Cursive Handwriting MANUAL - Letter-join · MANUAL Cursive Handwriting Everything you need to teach handwriting at primary level using Letter-join. Now includes Lesson Planners. 4th

MANUAL

Cursive Handwriting

Everything you need to teach handwriting at primary level using Letter-join. Now includes Lesson Planners.

4thEdition

www.letterjoin.co.uk

[email protected]

© Green and Tempest Ltd 2018

Joined-up handwriting made easy

New on-line Word Processor 36Create instant cursive spelling lists and other worksheets

Handwriting Policy Template 39Personalise your handwriting policy from our MS Word template*

Sitting, Posture and Pencil Grip 40Ensuring a comfortable handwriting position and warm-up exercises

Letter-join for pupils to use at home 42How your children can use Letter-join at home

Key Stage 1Material to teach other character sets and to reinforce and practise handwriting

18

Key Stage 2Exercises and practical methods to help reach National Curriculum expectations

24

Letter-join Extra Resources Worksheets, handouts and interactive resources:Dictation Exercises 32 Word Animator 35

Worksheet Generator 34 Magic Words 38

28

Whether you’re starting a Letter-join free trial or you’re already a regular Letter-join user, this updated guide will take you through all you need to know about teaching handwriting.

We’ve included all the information and ideas you’ll need to use Letter-join, whether using a flexible approach to teach cursive handwriting, or whether you choose our new Lesson Planners for a more structured method.

At Letter-join we regularly add new resources to make cursive handwriting more fun and easy to teach. For example, our new online Word Processor – find-out more details on page 36.

Welcome to Letter-join

You can download and print further copies of this manual at www.letterjoin.co.uk/manual.pdf

LETTER-JOIN HANDWRITING MANUAL 4th EDITION 2018 * School subscribers only

14EYFSResources to introduce cursive handwriting to early years pupils

13Lesson Planners*

Modules for schools wishing to follow a structured handwriting programme

CONTENTS

6Setting-up Letter-joinInstalling fonts* 10

Set-up fonts for MS Word 11

Changing the class font 12

School subscription set-up 6

Teacher’s Information Panel 8

The five Letter-join fonts 9

4 LETTER-JOIN HANDWRITING MANUAL LETTER-JOIN HANDWRITING MANUAL 5

The Letter-join cursive handwriting style includes alternative letterforms that are used on all cursive

resources including animations, the Worksheet Generator, Magic Words, Word Animator, online Word Processor and all cursive worksheets. Designed to look and feel like natural handwriting, it is easy to learn to write.

Handwriting Lesson PlannersLetter-join now includes Lesson Planners for teachers wishing to follow a structured handwriting teaching plan. See page 13 for details how to use.

Handwriting policy documentLetter-join includes a curriculum-based handwriting policy. It is supplied in MS Word format to school subscribers and can be easily edited to quickly produce a personalised handwriting policy for your school. See page 39 for details.

Simple internet compatibilityLetter-join is compatible with most internet browsers on desktop computers and on iPads, Windows and Android tablets and LearnPads. See page 43 for LearnPad log-in and recommended browsers.

Letter-join on school tabletsLetter-join in the classroom

Introducing Letter-join

Animation with spoken instructions

Touch-screen activities for IWBs, iPads and tablets

Practice worksheets accompany all sections

Moreletters

Extraresources

Worksheet generator

Easywords

Easyletters

Harderwords

Harderletters

Patterns

At a glance – the Letter-join menu

Letter-join fonts for MS Word Letter-join includes free access for pupils to practise at home on their PCs and tablets. Password details are sent to schools at time of purchase.

Letter-join is an online handwriting resource which can be used to teach handwriting on classroom interactive whiteboards. It includes animations, touch-screen activities, cursive fonts, lesson planners and access to hundreds of practice worksheets.

Letter-join access on iPads and tablets is included with school subscriptions. Letter-join’s fun touch-screen activities are designed to encourage pupils to practise handwriting and is compatible with Apple, Android and Windows tablets.

Alternative letterforms

Free home access for your children

School staff can create homework sheets, newsletters, posters and labels using Letter-join fonts in MS Word. See pages 9, 10 and 11 for details.

Air No-lead

Print Air Plus

No-lead

Letter-join Plus


School details Please check all details are current and update if necessary.

Log in to Letter-join with your Administrator details (sent to you by email) to access your school’s Administrator Page, shown below. The page acts as a gateway to core Letter-join preferences for your school and classroom accounts.

School Classroom Accounts and free trial users can access Teacher’s Information Panel and classroom preferences via the information button present on every page, see page 8.

Letter-join School Administrator Page

School subscription set-upLeft hand menuContent here can only be accessed by logging in as School Administrator.

The Administrator can choose preferred letterforms, download the fonts, the Handwriting Policy and other useful information as shown below.

Handwriting Policy School subscribers to Letter-join can download an editable Microsoft Word document of the Letter-join Handwriting Policy. See page 39 for more information.

Back to Letter-joinClick here to go to the Letter-join School Edition opening page where you can access all of Letter-join’s resources.

This is where to choose your preferred letterforms for cursive f, k, w, x, and z. Your choices will be used across all of your classroom and home accounts, and other Letter-join resources.

Account Information

The five fonts you download will use the alternative letterforms, chosen by your school.

See page 10 for more information.

