Handwriting
Develop the building blocks of handwriting
using a phonics-aligned approach
Explicit handwriting instruction builds confident readers and writers.
Handwriting is one of the fundamental building blocks of communication and literacy skills development. The ability to handwrite effectively with automaticity and fluency supports students to remember, process, store and retrieve information.
Fluency in transcription skills, such as handwriting and keyboarding, enables students to focus their thinking on the composing aspects of writing. Thus, over a period of time, students move from learning to write to writing to learn.
A structured, developmental and consistent approach to teaching essential handwriting skills
Oxford Handwriting ensures that students acquire handwriting skills in a logical order, from simple to complex, with frequent opportunities to practise both new and previously learnt skills and concepts. Each series for NSW, QLD and Victoria uses their state specific font and is fully aligned to the curriculum.
Foundation/Year K
The scope and sequence is aligned to the Letters and Sounds phonics scope and sequence, ensuring opportunities to align handwriting and early phonics and spelling instruction.
Years 1–2
Letters are grouped by shape, and the letters are introduced within words and phrases that are decodable.
Years 3–6
The focus is on learning to write faster and more fluently with cursive script. Each book has a different theme to maintain interest and allow students to develop skills and build stamina when writing.
The Gradual Release of Responsibility
The gradual release of responsibility model specifically emphasises a shift in responsibility from the teacher to the student as the teaching and learning process progresses. Students receive direct, explicit instruction in letter formation, as teachers model the letter as they succinctly describe stroke formation. Students are supported to name the letter or its sound as they form it and follow the "Track, trace, copy" approach.
Track
Trace
Copy
Oxford Handwriting for Queensland
New edition | Coming May 2025
Oxford Handwriting for Queensland is a brand-new comprehensive handwriting program for F–6, written to align with the Australian Curriculum and supports a phonics-aligned approach to learning.
Oxford Handwriting for Queensland supports students in developing their letter formation skills alongside their phonic knowledge.
Year F follows the same order of letters as Letters and Sounds.
In Years 1 and 2, the letters are grouped by shape, using words and phrases that are fully decodable for each level. For Years 3 to 6, each book has an interesting and informative theme to engage the students as they learn cursive writing and improve speed and legibility.
Planned and written by Dr Tessa Daffern, Oxford Spelling is a flexible whole school research-based spelling program that incorporates the latest spelling research into a flexible and practical classroom resource.
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