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Practise the three p’s!

Head not tilted

Posture

Shoulders and arms relaxed

Stable writing surface

Why do you write with a pen or pencil?

Because the pen or pencil can’t write without you.

Comfortable posture Hand holding paper steady

Feet flat on floor

Pencil hold

The index finger pulls towards the body.

The thumb pushes away.

Katy Collis and Alexandra Kennedy

Right hand

Left hand Left-handers hold a little further from the point, so you can see your writing better.

Paper position

Left-handed

Right-handed

Paper turned a little clockwise. Paper turned a little anti-clockwise.

Writing hand and arm can move freely.

Non-writing hand holds paper steady.

Queensland Second Edition www.matildaeducation.com.au

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2 Queensland Modern Cursive 7/7/2023 3:39 pm

Unit Features

Contents

Review: Queensland Beginner’s Alphabet

Clockwise letters m, n, r, h, k, b, p, j...............................2 Straight-line letters i, t, l, x, z..........................................8 Anticlockwise letters u, v, w, a, d, q, o, e, c, f...............12 Direction change letters g, y, s.....................................20 Numerals......................................................................22

Notes for Teachers and Parents

Review letters modelled.

Exits

Trace lower-case and then upper-case (capital) letters within lines to reinforce the letter, and to help develop students’ kinaesthetic memory.

Review: Anticlockwise letters u, v, w, a, d, q, o, e, c, f

uU

From a, c, d, e, h, k, l, t.................................................26

vV

wW

Trace then write.

u U

Entries

Rounded entries to r, m, n, x........................................34 Pointed entries to i, j, p, u, v, w, y.................................38

v V

w W

u U

v V

w W

Trace.

unicorn untying untidily

Letters that change

f....................................................................................46 z....................................................................................48

Noun, verb, adverb patterns for all review letters.

Trace.

vet viewing vocally

Letters that don’t change

Trace.

wagun wobbling wildly

b, g, o, q, s....................................................................50 Introducing joins

Handwriting: anticlockwise letters; body letters (u, v, w).

Grammar: personal pronouns (we); prefix and suffix (untidily); adverbs (untidily, vocally, wildly); doing verbs (untying, viewing, wobbling); statement.

Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; full stop.

Spelling and vocabulary: arrive, dive, drive, undid, undo, undone,

unzip, upend, visit, vote, wanted, watched, waved, wished; prefix un– (undid); ‘a’ for short o sound (wanted, watched). The word wagun is from the Bundjalung language. It means brush turkey.

Literary elements: alliteration; Aesop fable ‘The Four Oxen and the Lion’, moral: United we stand, divided we fall.

12

Diagonal joins...............................................................52 Dropping on letters.......................................................55 Horizontal joins.............................................................57 Practising joins.............................................................61

13

For the teacher, links to grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary, and literary elements.

Progressive assessments

Assessment 1 Beginner’s Alphabet..............................62 Assessment 2 Exits......................................................62 Assessment 3 Rounded entries...................................63 Assessment 4 Pointed entries .....................................63 Assessment 5 All entries and exits...............................64 Assessment 6 Joins ....................................................64 Notes for teachers and parents...............inside back cover

Helpful tips.

Posture, pencil hold, paper position.............. back cover

Horizontal joins to anticlockwise letters

You also need a horizontal join . . . to any of these anticlockwise letters.

from any of these letters

a c d g o q

o r v w

Handwriting Rules! Year 2 QLD Edition ISBN: 978 0 6550 9291 9

Designer and typesetter: Trish Hayes Illustrator: Stephen Michael King Series editor: Marie James Indigenous consultant: Al Fricker

This edition published in 2024 by Matilda Education Australia, an imprint of Meanwhile Education Pty Ltd Melbourne, Australia T: 1300 277 235 E: customersupport@matildaed.com.au www.matildaeducation.com.au

First edition published in 2015 by Macmillan Science and Education Australia Pty Ltd Copyright © Katy Collis and Alexandra Kennedy 2015, 2021, 2024 The moral rights of the authors have been asserted.

Printed in China by Central Sep-23

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Clear instructions to teach each exit, entry or join.

Write the

o

then add a

oc

Keep going to start

oc

then retrace to

letter . . .

a little dip.

the next letter . . .

finish the letter.

oc

retrace

Trace.

oa oc od og ra rd rg va wa oa oc od og ra ro oo

A variety of activities to reinforce the join.