Download Letter-join fonts

How to distribute passwords for your

pupils to use Letter-join at home

See page 42

(School subscriptions only)

LETTER-JOIN PLUS – CURSIVE

LETTER-JOIN AIR PLUS – PRE-CURSIVE

SET-UP

School Administrator log-in details

For lost School Administrator details please contact us from a school email address: [email protected]

Classroom Account log in details

Staff requiring classroom log-in details should contact their school’s Letter-join Administrator.

Help for lost Letter-join usernames and passwords

Tablet Edition Log-in details for use at school and at home.

Classroom Accounts Default passwords and class names are inserted ready for use.

We recommend schools personalise class names so that children can identify their class when logging in.

You can also choose to change the passwords.

Home-School AccountPC log-in details for children to use at school and at home. See page 42 for more details.

Choose alternative letterforms

Left hand menuPlease see page 7, opposite.


When logged in to a classroom account, click the ‘Info’ button at the bottom left hand corner of any Letter-join page to access the Teacher’s Information Panel.

Here you can: • Access instruction guides, fact sheets and downloads.• Choose which Letter-join fonts to use on a classroom basis (Classroom Options tab).

Teachers’ Information PanelInstruction guides and classroom options

The five Letter-join fonts

the big dog

the big dog

the big dog

the big dog

the big dog

Letter-join Air Plus

Letter-join Air Plus is used when wanting to teach continuous cursive letters that are not joined.

Letter-join Air No-lead

Letter-join Air No-lead does not include a lead-in line and the letters are not joined.

Letter-join Print

Letter-join Print matches the letter style used in Letter-join to teach printed letters.

Letter-join No-lead

Letter-join No-lead does not include the lead-in line at the start of each letter but has a lead-out line that joins to the following letter.

Letter-join Plus

Letter-join Plus is the font most widely used by Letter-join school subscribers. It is a continuous cursive font with lead-in and lead-out lines.

The five Letter-join fonts included in school subscriptions can be downloaded from a school’s Letter-join Administration page to use in MS Word. See page 10 for how to install.

All users can also choose which of the five fonts to use for on-line activities; Magic Words, Worksheet Generator and Word Animator via the Information panel.

Fonts will use the alternative letterforms that have been chosen for the letters f, k, w, x and z.

SET-UPSET-UP

How to distribute

passwords for your pupils to use Letter-join

at home

See page 42

Classroom Options


Instruction Guides

l Handwriting Lesson Planners

l Cursive Handwriting Manual for teachers

l Handwriting Policy

l Fonts description guide

l Fonts in Microsoft Word

l Online Word Processor

l Setting up tablets (school)

l Word Animator guide

l Worksheet Generator guide

l Instructions for pupils to use Letter-join at home

l Handwriting Manual for pupils and parents at home

Installing Letter-join fonts for use in MS Word on PCs and across networks

4) To download the fonts please accept the Terms and Conditions and click on one, or each of the download font links as shown below.

The Letter-join fonts can be downloaded by subscribing schools by logging in to Letter-join as a School Administrator and following the instructions below.

IT technicians and class teachers can also download the Letter-join Font Guide from the Info page for more information about installing and using Letter-join fonts.

Letter-join desktop log-in.

1) Log in to Letter-join as Administrator on your desktop computer.

Font download options from the Administrator page.

Choosing your school’s preferred letterforms.

Installing fonts from your school’s Letter-join Administrator page

3) Select ‘Download fonts’ and follow instructions.

2) Select your school’s preferred letterforms before downloading the fonts.

4) Locate where the fonts have been downloaded on your PC to install. The fonts are named Letter-join Plus, Letter-join Air Plus, Letter-join No-lead, Letter-join Air No-lead and Letter-join Print, each followed by a number relating to your choice of letterforms.

5) Right-click the file and choose the ‘Install’ option.Restart MS Word so that the font is recognised. The font is now ready to use in Microsoft Word and other applications that support Contextual Alternates.

Letter-join fonts for network installation

Letter-join fonts can be distributed and installed onto classroom PCs and teachers’ laptops across a school network. Please consult your IT technician to distribute the fonts using the MSI installer option from the link on the Letter-join ‘Download fonts’ page.

SET-UP

Display Letter-join fonts correctly in MS Word

Create a Word Template to keep Letter-join’s font preferences You can create a time-saving template to use that has the Letter-join font selected with contextual alternates enabled.

Open a new Word document and select Ctrl + D. Choose the Letter-Join font. Select the Advanced tab and enable ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ then click OK.

Navigate to File > Save as. In the ‘Save as type’ field change from the default ‘Word Document (*.docx)’ to ‘Word Template (*.dotx)’ and name the file.

LETTER-JOIN FONTS IN MICROSOFT WORD

Distribute this file to all staff who will use the Letter-join fonts in MS Word. When the template file is opened both the correct font and the ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ option are automatically enabled.

Word Template

• Select text.

• In MS Word, select Format > Font (or Ctrl D).

• Select the ‘Advanced’ tab.

• Tick the ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ button.

This option has to be selected every time MS Word is re-opened or alternatively a Word template can be created with Contextual Alternates already selected, as shown on the right.

Contextual Alternates

When using any of the Letter-join fonts in MS Word

it is important to select the Contextual Alternates

option to correctly reproduce the cursive letterforms

and use the correct joining strokes.

How to switch on Contextual AlternatesWith the Letter-join fonts installed on your computer the Letter-join fonts will be displayed in the MS Word font list. If they are not showing, re-start MS Word for the fonts to show.

