Handwriting Today (VIC Modern Cursive) - Teacher Guide: Years 2 & 3

Part of the series Handwriting Today - VIC Modern Cursive.

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In a world dominated by digital technology and qwerty keyboards, why teach handwriting?

Research shows that handwriting assists with the preparation for early literacy, increases creativity and productivity, improves learning difficulties and enhances auditory learning. It is this understanding that makes Handwriting today the must-have new series for every teacher. This innovative resource is packed with handwriting activities designed to combine the teaching of handwriting with fun and effective cross-curricular activities, including Science, Mathematics and Health.

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Series Information

Handwriting today is developed in student workbook form for Foundation-Year 3, supported by teacher guides (sold separately).

Blackline masters (photocopiable teacher resource books) are available for Years 4-6 to provide greater flexibility for older students and individual instruction where required.

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Student Workbooks - Foundation to Year 3

• colourful, contemporary and attractive page presentation
• colourful developmental writing patterns and letter introduction
• dedicated writing character for each year level, encouraging students through handwriting skills and curriculum activities
• dotted-third lines for size and spacing practice
• supportive starting points and arrows to guide correct letter formation
• developmentally-appropriate letter, word and sentence practice
• joining patterns with concise and explicit letter practice
• cross-curricular and differentiated activities while supporting good pedagogical handwriting practices
• handy student handwriting tips

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Teacher Resource Books - Years 4 to 6

An expansive resource with a plethora of materials to support the handwriting workbooks, or use alone.

Features

Teacher information including:

• background to handwriting
• developing a whole-school approach to handwriting
• sample lesson plan
• teaching strategies for handwriting
• the mechanics of handwriting
• an explanation of dotted-thirds line sizing
• font description
• the skills needed for handwriting
• class and student checklists
• support for left-handed and vision-impaired writers
• remediation activities
• warm-up activities, including finger plays and action rhymes
• multisensory activities
• physical development activities
• verbal cues for letter and numeral formations
• mini posters
• slope cards
• curriculum links for cross-curricular handwriting activities
• character poster

Student worksheets including:

• tracing sheets
• colouring pictures
• dot-to-dot pictures
• patterns and pattern pictures
• differentiated assessment sheets
• desk charts
• character spacing guides

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Australian Curriculum Links (as at 12th February 2018)

Foundation

Foundation Year Content Description

• Literacy > Creating texts > Produce some lower case and upper case letters using learned letter formations (ACELY1653)

Elaborations:

• adopting correct posture and pencil grip
• learning to produce simple handwriting movements
• following clear demonstrations of how to construct each letter (for example where to start; which direction to write)
• learning to construct lower case letters and to combine these into words
• learning to construct some upper case letters

Year 1

Year 1 Content Description

• Literacy - Creating texts > Write using unjoined lower case and upper case letters (ACELY1663)

Elaborations:

• using correct posture and pencil grip
• learning how each letter is constructed including where to start and the direction to follow
• writing words legibly using unjoined print script of consistent size

Year 2

Year 2 Content Description

• Literacy - Creating texts > Write legibly and with growing fluency using unjoined upper case and lower case letters (ACELY1673)

Elaborations:

• using correct pencil grip and posture
• writing sentences legibly and fluently using unjoined print script of consistent size

Year 3

Year 3 Content Description

• Literacy - Creating texts > Write using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (ACELY1684)

Elaboration:

• practising how to join letters to construct a fluent handwriting style

Year 4

Year 4 Content Description

• Literacy - Creating texts > Write using clearly-formed joined letters, and develop increased fluency and automaticity (ACELY1696)

Elaboration:

• using handwriting fluency with speed for a wide range of tasks

Year 5

Year 5 Content Description

• Literacy - Creating texts > Develop a handwriting style that is becoming legible, fluent and automatic (ACELY1706)

Elaboration:

• using handwriting with increasing fluency and legibility appropriate to a wide range of writing purposes

Year 6

Year 6 Content Description

Elaboration:

• Literacy - Creating texts > Develop a handwriting style that is legible, fluent and automatic and varies according to audience and purpose (ACELY1716)
  • using handwriting efficiently as a tool for a wide range of formal and informal text creation tasks