The Great Handwriting Challenge

We have embarked on the Great New Zealand Handwriting Challenge in Tautoru.   15 minutes of our day is dedicated to handwriting as per our new NZ Curriculum requirements.  We have never underestimated the power of teaching handwriting so that our students can enjoy being writers and getting those amazing ideas down on paper.  We have already seen a great improvement and the structure and routine is working well too.  

Check out here to learn more:

https://www.thegreatnewzealandhandwritingchallenge.net/

Why should we be investing in handwriting?

• Teaching students how to automatically write letters leads to better quality writing. 

When children can form letters easily, they gain memory space to express more interesting ideas.

• Practising letter shapes builds brain pathways for reading, helping students learn and 

remember letter patterns and words.

• Handwriting builds confidence and motivation. When students are able to hand-write easily,

 they feel better about their writing and are more motivated to write.

• Teaching handwriting is easy and fun. Students love it, and we can teach it effectively in just ten 

minutes a day.

From The Great New Zealand Handwriting Challenge

Also, it’s now a requirement  in the new English Curriculum!
What are we aiming for across our Junior School ?

From Autahi to Tautoru - Year 0 to Year 3

Curriculum requirements

First 6 months

• Form most lower-case letters and numerals correctly and legibly, with each letter or numeral on the line.

• Sit comfortably, apply a comfortable amount of pressure, and use a functional pencil grip, with support.

During the first year

• Form most lower-case letters and numerals correctly and legibly, with each letter or numeral on the line, and attending to size and spacing.

• Sit comfortably, apply a comfortable amount of pressure, and use a functional pencil grip, independently.

During the second year

• Form all letters and numerals legibly, attending to the size, placement and spacing.

• Consistently practise good posture and comfortable grip when writing.

During the third year

• Print all letters and numerals correctly and legibly, attending to size, placement, spacing, and slope with ease and automaticity.

• Consistently practise good posture and comfortable grip when writing across the curriculum.

We can't wait to see what a difference this will make to our writing !