Trace and then independently write a joke or proverb. All sentences model different aspects of the English curriculum appropriate for Year 2, while being fun and motivating for students.

Trace then write.

What k ey won’t open any door?

A m onk ey.

My horizontal joins are smooth: sometimes

often

always

.

60

Self-assessment feature to encourage students to take responsibility for their own progress.

The Handwriting Rules! series is designed to support students’ development of legible, fluent handwriting in the Queensland Beginner’s Alphabet and Modern Cursive styles. It combines a multi-sensory and cognitive approach to embed letter formation in the motor memory, with carefully structured layout and humorous illustrations to engage students’ interest. It is the only series to fully integrate handwriting skills with other aspects of the English curriculum: spelling and phonic knowledge, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and aspects of literature.

Handwriting is linked to the ability to spell. Neat and legible handwriting assists students to develop kinaesthetic and visual memory for letter sequences in spelling. There is a great deal of research that proves that when children’s handwriting is automatic (i.e. requiring little thinking or cognitive effort) the brain is freed for more creative tasks.

Also, fine motor control leads to legible handwriting, which supports spelling development.

Structure of the Year 2 workbook

A handwriting lesson Use the poster on the back cover to reinforce the process of getting ready to write with the three p’s for perfect handwriting: posture, pencil hold and paper position.

When getting ready to write, use arm and hand movements as warm-up activities to establish kinaesthetic memory for the handwriting movements.

Other activities for developing fine motor control, and hand and finger strength, are included in the Handwriting Rules! Queensland digital download.

Introduce the letters, reinforce the directional movements and brainstorm lists of words that start with the letter or contain the letter. Develop students’ vocabulary and interest by discussing the noun, verb, adverb labels and their matching pictures, noting any humour in the visual or verbal text.

Demonstrate and model the movement and shape of the focus letter.

The Beginner’s Alphabet is revised on pages 2 to 25. Letters are revised in a sequence based on the directional movements required: clockwise letters, letters comprising straight lines, anticlockwise letters and letters that require more than one rotation (the direction change letters – g, y, s). Completing the pages in this sequence will further develop and consolidate students’ awareness of the similarities and differences between letters and their ability to form letters automatically and fluently.

If necessary, explain the head, body and tail lines, and the creature used to identify which lines each letter fits between. Have students practise on their appropriate workbook pages. Reinforce where letters begin and finish, correct letter shape and size, consistency of letter slope, and consistency of spacing between letters and between words (including how to achieve consistent parallelism).

Activities for each letter are presented across a double page spread. The activities cover patterning, tracing and writing. Start dots and directional arrows give extra support. Letters are used in individual words and used in sentences. The first page of each letter spread provides an English grammar context for handwriting. The focus letters are used first in an alliterative noun, verb, adverb labels. The second page includes word lists using the letters and a joke or proverb. Again, connections are made to aspects of the English curriculum, such as spelling and vocabulary, punctuation, grammar and literary elements. (See the inside front cover for more information about page features.)

Students can keep track of their handwriting progress by completing the self-assessment activities throughout the book. Encourage students to reflect critically on their own handwriting and make judgements about their progress and improvement. At the appropriate time, have students complete one of the progressive assessments on the last three pages of the book.

Queensland Modern Cursive is introduced from page 26. This section provides tracking, tracing, copying and writing activities to support students as they learn exits and entries. Activities focus on letter direction, shape, size, position and where each letter starts and finishes.

This section also allows for students to use the letters in the context of spelling and vocabulary, grammar, jokes, word play and proverbs. Pages 52 to 61 introduce diagonal joins, dropping on letters and horizontal joins.

Assessment

Teacher assessment of student progress can take place at any time through observation and interaction with students as they are engaged in writing tasks.

Assess students’ pencil grip and hand control and watch that letters are formed correctly with consistent size, shape, slope and spacing. Observe students to ensure that movements are fluent and correct. Analyse work samples to observe evidence of handwriting progress.

Continued modelling and practice will develop students’ automaticity in correctly forming the letters and joins.

More information and checklists can be found in the Handwriting Rules! Queensland digital download.

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My name is

.

Draw a picture of your favourite funny character from a story.

