Alphabet desk strip (free printable, capitals and lowercase)

About this sheet

A child writing a letter needs to see its shape, and a strip at the desk is the nearest reference there is. These show each letter as a capital and its lowercase partner in a clear sans serif type, in alternating tinted cells so the eye can find its place. The strip runs the full width of the page, which keeps each cell large enough to read from a seat, and the page holds as many strips as you ask for, up to eight. Print on card stock, cut along the dashed lines, and tape to the corner of a desk, laminated if you can. They suit early writing, spelling and the first weeks of a new alphabet for a child learning English.

Grades: Pre-K to 2. Best in: August, September.

How to use it

1. Choose how many strips to print on the page. Print on card stock if you can, since a strip lives a hard life on a desk.
2. Cut along the dashed outline of each strip, laminate them or cover them with clear tape, and tape one to each child's desk.
3. Teach children to touch the letter they need and say its sound before writing it, so the strip supports the habit.

Five ideas for class

1. Tape the strip at the top of the desk, where a child's eye falls when they look up from writing, and not at the edge where it gets bumped.
2. Use the strip for alphabet games at the desk: touch every vowel, find the letter that starts your name, or point to the letter after the one I say.
3. Give each new student a strip on the first day, with the same routine as every other child's, so they join the room's habits at once.
4. Print a few extra strips on bright paper for the guided reading table, where the teacher points while a child reads a word letter by letter.
5. Send a strip home for a child learning at the kitchen table, so the same reference is there in both places.

Related

• Alphabet strip with a word for each letter
• Number desk strip
• Word wall letters A to Z
• Cursive alphabet
• Handwriting worksheet maker