✔

CONTEXTUAL ALTERNATES SWITCHED OFF

Lead-in lines and joins are formed correctly

✘Lead-in lines are missing and joins are incorrectly formed

CONTEXTUAL ALTERNATES SWITCHED ON

When using any of the Letter-join cursive fonts in MS Word it is important to select the Contextual Alternates option to correctly reproduce the cursive letterforms and use the correct joining strokes between letters.

Create a Word Template to keep Letter-join’s font preferences You can create a time-saving template to use that has the Letter-join font selected with contextual alternates enabled.

Open a new Word document and select Ctrl + D. Choose the Letter-Join font. Select the Advanced tab and enable ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ then click OK.

Navigate to File > Save as. In the ‘Save as type’ field change from the default ‘Word Document (*.docx)’ to ‘Word Template (*.dotx)’ and name the file.

LETTER-JOIN FONTS IN MICROSOFT WORD

Distribute this file to all staff who will use the Letter-join fonts in MS Word. When the template file is opened both the correct font and the ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ option are automatically enabled.

Word Template

• Select text.

• In MS Word, select Format > Font (or Ctrl D).

• Select the ‘Advanced’ tab.

• Tick the ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ button.

This option has to be selected every time MS Word is re-opened or alternatively a Word template can be created with Contextual Alternates already selected, as shown on the right.

Contextual Alternates

When using any of the Letter-join fonts in MS Word

it is important to select the Contextual Alternates

option to correctly reproduce the cursive letterforms

and use the correct joining strokes.

How to switch on Contextual AlternatesWith the Letter-join fonts installed on your computer the Letter-join fonts will be displayed in the MS Word font list. If they are not showing, re-start MS Word for the fonts to show.

✔

CONTEXTUAL ALTERNATES SWITCHED OFF

Lead-in lines and joins are formed correctly

✘Lead-in lines are missing and joins are incorrectly formed

CONTEXTUAL ALTERNATES SWITCHED ON

Accents are included for creating foreign language worksheets.

School communications using the Letter-join font.

À la française.

SET-UP

With the Letter-join fonts installed on your computer they will be displayed in the MS Word font list. If they are not showing, re-start MS Word for the fonts to be recognised.

How to switch on Contextual Alternates: • Select text. • In MS Word, select Format > Font (or Ctrl D). • Select the ‘Advanced’ tab. • Tick the ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ button.

This option has to be selected every time MS Word is re-opened or alternatively a Word template can be created with Contextual Alternates already enabled, as shown below.

How to switch on Contextual Alternates

You can create a template with your chosen Letter-join font with contextual alternates enabled as follows:

• Open a new Word document. Select Format > Font (or Ctrl + D) and select the Letter-Join font. Select the Advanced tab and enable ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ then click OK.

• Navigate to File > Save as. In the ‘Save as type’ field change from the default ‘Word Document (*.docx)’ to ‘Word Template (*.dotx)’ and name the file Letter-join.

• Distribute this file to all staff who will use the Letter-join font, so when launching the template file both the correct font and the ‘Use Contextual Alternates’ option are automatically enabled.

Make a time-saving Word template


Handwriting Lesson PlannersStructured, continuous cursive writing lesson plans

Lesson Planner Module 170 lessons for pre-cursive patterns and continuous, lowercase letters.

Lesson Planner Module 260 lessons for teaching capital letters, printed letters, numbers and symbols.

Lesson Planner Module 3 90 lessons covering all handwriting requirements for KS1.

The first module is divided into three sections:

1) Pre-cursive patterns: 20 lessons

2) Easy letters & words: 25 lessons

3) Harder letters & words: 25 lessons

On completion of Module 1 children should be able to form and correctly join all cursive lowercase letters.

Letter-join Handwriting Lesson Planners are designed to guide teachers and their assistants to teach continuous cursive handwriting using a systematic method.

Letter-join Handwriting Lesson Planners cover each of the key stage requirements and are written by teachers and editors with expertise in EYFS, KS1 and KS2.

They are developed in keeping with the National Curriculum and use Letter-join’s resources to provide a thorough and interesting way to teach handwriting.

Module 2 is divided into three sections:

1) Capital letters: 25 lessons

2) Printed letters: 25 lessons

3) Numbers & symbols: 15 lessons

A comprehensive appendix includes over 240 printout sheets needed for this module.

Module 3 is divided into three sections:

Term 1: Consolidating letter formation.

Term 2: SPaG revision sheets.

Term 3: Speeding up handwriting and fun handwriting activities.

Module 3 will increase the fluency and speed of children’s handwriting and enable them to form letters securely and with the correct orientation.

Change the font using the ‘Classroom Options’ button

Choosing Letter-join fonts for individual classroom accountsLogging-in to a classroom account of a Letter-join school subscription allows classroom teachers to choose one of the five Letter-join fonts to use in three Letter-join

activities: Magic Words, Worksheet Generator and Word Animator. The Letter-join fonts do not need to be downloaded for these activities.

To change the font for a Letter-join activity click on the ‘Info’ button at the bottom left of each page. Choose ‘Classroom Options’ and select the Letter-join font you wish to use.

Fonts can only be changed by staff logging-in to a classroom account and cannot be changed by children using the Home-School log in.

Classroom options allows teachers to choose a Letter-join font to suit their individual class needs for three Letter-join activities.

• Magic Words

• Worksheet Generators

• Word Animator

This is independent of other classroom font choices within a school.

