Writing Our Catholic aith Revised Edition Thomas M. Wasylyk and Jennifer Schweighofer Nihil Obstat Reverend J. Brian Bransfield October 6, 2015 Imprimatur rchbishop Charles J. Chaput rchdiocese of Philadelphia October 9, 2015 Grade 6 Item #608 ISBN 978-1-931181-85-3 Cover Image: stdas 0483, Standard Publishing, Licensed from GoodSalt.com IT IS ILLEGL TO PHOTOCOPY THIS BOOK This book is not to be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or whole, without the written permission of the publisher. or additional information, contact Universal Publishing., ll Rights Reserved. Table of Contents Pretest (The Magnificat)... 2 Pencil Position... 3 Paper Position... 3 Posture... 3 Manuscript lphabet... 4 Cursive lphabet... 4 Spacing... 5 Line Quality... 6 Size and lignment... 6 Joinings... 7 Basic Strokes... 8 and a... 10 B and b... 12 Writing Numerals... 14 Upper-Loop Letters... 15 C and c... 16 D and d... 18 E and e... 20 Checkstroke Joinings... 22 Catholic Social Teaching... 23 and f... 24 G and g... 26 H and h... 28 The Seven Sacraments... 30 Overcurve Joinings... 31 I and i... 32 J and j... 34 K and k... 36 L and l... 38 Descending Letters... 40 The Beatitudes... 41 M and m... 42 N and n... 44 O and o... 46 Undercurve Joinings... 48 Memorare... 49 P and p... 50 Q and q... 52 R and r... 54 Marks of the Church... 56 S and s... 58 T and t... 60 U and u... 62 Cursive luency... 64 Hail Holy Queen... 65 V and v... 66 W and w... 68 X and x... 70 Y and y... 72 Z and z... 74 Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary... 76 Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary... 77 Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary... 78 Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary... 79 Post Test (The Magnificat)... 80
Left Hand Bend thumb Bend thumb. Pencil Position Pencil is held near large knuckle. irst finger rests on top of the pencil. Bend thumb. EXMINTION COPY Pencil Position: You should hold the pencil in a manner that is comfortable and allows you to write fluently. Gripping the pencil too hard can cause fatigue in your hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder. atigue is a major cause of poor handwriting. The illustration above shows one of the most common ways to hold a pencil. Paper Position: The position of your paper or book is important for maintaining consistent slant in your cursive writing. Consistent slant helps with the overall legibility of your handwriting. Study the paper position illustrations to the right. Posture: Listed below are five important elements that will help you maintain good posture while writing: 1. Keep both feet on the floor. 2. Keep your elbows just off the edge of the desk. 3. Sit back in your chair. 4. Keep your shoulders slightly forward, allowing both forearms to rest on the writing surface. 5. Be sure the desk is the proper height. Good body posture is impossible if the desk is too big (high) or too small (low) for your size. LET HND RIGHT HND Right Hand Paper Position for Cursive Writing OR YOUR REVIEW Questions? Call 1-800-940-2270 3
Letter Spacing Write the sentence. Check your spacing between letters. This example shows good spacing between letters. Keep your letter spacing consistent for easy reading. This shows good letter spacing. nthony has a bright green tractor. Word Spacing llow enough space between words for a small oval. The example below shows good word spacing. EXMINTION COPY This shows good word spacing. OR YOUR REVIEW Write the sentence. Check your spacing between words. There are big fish in this stream. Sentence Spacing llow enough space between sentences for a large oval. The example shows good sentence spacing. I heard thunder. I saw lightning. The wind blew hard. The storm is now over. The sun is shining. Write the two sentences below. Check your spacing between sentences. I have a horse. Her name is lash. Paragraph Spacing Questions? When you indent for a new paragraph, allow enough space for two large ovals. Study the example below. Call 1-800-940-2270 This shows correct indentation for a new paragraph. 5
