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Year 2 - English

Pre-cursive formation of u, y and j

Pre-cursive lower case letters revision

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils learn the pre-cursive formation for all 26 letters of the alphabet. They learn the specifc movements required to form each letter and how to start and finish a letter with a lead in and a lead out.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to form the pre-cursive letters u, y and j.

Key Notes

  • The letters u, y and j all have a lead in and a lead out
  • The letters u, y and j all start on the baseline
  • The letters y and j have a loop at the bottom of the descender as the lead out line
  • The letters u and y are similarly formed but the y has a descender

Vocabulary To Learn

  • pre-cursive: the stage of writing where children begin to learn and practice the joining of individual letters, preparing them for cursive writing
  • 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
  • loop: a rounded shape made in certain letters
  • descender: the part of a letter that descends below the x-height line

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Children can struggle with the shape and size of the loop at the end of the descender.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

The letters u, y and j all have a lead in and a lead out. The letters u, y and j all start on the baseline.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'pre-cursive'

the stage of writing where children begin to learn and practice the joining of individual letters, preparing them for cursive writing.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Children can struggle with the shape and size of the loop at the end of the descender. Correction: More tracing practice will support children to get a feel for the size and shape of the loop.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 2 English guide library.