Cursive Writing
ursive writing instruction and expectations are back in theElementary Language Curriculum (2023).
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Do students really need to learn how to write in cursive, isn’t texting, voice to text, and the use of
technology how students express written ideas now?
ursive writing may seem like an antique form of written communication, but the brain science
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research and clinical experience provides compelling evidence that cursive writing should not be
forgotten. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of cursive writing and why students should be taught
how to write cursive.(Reference list)
● A ll students should have theopportunity to learncursive writing, regardless of their printing
abilities. Poor printers can become effective cursive writers.1, 2
● Handwriting stimulatesbrain development.7
● Thereading circuitof the brain is recruited withhandwriting, not keyboarding. 7
● Cursive writing has a unique contribution towordspelling, the connecting strokes linking the
cursive letters in a word helps students remember the sequence of letters in words. 1
● When students become better at handwriting through explicit instruction and practice, there is
apositive effect on their writing processand abilityto focus on generating and organizing
ideas.8
● Advantages of handwriting over keyboarding includes improvedcomposition speed, increased
composition lengthandmore ideas expressedfor studentswithout written output related
disabilities.1
● From amotor skillsperspective, the flow of how cursiveletters are connected fosters fluidity of
movement and the continuous motion of writing cursive letters is easier than stopping and
lifting the pencil off the page to print letters.7
● Cursive writingminimizes reversalsof letters andhelps with spacing between words. There is
an advantage to handwriting performance for students with dyslexia who use cursive writing
over printing manuscript.1
● Handwritingboosts memory and improves comprehension.Students demonstrate enhanced
remembering and retrieval of information when notes are handwritten compared to
keyboarding.7
● Students who write with acombination of print andcursiveare more fluent handwriters over
students who exclusively write with only print or cursive.6
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Cursive writing instruction
T here are many cursive writing styles and curriculums used globally. Over the years researchers have
compared different cursive styles and curriculums to determine if one outperforms another and there
isn’t necessarily one that is better than the others.3,4, 9 Rather than focusing on what cursive style or
curriculum to implement in our classrooms, it is the consistency ofdaily instructionand use of
cognitive strategies, such as saying verbal pathways,andpracticinguntil the cursive letter formation
patterns are automatic (motor learning theory), that lead to the ability to write cursive with fluidity and
ease to develop efficient handwriting skills.3, 4,8
Cool facts about cursive writing to tell students
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● ll letters in a word are connected together using a tail or bridge
● Cursive writing can be faster than printing
● We remember information better when we write it by hand
Benefits to learning to write cursive letters in groups
S imilar to printing, cursive letters are made with strokes and letter formation patterns that are easier to
do than others.
ost cursive letters can be written using a combination of waves, loops, hills and valleys, and
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connecting hills.
T he following letter groups and sequence for introduction is suggested by the OCDSB OT team based on
what strokes and letters are easiest to most difficult to write.
Letter groups and sequence for letter introduction
Stroke pattern Letters in the group
Swing Up And Down i t u w j p
Loops e l b h k f
Hills And Valleys n m v x y z
Surf Waves a c d g o q
Slide Up r s
Bridge Connectors b o v w
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Tracing
euroscientists have identified that when children draw letters freehand (freewriting), important
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areas of the brain used in early reading development are activated. In addition, studies have shown
thatfreewriting activates the part of the brain associatedwith working memory and is a crucial
factor in learning to identify and categorize letters, but tracing letters does not. 4, 7
T here are other unintended consequences of the use of tracing pages, especially when children use
themindependently:
● Children may visually monitor their printing action instead of focusing
on the motor pattern.
● Children may build muscle memory of ineffective or inefficient strokes
by: starting in the wrong place, or focusing on connecting dots instead
of following sequenced pathways, breaking apart longer lines into
smaller lines (e.g., top of T made with two separate lines). It is
impossible to tell whether this is occurring by the appearance of the
end product.
Choosing the type of lined paper to use
We recommend using solid, dash, solid lined paper when first learning to write cursive.
T he 3 lines help visualize heights of letters.
●
● The centre-dash interline provides a visual cue of where to stop
short letters.
