Diver letters: r, u, y, j

Air-write h, k, m, n.

• Quick

Four more diver letters. r: short dive, then a tiny arm sticking out at the top. u: short dive, swing under, dive up. y: short dive, then a basement-descender. j: short dive (with a dot above!), then a basement-descender that curves left.

• Just an arm; don't make it a full hump.

  model Short vertical, then tiny arm out at top.

  prompt Form r.
• y has a tail in the basement.

  model Short vertical, swing under and BACK down into the basement.

  prompt Form y.
• j is i's cousin with a long basement tail.

  model Short vertical (with dot above), then curve left into the basement.

  prompt Form j.

• Which letters today have descenders? (y, j)
• Where does the dot on j go? (in the sky-zone)
• What's similar about r and n? (both short, but n has a full hump; r just has a tiny arm)

• Trace and form r, u, y, j each three times.

  scaffold Reference card.
• Write 'run' (r+u+n).

  scaffold Letter-by-letter.
• Practice descenders: write y and j with proper basement-descent.

  scaffold Reminder of basement-zone.

• Form r, u, y, j.
• Self-check: 'My y and j tails reach into the basement.'

• Chant: 'r-arm, u-swing, y-tail, j-tail!'
• Preview: tomorrow we meet our first WRITER'S WORKSHOP.

M-K-S-GR-07-B Chart

Wall chart 'Lowercase Letters We Know!' Cells for each lowercase letter taught so far (c, a, o, d, g, q, l, i, t, b, p, e, h, k, m, n, r, u, y, j). 5 letters remain (s, v, w, x, z, f). Used as a progress visualization for children.

• Find words with r, u, y, or j at home and trace them with your finger.