Joining Cursive Letters Joining one letter to another is what cursive writing is all about. Cursive means flowing or continuous writing motion where the letters are joined together. The joining stroke influences letter spacing, letter form, and slant. Study and then trace the joinings below. ri ri The undercurve-to-undercurve joining is easy because the ending stroke of the first letter is the same as the beginning stroke of the second letter. ge ge In the overcurve-to-undercurve joining, the overcurve changes into an undercurve at the bottom line. ri be ol EXMINTION COPY OR YOUR REVIEW Checkstroke Joinings bi bi The checkstroke-to-undercurve joining never gets near the bottom line. The checkstroke ending swings right, into the top of the next letter. The letters b, o, v, and w are checkstroke-ending letters. These letters join to the next letter above the bottom line. Study the examples below. br 1. Pause, then retrace slightly. 2. Swing right forming the top of the letter r. 1 2 oa 1 2 1. Pause, swing wide right. 2. Swing right forming the top of the letter a. ve 1 2 1. Pause, then retrace slightly. 2. Swing low and right forming the loop of the letter e. wo 1. Pause, then retrace slightly. 2-3. Swing right, forming the top of the letter o. 1 2 3 Write each joining two times. Write the words. br brief brim ve veins waive wo word wool oa oats boat be best begin oo cook pool Left Hand Bend thumb. Questions? Pencil Position Pencil is held near large knuckle. Call 1-800-940-2270 irst finger rests on top of the pencil. Bend thumb. Right Hand 7
Uppercase 2 4 1. Downcurve 2. Undercurve 3. Slant 4. Undercurve 1 3 Write the joinings and words. The initial direction of the downcurve is made wide to the left, then it curves down. The undercurve that follows ties to the beginning of the downcurve. Trace and write the letter. n nnunciation s ssumption EXMINTION COPY OR YOUR REVIEW r rk of the Covenant d dvent Write the sentences. Check your writing. nother name for the Bible is Sacred Scripture. Sacred Scripture is the written Word of God. Sacred Scripture teaches us about God and the kind of life he wants us to live. During Mass, Sacred Scripture is read during the Liturgy of the Word. Questions? Call 1-800-940-2270 10 4 CHECK -UP o Letter Spacing o lignment o Letter Size o Word Spacing o Slant
Lowercase a a1 2 1. Downcurve 2. Undercurve 3. Slant 4. Undercurve 3 4 Write the joinings and words. When you write the lowercase a, be sure to close the letter by joining the end of the undercurve to the beginning of the downcurve. Trace and write the letter. a a a a a a a a a ab absolution ad adoration al altar EXMINTION COPY OR YOUR REVIEW an angel ap apostles as ascended Write the sentences. Check your writing. God inspired the authors of Sacred Scripture in their writing. These authors used many different types of writing such as parables, poems, and proverbs. Questions? ll scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Call 1-800-940-2270 4 CHECK -UP o Line Quality o Letter orms o Word Spacing o Slant o Letter Spacing 11
Write the numerals from largest to smallest. 92,645 7,084 31,921 1,575 15.20 15.93 103,567 489 15.25 15.90 Calculating Numbers 12 inches = 1 foot 5,280 feet = 1 mile The moon is 238,857 miles from Earth. Writing Numerals Trace and write each numeral. Write each numeral at least eight times. 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 How many inches are in a mile? Write the numerals from smallest to largest. 4,983 700,217 510 3,166 45 78,036 904 43 701,351 61,538 What is the distance in feet from the Earth to the moon? 14
Checkstroke Joinings Checkstroke to Undercurve ve bl os 1. Pause as you complete the first letter (top arrows). 2. Retrace and swing right into the first stroke of the next letter (bottom arrows). The checkstroke-ending letters (b, o, v, and w) join to the undercurve letters b, e, f, h, i, j, k, l, p, r, s, t, u, and w as shown in the examples in the box. Trace and write the checkstroke-to-undercurve joinings. Write the words. ve ve verse bl bl bless os os Moses wi wi wise Checkstroke to Downcurve wo ba vo 1. Pause as you complete the first letter (see first arrow on each joining above). 2. Retrace, swing right forming the top part of the next letter (see second arrow on each joining above). The checkstroke-ending letters (b, o, v, and w) join to the downcurve letters a, d, g, q, o, and c as shown in the examples in the box. Trace and write the checkstroke-to-downcurve joinings. Write the words. wo wo word ba ba baby vo vo vow oo oo good Checkstroke to Overcurve oy by on 1. Pause as you complete the first letter (see first arrow on each joining above). 2. Retrace, swing right forming the top part of the next letter (see second arrow on each joining above). The checkstroke-ending letters (b, o, v, and w) join to the overcurve letters m, n, v, x, y, and z as shown in the examples in the box. Trace and write the checkstroke-to-overcurve joinings. Write the words. oy oy on on by by vy vy joy son bye ivy Write the sentence. Check all of your checkstroke joinings. The lowercase cursive letters b, o, v, and w are checkstroke-ending letters. 22