SET-UP


What can be more fun than learning to draw spirals and zig-zags?

Patterns and pre-cursive shapes can be challenging for young pupils, but Letter-join has all the resources needed to introduce joined-up handwriting to younger children.

Letter-join’s animations present pre-cursive patterns with fun sounds that can be copied by air-writing or by tracing on IWBs, tablets and, most importantly, by practising with a pencil on printed worksheets.

This naturally leads on to the introduction of real letters. Watching and copying the shapes of letters and the various joining techniques will enable pupils to learn to write simple words in a cursive style at this early stage.

Early Years Foundation Stage

InteractivitiesLetter-join includes activities to help learn

the shapes required for joined-up

handwriting and to aid the development

of fine motor skills.

Magic Words is a playful section where

letter joining techniques can be practised

by finger writing and where pupils are

rewarded with stars for accuracy (see

page 38).

Letter-join iPad and tablet access is

included with all school subscriptions for

pupils to use at school and at home.


Letters and words made simple

Example of an easy word typed into Magic Words (see page 38 for more information). Magic Words can be practised on either tablets or interactive whiteboards.

Choose interactive activities and printed worksheets as a foundation to handwriting

EYFS EYFS

Letters and words can be presented as a whole class activity.

Interactive whiteboard display allows for whole class involvement.

Letter-join provides a selection of fun pre-cursive patterns for EYFS pupils that cover all handwriting movements. These encourage fine and gross motor skills as a foundation to cursive handwriting.

Letter-join’s pre-cursive patterns are grouped into logical sets of similar shapes, and each pattern is animated, accompanied by exciting sounds.

The patterns can be traced over on IWBs or tablets. Presented large on the IWB, Letter-join is perfect for air-writing for gross motor skills. Finer control can be gained by finger writing on tablets or with a pencil using the worksheets. Worksheets consist of lines of patterns for tracing using a pencil or crayon and a simple drawing which can be ‘coloured-in’ using the patterns of that group.

Pre-cursive patterns cover all writing shapes.

Watch patterns, such as jellies, with fun sounds.

Practice tracing patterns on IWBs or tablets.Fun worksheets are available for all the pattern sets for handwriting practice using pencils and crayons.

Develop writing skills with pre-cursive patterns

Watch, practise, trace and copy – the easy way to learn cursive handwriting

Word animations cover all the joining methods between characters.

Teachers can control the speed of ‘word’ animations.

LETTER-JOIN FONTS

Tailor-made Worksheets

Create cursive worksheets quickly in different formats using any of the five Letter-join fonts. See page 34.

WORKSHEET GENERATOR

Using the same approach as Patterns, Letter-join introduces the ‘easy’ letters of the alphabet in a progressive manner starting with ‘long ladder letters’ and building up to more complex letters.

Each letter is presented as an animation with a spoken description which is repeatable. There are also opportunities to ‘try’ letters on IWBs or tablets.

Each set of letters can be followed by accompanying words which illustrate the joining methods of the letters just practised. The letter and word sets can be printed in three different sizes for real handwriting practice.

Word animations cover all the joining methods between characters.Create animations for any word using the Word Animator. See page 35 for more info.

Change the font for Magic Words

Click the ‘Info’ button, choose classroom options.

Tip!


Key Stage 1Handwriting can be fun and using Letter-join can help reinforce cursive handwriting during KS1 with a variety of fresh activities.

To support handwriting at school, pupils can also log into Letter-join at home, accessing all the resources including the touch-screen activities on iPads and tablets.

KS1 is the time to introduce new letterforms (capital letters, numbers, printed letters and punctuation) and Letter-join animates all of these to show the correct formation and provides ready-made worksheets for labelling and form-filling using capital and printed letters.

Pupils should also be looking to produce neater handwriting with consistent spacing and letter sizes as well as learning ‘speedy handwriting’ which can be practised using Letter-join’s dictation exercises.


Moreletters

Letter-join’s animations of letters and words make it easy to learn and write the letters of the alphabet. The words used in the examples have been carefully selected to cover all cursive joining methods enabling pupils to quickly become more natural with the variety of strokes between different letter shapes.

After watching the animations, it’s easy to use a classroom IWB, iPad or tablet using a finger or stylus to familiarise and practise the letter shapes and joining techniques. The pre-prepared worksheets, which are available in three different sizes, can be easily printed for that all too important real handwriting practice.

Reach KS1 handwriting standards• Demonstrate the correct methods

for writing upper and lower case letters with the correct joins.

Letter Families worksheets can be found under Extra Resources > Printouts, Handouts and Posters > Supplementary Worksheets.

Letters and Words cover all the joining techniques between cursive characters.

Animations for Capitals, Printed Letters, Numbers, Punctuation and Symbols can be found under the ‘More Letters’ menu tab.

Times tables worksheets are available in the Extra Resources section to help with number writing.

New worksheets are regularly added and announced on the Letter-join web site.

Using the familiar format of long ladders, curly caterpillars, one-armed robots and zig-zag letters, Letter-join’s worksheets can be printed out for tracing and copying the different letter families.

Vibrant graphics add to the recognition of each letter family and your school’s alternative letterforms are automatically used.

Capital and Printed Letters, Numbers and Punctuation – all have animations and practice worksheets at the ready!

Try Letter Families worksheets Help pupils become familiar with similar letter shapes and become confident at writing differently formed characters.