● Using analogies like sky (blue), grass (green), dirt (brown) also
offers a strategy to help students visualize and remember the
height of letters. A blank practice sheet with both black lines and
blue, green, brown lines can be found inAppendixB
Progression of workbook lines:
1. Start with using lines that include either a visible dashed interline or colour pattern like red,
blue, blue, red.
a. Hilroy dotted interline ruling with margin
b. Hilroy (8 mm solid blue lines, dotted interline)
c. Hilroy RBBR ruling with margin(1 red line, 2 bluelines)
2. W
ith increased familiarity of cursive letters and accuracy with letter sizing, remove the middle
dash interline
a. Hilroy 8 mm blue ruling with margin
b. Hilroy 7 mm blue ruling with margin
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Pre-cursive exercises and strokes
T he ability to change directions during a stroke is needed to write cursive letters.
●
● Most cursive letters are written using waves, loops, hills and valleys.
Introducing letter groups
Research has demonstrated the following elements to building handwriting efficiency:
● Daily structured classroom cursive writing instruction
● 10-15 minutes per structured lesson
● Lessons that incorporate interactive demonstrations of multisensory, kinesthetic, and/or
cognitive strategies
● Saying verbal pathways while writing letters to learn correct and efficient letter formation
patterns
● Corrective feedback, self-monitoring, and correcting errors
● Legibility improves with sufficient practice
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1. W
arm upthe muscles for writing and activate the motor-pathways by drawing the letter group
stroke pattern in the air e.g. swing up letters
➢ Say the verbal pathway together - “swing up and down”
➢ After practicing the strokes together with eyes opened, invite
students to draw the cursive strokes with eyes closed to feel the
motor pattern
➢ Then draw the strokes across the page or whiteboard. Try this with
eyes opened and closed too.
2. Individual letters
I do: ● P lay the animated slide videolowercaseanduppercaseto introduce the
formation pattern for the letter.
● Demonstrate how to form each letter one at a time. Remember to say the
verbal pathways for each letter.
We do: W
rite the letter together. Say the verbal pathway aloud together as you write
each letter a few times together.
You do: S tudents continue writing the letter on the same line on their own. Encourage
students to say the verbal pathways aloud.
Check please: Provide corrective feedback for correct letter formation, size, spacing and height.
3. Putting the letters together to write words
I do: D
emonstrate how to write words by connecting the cursive letters together.
Remember to say the verbal pathways for each letter.
We do: W
rite the words together. Say the verbal pathways for each letter in the word
aloud together as you write the word a few times together.
You do: S tudents write the words on their own. Encourage students to say verbal
pathways aloud.
Check please: Provide corrective feedback for correct letter formation, size, spacing and height.
Regular tune-ups required
S tudents need continued handwriting instruction beyond grade 3.1 The cursive tune-up does not need
to be intensive, a periodic tune-up once or twice a week, similar to warm-ups athletes do before a
game, or singers do before a performance. For example, before a language or other writing activity:
● Write the alphabet from memory.
● Copy interesting sentences containing all the letters of the alphabet(Refer to Appendix D for
pangrams)
● Write letters that come before or after other named letters.
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Letter formations
T heOCDSB Cursive Writing workbookutilizes a cursive writing style similar to D’Nealian (Refer to
Appendix Afor an overview of different cursive writingstyles). Regardless of the handwriting style
taught, individual handwriting styles often emerge and change over time as students develop
automaticity with the letter formation patterns.
T he following verbal pathways are suggested scripts. Use your own words that are meaningful to you
and your students. Modify instruction based on your students and blend in descriptive concepts that
connect with what you are doing in the classroom. The important element about using verbal pathways
and the key for building handwriting efficiency isconsistency. Encourage students to use words thatare
meaningful to them and will help them remember how to form each letter correctly.
Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
swing up
Swing up, bump the middle line, back down, jump to dot
i
Swing up into the sky, bump the top line, back down, jump to cross
t
Swing up, bump the middle line, back down, U-turn, bounce up and down again
u
Swing up to the middle line, bounce 1, 2, 3, make a bridge across the middle line
w*
S wing up, bump the middle line, back down and dig below the bottom line into the dirt,
make an upside down front loop and and back up, jump to dot
j
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Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
S wing up, bump the middle line, back down into the dirt and straight up again, and make
a curve. Remember to end with a tail
p
Practice it, tip, tug, wit, up, put, pup, pug
words * w is a bridge connector letter and you may want to practice how to connect it to the
next letter within a word separately with the other bridge connector letters (see page 9)
loops
Short loop, bump the middle line
e
Tall loop into the sky
l
Tall loop into the sky, bounce up to the middle line and make a bridge*
b*
Tall loop into the sky, back to the middle line and down the hill
h
Tall loop into the sky, back to the middle line, make a little sideways loop and kick out
k
T all loop into the sky then dig down below the bottom into the dirt, bounce back up to
the bottom line. Don’t forget the tail
f
Practice eel, elle, bell, hill, fell, kettle, elf
words * b is a bridge connector letter and you may wantto practice how to connect it to the
next letter within a word separately with the other bridge connector letters (see page 9)
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Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
hills and valleys
Double hills
n
Triple hills
m
One hill, one valley and bridge across the middle line
v*
One hill, jump and slash hills
x
ne hill, one valley, dig down below the bottom line into the dirt, back up with a front
O
underground loop
y
ne hill, bounce off the ground, one mini hill, dig down below the bottom line into the
O
dirt, back up with a front underground loop
z
Practice mum, yum, my, new, zip
words * v is a bridge connector letter and you may wantto practice how to connect it to the
next letter within a word separately with the other bridge connector letters (see page 9)
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Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
Surf Waves
Go up the wave and ride the wave back down
c
o up the wave, ride the wave back down, go straight up to bump the middle line and
G
down to the grass
a
o up the wave, ride the wave back down, go straight up to bump the top line in the sky
G
and dive down to the grass
d
o up the wave, ride the wave back down, go straight up to bump the middle line and
G
dive down into the ground, back up with a front underground loop
g
o up the wave, ride the wave back down, keep going all the way around to close the O
G
and make a bridge
o*
o up the wave, ride the wave back down, go straight up to bump the middle line and
G
dive down into the ground, make a U-turn to go back up to the grass
q
Practice c at, dad, get, quick, good
words * o is a bridge connector letter and you may wantto practice how to connect it to the
next letter within a word separately with the other bridge connector letters (see page 9)
Swing up with a twist
Swing up, bump the middle line, cross the bridge and slide back down to the ground
r
Swing up, bump the middle line, make a J turn, bump and remember the tail
s
Practice run, rat, sun, sat
words
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Bridge Connectors
S ince bridge connector letters end stroke is at the dashed interline (green line), they connect to the
next letter at the middle line, changing the next letter’s starting stroke. Some of the letter
connections are easier to do than others and are grouped by difficulty in the suggested practice
words.
E asier bridge connectionsare to letters where startingat the middle line doesn’t change the shape of
the letter, like the letters a c d g j o u v
ore difficult connectionsare to letters where theshape of the letter changes slightly because the
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starting stroke has moved higher to connect to the bridge, the lettersb, e, f, h, i, k, l, m, n, r, s, t,
letter Practice Words
e asier:bat, bar
more difficult: blue, black, rabbit, bite, bell,brag, best, tubs
b
e asier:board, about, boo, ouch, cloud, proud, coat
more difficult:hot, took, old, of, oil, or, toe,lost, only
o
e asier:vocal, vault
more difficult:even, very, save, have, vice, video,view
v
e asier:wash, would
more difficult:who, what, where, why, wish, write,we, jaws, own
w
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Uppercase verbal pathways
Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
Down Curve Letters
S tart at the “sky”, ride the big wave down, bump the bottom line and curve up straight to the
“sky”, dive straight down, curve a tail
A
S tart at the “sky”, ride the big wave down, keep going all the way around to close the O, make a
small downward loop through
O
S tart at the “sky”, straight slide down, bump the bottom line and make a small loop around, big
curve up and around to close, small downward loop through
D
S tart just below the “sky”, small loop to the right up and around to bump the “sky”, ride the big
wave down
C
S tart just below the “sky”, one mini hill, bounce of the grass, into another mini hill to bump the
“dirt”and curve up
E
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Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
Curve Forward Letters
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down on a slant to the left, come back up to make a
H
big hill
N
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down on a slant to the left, come back up to make
H
big double hills
M
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down on a slant to the left, jump back up to the
H
“sky”, slide down, come back up and make a loop through the “grass”
H
