Playwrite is a typeface engine designed for creating cursive fonts specifically for primary school education. While the South African Department of Basic Education's Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) outlines handwriting instruction goals, including the progression from motor skills in Grade R to cursive writing in Grade 2, it does not recommend specific handwriting models. Despite this lack of official guidance, a consensus has emerged among educators and publishers regarding preferred font choices for teaching handwriting. Initially, geometric "ball and stick" letters are employed, followed by a slanted continuous cursive style. This cursive style is characterized by a gentle slope, looped ascenders and descenders in lowercase letters for seamless connections, and looped descenders in certain uppercase letters ('G', 'J', 'Y', 'Z'). Notably, it deviates from traditional continuous cursive by excluding curved entry strokes in 'm', 'n', 'v', and 'w' while incorporating distinctive curves in 'x' and 'z' for added dynamism.
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Playwrite ZA
Playwrite South Africa
https://primarium.info/countries/south-africa/
Through its website, the Department of Basic Education produces and distributes documents that outline curricula, educational goals and guidelines, implementation notes, and assessment policies. The Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) outlines the steps and objectives for handwriting instruction and specifies that students learn motor skills in Grade R, and unjoined upper and lowercase letters in Grade 1. They then gain speed and proficiency in Grade 2, and proceed to cursive writing. The document does not, however, prescribe any handwriting models that should be used for teaching.
Despite the absence of a recommended model, teachers, specialised publishers and educational resource providers have converged when it comes to their choice of fonts for handwriting education. Geometric “ball and stick” letters are used for the first stage of instruction, and a very slanted continuous cursive style thereafter.
Playwrite South Africa Characteristics
This continuous cursive features a gentle slope and a relatively slow pace of construction. The uppercase letters incorporate cursive elements, with looped descenders in 'G', 'J', 'Y', and 'Z' enhancing their fluidity. The lowercase letters have looped ascenders and descenders to support seamless connections between letters. Notably, this style does not include curved entry strokes in 'm', 'n', 'v', and 'w', which is a departure from typical continuous cursives. However, it includes distinctly curved shapes in the letters 'x' and 'z', adding a dynamic element to the overall script.
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