Use Letter-join to teach harder letters and words to help pupils gain confidence in their handwriting

KEY STAGE 1KEY STAGE 1

Developing pupils’ handwriting skills

Practice worksheetsLetter-join’s worksheets for KS1 include practice sheets for all of the animated letters and words, word lists, high frequency words and sequencing sentences. See page 28 for a full listing of Extra Resources.

100 HighFrequency WordsKS1

thiswaterpeoplewhich

Printable worksheetsin three sizes in trace

and copy format

• Show how to form numerals of the same size that sit on the base line.

• Teach how to write printed letters and use Letter-join’s animations and worksheets to practise how they are used.

• Ensure that pupils know how much space to leave between words.

• Encourage pupils to write longer passages of text to build up endurance using the Dictation Exercises.

• Use Letter-join’s worksheets to ensure that letters sit on the base line and are consistent in size with correctly formed ascenders and descenders.


The Magic Words section is a great way for Key Stage 1 pupils to type in their own words and practise handwriting using the touchscreen

capabilities of iPads and tablets. With five exciting backgrounds to choose from and a simple star reward function, pupils will enjoy using

Letter-join on their tablets at school and at home. See page 38 for more about Magic Words.

High frequency words for Key Stage 1

Key Stage 1 Cloze sentences

Pangram sentences using all the letters of the alphabet

Practise number writing with times tables printouts Letter-join includes a full set of times tables worksheets from 2 through to 12 times tables which are great for practising number writing. They are provided in look, trace and copy format which are great for homework sheets or five-minute fillers.

Introduce form-filling Pupils can learn how to write within the constraints of a form using printed and capital letters. Letter-join includes a selection of forms for Key Stages 1 and 2.

Handwriting worksheets Handwriting and spelling go together and Letter-join provides many spelling worksheets for practising cursive handwriting. These include:

• Pangram sentences using all the letters of the alphabet.

• High frequency words for Key Stage 1.

• Sequencing sentences.

• Cloze exercises.

See pages 29 to 31 for more worksheet examples.

Letter-join’s Dictation Exercises are a great introduction to speedy writing and help build up writing stamina.

They also help in learning how to produce a first draft, proof checking and writing out a final copy.

The dictation exercises for KS1 include a simple spelling list, a list of 2 digit numbers and an easy poem.

Practise speedy writing with Dictation Exercises

Letter-join’s Magic Words – touchscreen activities

DIC

TATION

RE S O U R C

E S

DIC

TATION

RE S O U R C

E S

DIC

TATION

RE S O U R C

E S

KEY STAGE 1 KEY STAGE 1

A dictation list written out as a first draft and a final copy. See page 32 for more information about Dictation Exercises.

Times tables worksheet example.

Key Stage 1 form-filling example.


Key Stage 2 Ready for the final round of handwriting challenges? When pupils master these they’ll be true handwriting champions!

Building on KS 1 skills, pupils will be writing passages of text neatly and speedily, labelling diagrams using printed letters appropriately and filling in forms using legible writing .

Letter-join’s resources will help pupils acquire a feel for neatness and quality in their final handwritten work. The dictation resources will help to develop handwriting stamina when writing .

With the support of Letter-join, pupils will have covered all the criteria necessary by the end of Year 6 to reach the standards set out in the National Curriculum for handwriting .


The National Curriculum tasks Key Stage 2 pupils to aim for quality, speed and stamina.

Letter-join’s resources will help to attain these aims and provides

worksheets and exercises to help improve handwriting. The National Curriculum criteria for KS2 handwriting includes:

Quality: Ensure that letters are of consistent size with equal word spacing and that ascenders and descenders are parallel and do not interfere with the writing on the above or below lines.

Speed: Improve speed of handwriting to allow creative writing to take precedence over the task of handwriting and be able to take ‘quick notes’ at a faster pace.

Stamina: Have the strength and mobility to be able to write for longer periods of time without fatigue.

Pupils are expected to have full knowledge of different kinds of handwriting for different purposes Including:

• Neat, joined, cursive letters for writing passages, large amounts of text, lists and letters.

• Printed or capital letters for posters, notices, headings, labelling and form filling.

• Speedy handwriting for note-taking and dictation where neatness is not as important and shortcuts can be used, such as ‘+’ instead of ‘and’.

Use Letter-join’s advanced handwriting exercises to reach KS2 National Curriculum standards

Extra animations and practice sheets for KS2Try to reinforce other characters such as numerals, punctuation and mathematical symbols in the ‘More Letters’ section.

Word listsLetter-join combines handwriting practice with other KS2 tasks such as the recommended word lists.

KEY STAGE 2 KEY STAGE 2

Advanced form-fillingPromote accuracy and neatness of printed and capital letters with advanced form-filling worksheets.

Challenging dictation exercisesThese exercises will help with speedy note-taking, stamina and encourage proof-checking.

These worksheets can be found in the ‘Extra Resources’ section of Letter-join.

Accomplishing neat handwriting

KS2 Dictation Exercise - extract from Hansel and Gretel ... it was built of bread and covered with cakes ...


BUILD A WORD BANK

3

High Frequency Words 100 high frequency words to trace and copy for EYFS and KS 1 in small, medium and large sizes.

Lesson Planner HFWs In medium size with an additional task.

Worksheets, Handouts and PostersCursive Worksheets

Extra Resources

Worksheets, handouts and posters

Dictation Exercises

EXTRA RESOURCES

CURSIVE WORKSHEETSLetter families Long ladders, curly caterpillars, one-armed robots and zig-zags.

