As a Little Wandle School, letter formation is taught alongside the letter introduction during phonics lessons in Reception. 

The children are shown the pictorial image alongside the abstract letter and learn the rhyme/ chant to help with the formation. 

Letter formation will be taught alongside the letter introduction during phonics lessons.

Nursery and Reception-

Physical Development:

Rising 3s (Nursery):

• Beginning to use three fingers (tripod grip) to hold writing tools.
• Imitates drawing simple shapes such as circles and lines.

Pre-School (Nursery):

• Draws lines and circles using gross motor movements.
• Holds pencil between thumb and two fingers, no longer using whole-hand grasp.
• Holds pencil near point between first two fingers and thumb and uses it with good control.
• Can copy some letters, e.g. letters from their name.

Reception

40 – 60

• Shows a preference for a dominant hand.
• Begins to use anticlockwise movement and retrace vertical lines.
• Begins to form recognisable letters.
• Uses a pencil and holds it effectively to form recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.

Exceeding

• They hold paper in position and use their preferred hand for writing, using a correct pencil grip.
• They are beginning to be able to write on lines
•  Control letter size.
• Sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.
• Form lower-case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place.
• Write on the line.
• Form capital letters – correct sizing, correct formation (even for letters that do not change shape, such as: c, o, s).
• Form digits 0-9 – same height as a capital letter -
• Understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (i.e. letters that are formed in similar ways) and to practise these.
• Form letters and digits that are a relative size to one another.

Year 1 -

Every day handwriting will be explicitly taught for 10 minutes a day.

Phase 1: (Recapping lower case letters)- to be taught by the end of Autumn 1

1. Warm Up: Warm up hands by using finger exercises .examples
2. Model: CT to model one focus lower case letter to the pupils.- Refer to the visual representation and formation rhyme.
3. Write: Pupils to practise the focus letter
4. AfL: CT to scan for correct posture (bottom on seat, feet on floor, book at the correct angle, non-writing hand on the desk) and tripod grip.
5. AfLpoints that could be raised: Size, location, formation – top to bottom,
6. Model: Address common misconceptions – positioning on the line, direction of formation etc – Remodel the correct formation, pencil grip, posture etc.
7. Write: Children continue to write the focus letter with finger spaces.
8. Teach one letter a day.
9. Recap: Once one letter is taught, highlight the use over the week when modelling in other lessons.

Phase 2: (Introducing upper case letters) To begin at the latest start of Autumn 2 (earlier if secure)

1. Warm Up: Warm up hands by using finger exercises .examples
2. Model: CT to model one focus upper case letter to the pupils.- Refer to the visual representation and formation rhyme.
3. Write: Pupils to practise the focus letter
4. AfL: CT to scan for correct posture (bottom on seat, feet on floor, book at the correct angle, non-writing hand on the desk) and tripod grip.
5. AfLpoints that could be raised: Size, location, formation – top to bottom,
6. Model: Address common misconceptions – positioning on the line, direction of formation etc – Remodel the correct formation, pencil grip, posture etc.
7. Model misconceptions
8. Write: Children continue to write the focus letter with finger spaces.
9. Teach one letter a day.
10. Recap: Once one letter is taught, highlight the use over the week when modelling in other lessons.

Phase 3: (Writing short words)

Phase 2: (Introducing upper case letters) To begin at the latest start of Autumn 2 (earlier if secure)

1. Warm Up: Warm up hands by using finger exercises .examples
2. Model: Once all the individual letters have been taught, reteach alongside the capitals.
3. CT to model- Model the difference between the upper case and lower-case letter (including height, lines etc) Refer to the visual representation and formation rhyme.
4. Write: Pupils to practise writing the upper- and lower-case letters alongside one another
5. AfL: CT to scan for correct posture (bottom on seat, feet on floor, book at the correct angle, non-writing hand on the desk) and tripod grip.
6. AfLpoints that could be raised: Size, location, formation – top to bottom,
7. Model: Address common misconceptions – positioning on the line, direction of formation etc – Remodel the correct formation, pencil grip, posture etc.
8. Model introducing the letter into a word (include the lower case and capital letter within the word). Ensure that children know not to join a capital letter.
9. Write: Children to practise writing the word
10. Teach one word a day.
11. Recap: Once one letter is taught, highlight the use over the week when modelling in other lessons

Year 2-

Every day handwriting will be explicitly taught for 10 minutes a day.

Children to learn a cursive script.

If children do not have the correct letter formation, intervention is required.

All children will use pencils.

• To be taught for at least 10 mins each day.
• Each letter is in a ‘Letter Family’. One letter is taught a day.
• Size 10mm writing books to be used.
• A teacher to model the formation – not to be completed as a morning task / holding task.
• Taught using a chant/handwriting mantra in a rhythmical way.

LETTER FAMILIES

Phase one (cursive letters)

1. TEACH: Teacher to model 3 examples of the focus letter. Teacher to use the rhythmic chant (please see attached document)
2. WRITE: CT to say to the children “Now I’d like you to quietly write me the letter ___– Children to chant the handwriting phrase: ‘start on the line, sweep up, pause, form the letter and exit’.
3. AfL: Whilst children are writing, Teacher and TA (if applicable) to sweep the room to look for inconsistencies in size, height and length. Circle these and annotate as proof of marking. Please note, this does mean that your TA needs to know the taught letter formation in order to help with AFL.
4. MODEL: If there are inconsistences and errors within the class, T to stop the class and remodel showing the misconception and correcting it. Teacher to write the letter with the misconception and ask ‘what do you notice?’
5. MODEL: Model the correct formation saying ‘this is what I’m looking for.’
6. CIRCLE: Teacher to say ‘look at your letters and put a circle around your best formed letter.’
7. Now ask children to continue writing the focus letter – children chant.
8. AfL: Class teacher to AFL and address shape, size and basic formation of letter on a 1:1 basis. Target certain tables / individuals that need support.

Phase 2 (Joining words)

1. RECAP/ TEACH: Teacher to model 3 examples of the focus letter. Teacher to use the rhythmic chant (please see attached document)
2. WRITE: CT to say to the children “Now I’d like you to quietly write me the letter ___– Children to chant the handwriting phrase: ‘start on the line, sweep up, pause, form the letter and exit’.
3. AfL: Whilst children are writing, Teacher and TA (if applicable) to sweep the room to look for inconsistencies in size, height and length. Circle these and annotate as proof of marking. Please note, this does mean that your TA needs to know the taught letter formation in order to help with AFL.
4. MODEL: If there are inconsistences and errors within the class, T to stop the class and remodel showing the misconception and correcting it. Teacher to write the letter with the misconception and ask ‘what do you notice?’
5. MODEL: Model the correct formation saying ‘this is what I’m looking for.’
6. CIRCLE: Teacher to say ‘look at your letters and put a circle around your best formed letter.’
7. TEACH: Teacher to model putting the letter inside a word using the correct letter formation from the provided sheet. Teacher to choose common exception words ideally.
8. WRITE: CT to model writing two words using finger spaces. Children to write the word and to include finger spaces.
9. AfL: Class teacher to AFL and address shape, size and basic formation of letters on a 1:1 basis. Target certain tables / individuals that need support.
10. CIRCLE: Teacher to say ‘look at your words and put a circle around your best formed word.’