.
MATERIAL:
- The sandpaper letters. Blank paper. A normal sized pencil.
Presentation:
- The teacher takes one of the sandpaper letters the child has learned,
a piece of blank paper and a pencil to the child's table. She asks him
to feel the letter a number of times. She then writes the letter on the
paper. She then gives the child the pencil and asks him to do the same.
She shows the child how to feel a letter a few times, then write it, feel
it again and then write it.
Exercise:
- The child chooses a sandpaper letter, takes paper and pencil and practices
writing.
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- The teacher is careful to see the child writes the letters in the correct
direction without lifting his pencil from start to finish. He only lifts
his pencil to put a dot on an "i" or a "j," or cross
on the "t" and "f." It is essential that care is taken
to see that the child write correctly. It is easy to learn the right way
in the beginning but very difficult to correct a bad habit.
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- The child writes the size letter that is natural to him at first. The
child holds the paper at the angle that suits his own eyes. Most children
write an upright letter at first and when they are older, they adopt a
slant. The slant should not be taught as each child will take the slant
that suits his own eyes. Some children adopt a backward slant and need
to do this.