High frequency words

Appendix 1 words

KS1 and KS2 SATs revision SPaG.

Cloze sentences

Sequencing sentences

Number writing

Pangrams Using all the letters of the alphabet.

French prepositions

PRINTED WORKSHEETSLabelling exercises Topic worksheets for labelling using printed letters.

Form-filling exercises Easy form, harder form and a form with boxes.

Times tables For number practice.

POSTERS & HANDOUTS A4 Alphabet printouts

Classroom banner

Lined writing paper

Handwriting certificates

Letter families Colourful worksheets to help with the different families of letter shapes.

Sequencing sentences A selection of sentences to re-arrange to form short narratives. Two different levels for years 1-2 and years 2-3.

Find your way around Letter-join’s ever-growing list of worksheets and handwriting exercisesExtra Resources is the place to be for teachers looking for cursive and printed handwriting worksheets, handouts and posters, dictation exercises and the Word Animator.

PRACTICE WITH PUPILS

4

CREATEANIMATION

2

TYPE A WORD1

Word Animator

HANDWRITING CERTIFICATES A series of colourful handwriting certificates, each in three different sizes.

Create animations of words to save in classroom word banks

EYFS• A selection of CVC words,

a list of numbers and an easy poem.

Key Stage 1• Harder dictation exercises:

a list of phrases, easy additions and a three- verse poem.

• Sentences and paragraphs using years 1 and 2 common exception and high frequency words.

Key Stage 2• More challenging

exercises: a shopping list, complex numbers and a longer written passage.

• Dictation exercises using extracts from traditional stories and poems.

PAGE 29 PAGE 35 PAGE 32

NEW!


A series of form-filling exercises for all key stages to help teach the formation of printed and capital letters.

Posters and HandoutsAlphabet banners

All the letters of the alphabet, each on an A4 sheet, to print out for displaying in the classroom or for pupils to colour in. Available as cursive and capital letters.

Worksheets to reinforce correct letter formation using sentences that contain all the letters of the alphabet.

A selection of worksheets for practising printed letters, covering curriculum-based topics for all key stages.

Cursive Worksheets (continued) Printed Worksheets

A simple form for early years. A more advanced form for KS 1.

EXTRA RESOURCESEXTRA RESOURCES

Word lists

Times tables worksheets

French worksheets

SPaG worksheets A growing series of worksheets ideal for KS1 and KS2 SATs revision and perfect for homework or five minute fillers.

NOW INCLUDES KS1 SPaG

Missing words sentences using words from the word lists for Years 3-4 and Years 5-6.

Spelling Lists and Sentences

Practise punctuation in the context of meaningful sentences. Ten worksheets covering all the punctuation requirements.

A series of exercises covering the grammar topics required for KS1 and KS2 SATs from adjectives to prepositions.

Practise spelling rules and patterns with eight trace and copy word lists then reinforce with eight ‘missing words’ worksheets.

Punctuation Grammar

Cloze exercises

Worksheets combining handwriting practice and French vocabulary including accented letters.

Spelling words in trace and copy format, as listed in the DfE’s English Programmes of Study.

Pangrams

Labelling exercises Form-filling exercises

Alphabet printouts A4 printouts for cursive, printed and capital letters which will print using your school preferred letterforms for f, k, w, x and z. Useful for sending home so that parents know which letterforms are used at school.

2 times to 12 times tables for tracing and copying to help practise writing numerals.

Lined writing paperA4 lined paper with baseline and tramlines in three different sizes. Ideal for using with Letter-join’s dictation exercises.

LINED WRITING

PAPERIN 3 SIZESNo books

to buy!


Speed up handwriting with Letter-join’s Dictation Exercises

Example of Harder Exercises for KS1 and accompanying text page for checking.


How to use the Dictation Exercises

The exercises are presented as sound files which are firstly played at normal speed for pupils to become familiar with the text. The text is then played slowly for pupils to write down.

The spoken text is played back again at normal speed allowing pupils to fill in any gaps that they may have left in their written draft or to correct any errors.

The final text can then be displayed on screen or printed out so that pupils can re-write the text in their best joined-up handwriting making any corrections on the way.

The National Curriculum states that by the end of Key Stage 2 pupils should have ‘fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting’.

Writing down notes when a person is speaking can be a tricky task, but dictation is a very good exercise to build proficiency and speed in handwriting. Letter-join’s dictation exercises range from Easy to Challenging to cater for pupils from EYFS through to KS2. They are simple and fun, and can be practised at school as well as at home.

Example of KS2 Traditional Stories and accompanying text page for checking.

Help teach your pupils to speed up their note-taking with a series of dictation exercises.

• Easy CVC words, two-digit numbers and an easy poem for beginners.

• Phrases, additions and a poem for KS1 as well as 12 worksheets with spelling lists and sentences using years 1 and 2 common exception and high frequency words.

• Challenging lists, complex numbers and exercises using traditional poems and stories to help KS2 pupils improve their note-taking and handwriting speed.

Example of key stage 1 ‘Harder numbers’ dictation exercise.

Dictation Exercises are found under the Extra Resources tab.


EXTRA RESOURCES EXTRA RESOURCES

Worksheet GeneratorCreate your own cursive handwriting worksheets

for spelling lists, sentence sheets and posters

Word Animator

Staff logging into a classroom account can create animations of words to save and replay using any of the five Letter-join fonts. Ideal for project and topic work, spelling lists and children’s names.

