Wynn's Crooked Calligraphy Pen

Name ____________________●

Wynn's Crooked Calligraphy Pen

For his birthday, Wynn got a calligraphy set. It had a wooden pen, a bottle of black ink, and a pad of thick paper. The pen had a flat, slanted tip, not a round one.

Wynn dipped it in the ink and wrote his name. A fat blot fell on the T. The W looked like a squashed spider. He tried again. The line wobbled. On the third try, he pressed so hard that the tip spread apart and scratched the page.

His aunt, who owned a book of fancy alphabets, sat down beside him. "Don't write your name yet," she said. "First make a hundred slanted lines. Keep the pen at the same angle each time."

That sounded dull to Wynn. But he tried it. Line after line marched across the page. At first they leaned every which way. By the fortieth line, they leaned the same way. By the hundredth, they looked like neat little fence posts.

Then his aunt let him write the letter "a." He made two strokes with the slant he had practiced. The letter came out smooth, with thick and thin parts. It looked like it belonged in a castle.

That evening, Wynn wrote "Happy Birthday, Grandpa" on a card. The H still sagged on the left. Grandpa taped it to the refrigerator anyway, right in the middle.

Questions

1. What did Wynn's calligraphy set have in it?
2. What went wrong when Wynn pressed too hard on the pen?
3. What did his aunt tell him to practice before writing his name?
4. What did the lines look like by the hundredth?
5. Why did the practice lines help when he wrote the letter?
6. What shows that Grandpa liked the card even though it was not perfect?

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Name ____________________▲

Wynn's Crooked Calligraphy Pen

For his birthday, Wynn received a calligraphy set. It had a wooden pen, a bottle of black ink, and a pad of thick, creamy paper. The pen had a flat, slanted tip instead of a round one.

Wynn dipped it in the ink and wrote his name, but a fat blot landed on the T, and the W looked like a squashed spider. He tried again, and the line wobbled across the page. On the third try, he pressed so hard that the tip splayed apart and scratched the paper.

His aunt, who owned the book of fancy alphabets, sat down beside him. "Don't write your name yet," she said. "Make a hundred slanted lines first, and keep the pen at the same angle every time."

Wynn thought that sounded dull. But he tried it anyway, and line after line marched across the page. At first they leaned in all directions, but by the fortieth line they leaned the same way, and by the hundredth they looked like a row of neat little fence posts.

Then his aunt let him write the letter "a." He drew two strokes with the slant he had practiced, and the letter came out smooth, with thick and thin parts that looked like it belonged in a castle.

That evening, Wynn wrote "Happy Birthday, Grandpa" on a card. The H still sagged a bit on the left. Grandpa taped it to the refrigerator anyway, right in the middle.

Questions

1. What did Wynn's calligraphy set include?
2. What went wrong when Wynn pressed too hard on the pen?
3. What did his aunt tell him to practice before writing his name?
4. What did the finished lines look like by the hundredth?
5. Why did the practice lines help when he wrote the letter?
6. What shows that Grandpa liked the card even though it was not perfect?

Free at teach.peabody.kids

Name ____________________■

Wynn's Crooked Calligraphy Pen

For his birthday, Wynn received a calligraphy set containing a wooden pen, a bottle of black ink, and a pad of thick, creamy paper. The pen had a flat, slanted tip instead of the usual round one, which made it look rather mysterious.

Wynn dipped it in the ink and wrote his name. A fat blot landed on the T, and the W resembled a squashed spider. He tried again, but the line wobbled across the page. On the third attempt, he pressed down so forcefully that the tip splayed apart and scratched the paper.

His aunt, who owned a book of fancy alphabets, sat down beside him. "Don't write your name just yet," she advised. "Begin by making a hundred slanted lines, and keep the pen at precisely the same angle every time."

Wynn thought that sounded dreadfully dull, but he followed her instructions anyway. Line after line marched across the page. At first they leaned in all directions. By the fortieth line, they leaned the same way, and by the hundredth, they resembled a row of neat little fence posts.

Then his aunt allowed him to write the letter "a." He drew two strokes with the slant he had practiced, and the letter emerged smooth, with thick and thin parts that looked as though they belonged in a castle.

That evening, Wynn wrote "Happy Birthday, Grandpa" on a card. The H still sagged a bit on the left side. Grandpa taped it to the refrigerator anyway, right in the middle.

Questions

1. What did Wynn's calligraphy set include?
2. What went wrong when Wynn pressed too forcefully on the pen?
3. What did his aunt advise him to practice before writing his name?
4. What did the lines resemble by the hundredth?
5. Why did the practice lines help when he wrote the letter?
6. What shows that Grandpa liked the card even though it was imperfect?

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Answer key: Wynn's Crooked Calligraphy Pen

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