7. Oval Family: a, c and d
Letters built on the counter-clockwise oval.
Letters on this sheet
a c d t
What this lesson teaches
The oval family all begins the same way: a counter-clockwise oval that closes at the top.
For c, stop before closing the oval. For a, close it and add a short downstroke. For d, close it and add a tall stem — note that the d-stem is a plain line, not a loop.
Keep ovals slightly slanted and firmly closed: a gaping a reads as u, the most common cursive confusion of all.
What is on the sheet
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The Letter a
aaaWrite three joined letters a. Close every oval completely before adding the downstroke.
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The Letter c
cccWrite three joined letters c. A c is an unfinished oval — stop before it closes and swing into the join.
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Word: add
addOne a and two d. Keep the d-stems straight and the same height — taller than the ovals, no loop.
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Word: cat
catYour first real word from this family. Even oval sizes, closed a, and a confident t-crossbar at the end.
How to use it
Print at 100% on US Letter — not “fit to page”. The ruling is classroom size, and scaling the page down makes every letter the wrong size. The 10 cm scale at the foot of the sheet is there to check against: if it measures short, the print was scaled.
The sheet holds 4 exercises, each with a model row in full ink, a pale row to trace over, and two empty ruled rows of your own.
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