Create animations of

words to save to

class word banks

Using the Word Bank

Look, trace and copy spelling lists can be automatically produced from any Word Bank by selecting the ‘Make Spelling List’ option.

This is ideal for producing homework sheets for weekly spellings or classroom project work.

1) Select ‘Add Word Bank’ or choose an existing word bank.

2) Choose ‘Add a word’ and enter a new word. Click ‘OK’.

3) Trace over the word slowly and smoothly. If necessary, you can erase and start again.

4) Press ‘Save’ to add the animated word to the word bank.

FOR TEACHERS: How to add new word banks and new words

2) Select a word, either on-screen or from the pull-down menu, to watch and practise.

1) Log in using a Home username. Choose your class, go to the Word Animator and select a word bank.

3) Click ‘Watch’ to see the word being written on a whiteboard or tablet.

4) Choose ‘Try’ to practise writing words on a whiteboard or tablet.

FOR PUPILS: How to use the Word Animator to practise new words

The Letter-join Worksheet Generator has been updated so school staff can choose any of the five Letter-join fonts to produce worksheets.

Worksheets are created within internet browsers and your school’s choices of preferred letterforms for f, k, w, x and z will be used.

Spelling Lists In three sizes with options to show all the guidelines or the baseline only.

Sentence Sheets In three sizes with options to hide or show guidelines and with trace or trace and copy options.

Posters/Freestyle In three sizes with options to show guidelines, baseline only or no lines at all, and to range text left or centred.

Teachers can create unlimited word banks specifically for their class. For example topic words, spellings or children’s names.

Children can access their classroom’s word banks at school, on a whiteboard or at home on an iPad or tablet – see below.

Create a Spelling List from the Word bank

Hints and TipsThe font is not joining correctly on the Worksheet Generator. Do not use Internet Explorer for Letter-join! The Worksheet Generator will produce fonts correctly if using Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari internet browsers.

Printing worksheets

How do I save worksheets created using the Worksheet Generator? The Google Chrome browser has a facility to save pages as PDF files. Create your worksheet as normal using Google Chrome and select Ctrl P then change ‘Destination’ to ‘Save as PDF’.

The worksheets are printing very faint and the guidelines are not showing. Some laser printers can struggle to print from a web page. Save the worksheet as a PDF (see above) and print from the PDF.

The tracing words are printing in black when I generate a worksheet. If you are using Firefox as your browser, in order to print the tracing words in grey you need to select the ‘Print Background’ option from Page Setup. Firefox: File > Page Setup > tick Print Background.

The lines are over-running when I print a generated worksheet. We recommend a maximum number of letters/words/lines for each character size on the Worksheet Generator. If you reach these recommendations the lines may over-run. Try reducing the number of words per line.


Use the Letter-join on-line Word Processor to make a spelling listLetter-join On-line Word Processor

Ready-to-use templatesThe Letter-join Word Processor includes a growing number of templates including a Spelling List. Customise on-line in seconds with any Letter-join font using your own words.

The Letter-join on-line Word Processor allows you to create and save documents using any of the Letter-join fonts, using your school’s preferred letterforms, without having to download the fonts onto your computer. This is useful if you do not have MS Word installed.

How to useLog in to your Letter-join classroom account, go to Extra Resources and choose ‘Word Processor’. You can either start typing to create a new document using the familiar commands, or open any of the ready-to-use template files to overwrite with your own content.

To open a template or a saved document choose File > Open from the menu bar within the browser window and NOT Ctrl+O or File > Open on your computer’s menu bar.

Saving and printing documents

Opening documents

Do NOT use Ctrl+O or File > Open on your computer’s menu bar to open a document.

File

Open

Documents are saved for each classroom account.

When saving documents you must use File > Save on the menu bar within the browser window and NOT Command-S or File > Save on your computer’s menu bar.

When printing documents you must use File > Print on the menu bar within the browser window and NOT Ctrl+P or File > Print on your computer’s menu bar.

‘Look, trace and copy’ spelling list Instructions can be found under the Info button.

Presentation pageInsert your own image or video from the internet.


Create instant cursive spelling lists, and more, on-line1

7

Click the ‘File’ option that is INSIDE the Word Processor window, and select ‘Open’ and choose ‘Fully Cursive Spellings’ from the ‘Templates’ section.

Selecting all of the text, once the list has been created, will allow the font type and size to be changed.

2

Scroll over the heading to select ‘Spellings title’ and overwrite the heading for your spelling list.

6

Continue by adding the ‘Look’ word and then the ‘Trace’ word in the next rows until the table is complete. You can save your worksheet using ‘Save’ at the top left of the Word Processor window.

To print your spelling list use the Printer icon at the top left of the Word Processor window.

You can print directly to your printer or you can save it as a PDF by changing the destination of the printer to ‘Save as PDF’.

5

Now place your cursor in the cell underneath ‘Trace’ and type your first word again. The ‘Trace’ text will be grey.

4

Place your cursor in the cell underneath ‘Look’ and type your first word.

3

Scroll over ‘Insert date’ and overwrite the date or select an option from the pull-down menu.

Open the Letter-join Word Processor under Extra Resources.


The Letter-join handwriting policy template includes images and editable text to quickly develop and personalise a school handwriting policy.

Magic Words

Magic Words includes a selection of colourful palettes where words can be typed onto the screen and then written over using a finger or a stylus for practice and fun. For more interaction it also features a simple star rated scoring system.