Catholic Social Teaching Write the following sentences. The Church outlines seven themes of Catholic social teaching that show us how to make positive contributions to society. These themes are: Life and Dignity of the Human Person; Call to amily, Community, and Participation; Rights and Responsibilities of the Human Person; Option for the Poor and Vulnerable; the Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers; Solidarity of the Human amily; Care for God s Creation. What is one thing you can do to follow Catholic Social Teaching? 23
2 4 1 3 Uppercase 1. Slant, curve up 2. Swing right 3. Slant 4. Curve up, down, up This letter begins with a slant to the bottom line. Then curve up, retrace, swing right, and slant. inish with a double curve. Trace and write the letter. Write the words. ranciscan Order atima ather rance elicity lorence inland Write the sentences. Check your writing. ortitude is a cardinal virtue and gift of the Holy Spirit. It gives us the strength and courage to do the right thing and to love God no matter what. ortitude helps us complete tasks that result in a genuine good, even tasks that may seem impossible. 24 4 CHECK -UP o Letter Spacing o lignment o Letter Size o Word Spacing o Slant
Lowercase f 1f4 2 1. Undercurve, curve back 2. Slant 3. Curve up, tie 4. Undercurve 3 Write the joinings and words. Be sure the beginning undercurve is made wide. Keep the upper and lower loops open and keep them the same size. Trace and write the letter. f f f f f f f f fo fortitude fa faithful ff offering fr friendship fl flood fu future f Write the sentences. Check your writing. Moses was a great prophet of the Old Testament. When he was a baby, his mother hid him by a river. The pharaoh s daughter found Moses and raised him as a prince of Egypt. Later, God chose Moses to lead the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt. 4 CHECK -UP o Line Quality o Letter orms o Word Spacing o Slant o Letter Spacing 25
Cursive luency Cursive means flowing. It is a skill that requires rhythm and fluency. The exercises below will help you develop speed and fluency in cursive writing. This is an undercurve-slant-undercurve exercise. Do it with a 1, 2-3, 4-5, rhythm. Pull the slant strokes all the way to the bottom line. Start at the dots and repeat the exercise. 1 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 This exercise emphasizes the undercurve to downcurve joining. Remember that the undercurve of the letter a swings up wide and forms the top of the downcurve of the letter d. Start at the dots and repeat the exercise. adadad This exercise emphasizes the undercurve to undercurve joining. Remember that the undercurve of the letter l swings wide and low when joining to the letter e. Start at the dots and repeat the exercise. lelelelelele The first motion of this exercise is overcurve-slant. The second motion is overcurve-slant. The third motion is undercurve-overcurve-slant. Start at the dots and repeat the exercise. nnnnnn This exercise emphasizes the overcurve to undercurve joining. Remember that the overcurve of the letter g changes to a wide, low undercurve when joining to the letter e. Start at the dots and repeat the exercise. gegegege Write the sentence. Use good rhythm and fluency in your cursive writing. ll labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. (Martin Luther King, Jr.) 4 CHECK -UP o Line Quality o Letter orms o Word Spacing o Slant o Letter Spacing 64
Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary Write the sentence. The Glorious Mysteries reflect on events after the death of Jesus. Write the sentence. The Glorious Mysteries include the Resurrection of Jesus, the scension of Jesus, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the ssumption of Mary, and the Coronation of Mary. Why did Mary s body and soul ascend into heaven instead of just her soul? What is the name of the feast day that celebrates the arrival of the Holy Spirit? 4 CHECK -UP o Line Quality o Letter orms o Word Spacing o Slant o Letter Spacing 79