(character name) (story title)

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Review: Clockwise letters m, n, r, h, k, b, p, j 2

mM

2

3

2

nN

rR

r R

n N

Trace then write.

m M

n N

m M

r R

Trace.

meerkats munching merrily Trace.

numbat nibbling noisily Trace.

rat riding rapidly Handwriting: clockwise letters; body letters (m, n, r).

Grammar: plural noun (meerkats), singular nouns (numbat, rat); adverbs (merrily, noisily, rapidly); doing verbs; possessive apostrophe (sailor’s) ; adjectives (pink, delight); prepositional phases (in the morning, in the night).

Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; full stop.

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Spelling and vocabulary: missed, moped, moved, needed, neigh, nod, noticed, roll, rub; suffixes –ily, –ing, –ed (noisily, warning, nibbling, needed); rhyme (night/delight, warning/morning). The word numbat is based on the word noombat from the Noongar language.

Literary elements: alliteration; ancient rhyme (over 2000 years old) for weather forecasting.

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Review: Clockwise letters m, n, r, h, k, b, p, j

Trace then write.

missed moped move needed nod noticed neigh rub roll

Trace then write.

Pink in the morning a sailor’s warning. Pink in the night, a sailor’s delight.

Draw a square around your best m.

Draw a circle around your best n.

Draw a triangle around your best r.

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Review: Clockwise letters m, n, r, h, k, b, p, j 2

hH 3

2

2

kK

bB

Trace then write.

h H

k K

b B

h H

k K

b B

Trace.

hippo hopping happily Trace.

kangaroo kissing kindly Trace.

braak breaking branches 4

Handwriting: clockwise letters; head and body letters (ascenders) (h, k, b).

Grammar: singular nouns (hippo, kangaroo); adverbs (happily, kindly); doing verbs (bump, bury); question and answer; question word (why).

Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; question mark; full stop.

Spelling and vocabulary: beagle, bump, burped, buzzed, help, hippo,

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hit, hope, hug, kangaroo, kick, kneel; digraph ‘ur’ (burped). The word kangaroo is based on the word gangurru from the Guugu Yimithir language. The word braak is from the Gunai-Kurnai language. It means sulphur-crested cockatoo.

Literary elements: alliteration; riddle; joke; word play (died); onomatopoeia (burped, buzzed).

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Trace and finish the pattern.

Review: Clockwise letters m, n, r, h, k, b, p, j

Trace then write.

help hit hope hug kneel kiss kick buzzed burped bump Trace then write.

Why did Bob bury his torch?

Because the battery died.

Draw a square around your best h.

Draw a circle around your best k.

Draw a triangle around your best b.

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Review: Clockwise letters m, n, r, h, k, b, p, j 2

pP

2

jJ 2

Trace then write.

p P

j J

p P

j J

p P

j J

Trace.

peacock prancing proudly

Trace.

jester juggling jauntily Trace and finish the pattern.

Handwriting: clockwise letters; body and tail letters (descenders) (p, j).

Grammar: noun groups (a thousand miles, a single step); articles (The, a); adverbs (proudly, jauntily).

Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; full stop.

Spelling and vocabulary: jester, jiggle, jog, join, jostle, jump, peep, poked, pop, push, pout; digraph ‘th’ (thousand, with); ‘le’ ending (jiggle, jostle, single).

Literary elements: alliteration; Chinese proverb; onomatopoeia (pop).

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Trace and finish the pattern.

Review: Clockwise letters m, n, r, h, k, b, p, j

Trace then write.

pout

push

poked

peep

pop

join

jiggle

jostle

jump

jog

Trace then write.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Draw a square around your best p.

Draw a circle around your best j.

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Review: Straight-line2 letters i, t, l, x, z

iI 2

2

tT

lL

2

3

Trace then write.

i I

t

T

l

i L

t

I

l

i T

t

L

l

Trace.

ibis itching impolitely Trace.

turtle talking toothlessly Trace.

leopard loafing lazily 8

Handwriting: straight-line letters; body letter (i); head and body letters (ascenders) (t, l).

Grammar: prepositional phrases (on the ironing board); adverbs (impolitely, toothlessly, lazily); doing verbs (itching, loafing); saying verb (talking); being verb (are); question and answer; question word (why); adjectives (big, wrinkly).

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Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; question mark; full stop.

Spelling and vocabulary: apostrophe for contraction (they’re); changing y to add –ed or –ly (lazily, tried); homophones (to/too/two); leap, lift, lifting, loosen, lug, tell, trampled, tried, tripped, try.

Literary elements: alliteration; riddle; joke.

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Review: Straight-line letters i, t, l, x, z

Trace then write.

leap lift loosen lug lifting tell trampled tried trip try

Trace then write.

Why are elephants so wrinkly?

They’re too big to fit on the ironing board.

Draw a square around your best i.

Draw a circle around your best t.

Draw a triangle around your best l.

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Review: Straight-line letters i, t, l, x, z

xX

2

zZ

2

Trace then write.

x X

z

Z

x

z X

x Z

z

X

x

z Z

Trace.

pixie relaxing flexibly

Trace.

zonkey zooming zappily Trace and finish the pattern.

Handwriting: straight-line letters; body letters (x, z).

Grammar: adjectives (better, flexible, stubborn); adverbs (zappily, flexibly); doing verbs (relaxing, zooming); statement.

Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; full stop.

Spelling and vocabulary: word families (flex, flexible, flexibly); coax, drizzle, fix, fizzed, flex, grizzle, mix, taxi, text, whiz.

Literary elements: alliteration; onomatopoeia (grizzle, drizzle, fizzed, whiz); portmanteau word (zonkey = zebra + donkey); Aesop fable ‘The Reed and the Olive Tree’, moral: It is better to be flexible than stubborn.

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Trace and finish the patterns.

Review: Straight-line letters i, t, l, x, z

Trace then write.

coax fix flex mix text taxi drizzle grizzle fizzed whiz

Trace then write.

It is better to be flexible than stubborn.

Draw a square around your best x.

Draw a circle around your best z.

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Review: Anticlockwise letters u, v, w, a, d, q, o, e, c, f

uU

vV

wW

Trace then write.

u U

v V

w W

u U

v V

w W

Trace.

unicorn untying untidily Trace.

vet viewing vocally Trace.

wagun wobbling wildly Handwriting: anticlockwise letters; body letters (u, v, w).

Grammar: personal pronouns (we); prefix and suffix (untidily); adverbs (untidily, vocally, wildly); doing verbs (untying, viewing, wobbling); statement.

Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; full stop.

Spelling and vocabulary: arrive, dive, drive, undid, undo, undone,

unzip, upend, visit, vote, wanted, watched, waved, wished; prefix un– (undid); ‘a’ for short o sound (wanted, watched). The word wagun is from the Bundjalung language. It means brush turkey.

Literary elements: alliteration; Aesop fable ‘The Four Oxen and the Lion’, moral: United we stand, divided we fall.

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Trace and finish the pattern.

Review: Anticlockwise letters u, v, w, a, d, q, o, e, c, f

Trace then write.

undid undo undone unzip upend arrive dive drive visit vote wanted watched waved wished Trace then write.

United we stand, divided we fall.

Draw a square around your best u.

Draw a circle around your best v.

Draw a triangle around your best w.

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Review: Anticlockwise letters u, v, w, a, d, q, o, e, c, f 2

aA 3

2

dD

qQ 2

Trace then write.

a A

d D

q Q

a A

d D

q Q

Trace.

ants arguing angrily Trace.

dingo dancing daintily Trace.

Queenie quacking quietly 14

Handwriting: anticlockwise letters; body letter (a); head and body letter (ascender) (d); body and tail letter (descender) (q).

Grammar: personal pronouns (I, you); adverbs (angrily, daintily, quietly); proper noun (Queenie); saying verb (quacking); verbs; question; question word (what).

Punctuation: upper-case (capital) letter to start a sentence; full stop;

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question mark.

Spelling and vocabulary: act, add, agree, drag, drop, droop; apostrophe for contraction (I’ve); qu and squ (quacking, squashed, squeezed, squished). The word dingo is based on the word dingu from the Dharug and Dharawal languages. It means wild dog.

Literary elements: alliteration; riddle; word play (quilt/cover).

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Trace and finish the pattern.

Review: Anticlockwise letters u, v, w, a, d, q, o, e, c, f

Trace then write.

act add agree drag drop droop squashed squeezed squished Trace then write.

What did the quilt say to the bed? I’ve got you covered.

Draw a square around your best a.

Draw a circle around your best d.

Draw a triangle around your best q.

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