Magic Words can also be used on interactive whiteboards. The pop-up option allows a window to be dragged to the bottom of the screen to bring the window within reach of younger pupils (see below).

Magic Words palettes

Sand tray Steam

GraffitiRainbow

Blackboard

Colourful, touch-screen handwriting practice

for IWBs, iPads and tablets Excellent!Well done!Good try!

Letter-join is compatible with LearnPad interactive devices - see page 43.

Change the font in Magic Words.

Click the ‘Info’ button, choose classroom options.

Tip!

Magic Words on a classroom whiteboard.

School Handwriting Policy

Edit and publish your school Handwriting Policy

using Letter-join’s free MS Word template

Subscribers to the School Edition of Letter-join can download a fully editable Microsoft Word document of Letter-join’s Handwriting Policy to personalise to their school’s requirements. Free trial users can view the Handwriting Policy as a PDF.

Based on the National Curriculum requirements for handwriting it is designed to help schools using Letter-join to produce a concise, easy-to-read

handwriting policy to share with staff, parents and governors.

The Letter-join Handwriting Policy template includes:

• General handwriting philosophy.

• Aims, methods and frequency for year groups and key stages.

• Instructions for correct posture and pencil grip for handwriting including instructions for left-handed pupil.

Where to find the Handwriting Policy. Log in to your Letter-join school account as Administrator and select the Handwriting Policy Document link from the left hand menu.



How to sit comfortably

Sit with a straight back, not leaning over the page

Pull the chair close in to the table

Keep feet flat on the floor

Sit right back in the seat

The table reaches to below elbow height

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1

2 31

2 3

1

2 3

1

2 31

2 3

Sitting comfortably and holding the pencil correctly will aid neater handwriting and help pupils write for longer periods

Both right and left handed children should be encouraged to use the tripod grip which allows the pen/pencil to be held securely whilst allowing controlled movements of the pen/pencil nib.

1 Grip the pencil with your index finger and thumb with the nib pointing away.

2 With your free hand, spin the pencil from underneath.

3 Use your middle finger to support the underside of the pencil.

Paper positioning for right-handed children.

Correct Posture for Handwriting

How to hold a pencil correctly using the tripod pencil grip

Seating and handwriting positioning for left-handed children

EXTRA RESOURCES

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• Left-handed pupils should sit to the left of a right-handed child so that they are not competing for space.

• Pupils should position the paper/book to their left side and slanted, as shown.

• Pencils should not be held too close to the point as this can interrupt pupils’ line of vision.

• Extra practice with left-to-right exercises may be necessary before pupils write left-to-right automatically.

Left-handed children may find it difficult to follow right-handed teachers as they demonstrate letter formation (and vice versa). Teachers should demonstrate to left-handers on an individual or group basis.

Paper position for left-handed children.

Tripod grip for left-handed children. Paper positioning for left-handed children.

Letter-join warm-up exercisesA new and well-received addition to Letter-join resources, pupils will enjoy these fun warm-up exercises for gross and fine motor skills. They can be found in the Letter-join Lesson Planners and on-line under Extra Resources.

NEW!


Letter-join for children to use at home

Sharing a classroom Word Bank with pupils at home

Practising handwriting at home is one of the most effective ways to improve handwriting quickly. A Letter-join school subscription allows children and their parents to log in to Letter-join on their PCs and laptops as well as iPads and tablets.

All of Letter-join’s touch screen activities can be used on tablets at home and worksheets can be printed out for

real handwriting practice.

Share all Letter-join activities and features, including Word Banks, with your pupils to practise at home

How pupils access Letter-join at homeSimply issue children and their parents with the Home Instructions letter

Log-in to Letter-join as School Administrator and select Home Instructions, open the link to the letter in MS Word and insert your home and tablet log in details where indicated.

Children are able to access their own classroom’s Word Banks when they log-in at home. This means that word animations that are produced by their class teacher can be watched and practiced at home.

To allow pupils to choose their classroom Word Banks please see how to change class names on your Letter-join Admin page (see page 6 for details).

Home Users’ Guide is free for parents to download.

The Home Instructions letter for schools to issue to their pupils to access Letter-join at home.

Coming soon!

New menu design

FREE ACCESS FOR PUPILS AT HOME! Subscribe to Letter-join for your school and your pupils can log-in to Letter-join at home on their PCs and tablets.

Letter-join’s new menu

design will help teachers

and pupils navigate

more easily and

intuitively to the

resources they need.

FREE!

NEW!

Calculate the cost for your schoolFrom the Letter-join website, click the ‘Buy’ button at the top of the page to select the Cost Calculator. Simply insert the number of classes your school requires and calculate the cost for a first year subscription to Letter-join. Subsequent years will not include the £100 registration fee.

Below is an example showing the cost for 7 classroom accounts including the first year’s registration fee.

For desktop computers

The Letter-join free trial can be

shared by teachers and pupils

at school on their PCs and

tablets and includes access to

all activities, animations and

worksheets.

Instant access for 30 days at your schoolwww.letterjoin.co.uk

Letter-join can be accessed through the LearnPad system as follows:• On your PC log in to LearnPad.• Log in to Class Connect.• Choose ‘Content’.• Search for keyword ‘Letterjoin’.

Recommended internet browsers for Letter-Join

Apple Safari

Google Chrome

Mozilla Firefox

We recommend the latest

versions of the following

browsers:
