Today we’re going to start printing, and the first thing we need to look at is the page.

If you’re using a lined piece of loose-leaf paper, I want you to notice something: there’s a red line running from the top to the bottom. Can you find it? Go ahead and put your finger on it. That’s right!

This red line is always on the left side of your page—because that’s where we start writing.

If you’re not sure which side is your left, here’s a trick: hold up both hands in front of you and stick out your index finger and your thumb. The hand that makes an “L” is your left hand. Got it? Great!

Now make sure the red line is on the same side as your left hand. That also means there will be a little extra space at the top of the paper before the lines begin. That’s called the header.

When you write a title or the date for your story or journal entry, you’ll write it in the header space.

You’ll also notice there are three holes along the edge of your loose-leaf paper. Those holes are for putting the paper into a duotang or a binder—and they’ll also be on the left, just like that red line.

In English, and in French—and in lots of other languages, but not all—we write from left to right. That means we start on the left side of the page and move across to the right.

Then, when we reach the end of the line, we go down to the next line, start on the left again, and write across to the right. That’s how we write: from left to right and from top to bottom.