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down on a slant to the left, jump to the “sky”,
H
diagonal line to the “grass”, small slide down to the “dirt”
K
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down, bump the “dirt”, curve up, bump the “sky”, slide
H
down, curve a tail
U
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down, bump the “dirt”, curve up, bump the “sky”, slide
H
down below the “dirt”, loop up to the right
Y
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down, bump the “dirt”, sharp curve up, bump the “sky”,
H
make a tail in the sky
V
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down, bump the “dirt”, curve up, bump the “sky”, slide
H
down, bump the “dirt”, curve up, bump the “sky”, make a tail in the sky
W
alf-loop just below the “sky”, slide down diagonally, make a tail. Jump up to the “sky”, Straight
H
diagonal to the “dirt”
X
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Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
Over Curve Letters
S tart just under the “grass”, line to the left, small curve down, bump the “dirt”, tall loop up to
bump the “sky”, curve a tail
I
Start at the “dirt”, loop up to the “sky’, dig down below the “dirt”, loop-up
J
S tart just below the “sky”, small loop to right, bump the “sky”, slide down, bump the “dirt”,
make a small loop, curve a tail
L
S tart just below the “sky”, big curve to the right and slide down on a diagonal, bump the “dirt”
and make a small loop, curve a tail
Q
Double Curve Letters
Start just below the “sky”, straight line across the sky, slide down to bump the “dirt”, small curve
T
S tart just below the “sky”, straight line across the sky, slide down to bump the “dirt”, small curve,
jump up to make a straight line across the “grass”
F
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Letter erbal pathways
V
(TSTL resources uses sky, grass, dirt)
Under Curve Loop Letters
S tart at the “dirt”, slide up on a diagonal to bump the “sky”, loop around to the “grass’, make a
tail, curve down to the “dirt”and up through the line, make a straight line across
G
S tart at the “dirt”, slide up on a diagonal to bump the “sky”, loop around to the “dirt”, curve up,
make a straight line across.
S
Under Curve Diagonal Letters
S tart at the “sky”, slide down to the “dirt”, slide up to just under the sky, curve around to the
“grass” to close the loop
P
S tart at the “sky”, slide down to the “dirt”, slide up to just under the sky, curve around to the
“grass” to close the loop, small slide down to the “dirt”
R
S tart at the “sky”, slide down to the “dirt”, slide up to just under the sky, one mini hill to touch
the “grass” into another mini hill to touch the “dirt” and curve to close, long tail through
B
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Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Appendix C
T he OCDSB Cursive Writing practice workbook uses a cursive writing style that is similar to the
D’Nealianfor lowercase letters. For the ease of letterformation pattern, the uppercase F and T are
more similar to Learning/Handwriting Without Tears. If your cursive writing style is different, use what
is more comfortable for you as you will be providing the interactive modeling and demonstration of
how to write the letters.
Image retrieved July 28, 2023https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%27Nealian_Cursive.svg
I mage source:
https://handwritingsuccess.com/wp-content/u
ploads/comparison-chart-2020.pdf
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Appendix D
Pangramsare funsentences that include every letterof the alphabet to practice writing
● T he quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.
● Mr. Jock, TV quiz PhD., bags few lynx.
● Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz.
● Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.
● My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit.
● Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag.
● Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
● A wizard’s job is to vex chumps quickly in fog.
● Brown jars prevented the mixture from freezing too quickly.
● The jay, pig, fox, zebra and my wolves quack!
● Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
● The five boxing wizards jump quickly.
● Farmer Jack realized that big yellow quilts were expensive.
● The quick onyx goblin jumps over the lazy dwarf.
● Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.
● How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts!
● Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.
● ‘Now fax quiz Jack!’ my brave ghost pled.
● WatchJeopardy!, Alex Trebek’s fun TV quiz game.
Sources:
https://www.rd.com/list/fun-pangrams/
https://www.themarysue.com/sentences-every-letter-pangram-holoalphabetic-sentence/
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References
Quick reads
● W hy Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter: In surprising studies, researchers find benefits
to setting keyboards aside. William R. Klemm, Memory Medic. Posted March 14, 2013
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/memory-medic/201303/why-writing-hand-could-m
ake-you-smarter
● Cursive Handwriting Helps Students Overcome Dyslexia, Posted August 3, 2016
https://newsroom.domtar.com/cursive-helps-students-overcome-dyslexia/
Citations
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2. Armitage, D. & Ratzlaff, H. (1985). The non-correlation of printing and writing skills.Journal of
Education Research.78(3).
3. Engel, C., Lillie, K., Zurawski, S., & Travers, B. G. (2018). Curriculum-based handwriting programs:
A systematic review with effect sizes.American Journalof Occupational Therapy, 72,
7203205010.https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.027110
4. Fancher, L., Priestley-Hopkins, D., & Jeffries, L. (2018). Handwriting acquisition and intervention:
A systematic review.Journal of Occupational Therapy,Schools, & Early Intervention.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2018.1534634
5. Graham, S. (2010). Want to Improve Children's Writing? Don't Neglect Their Handwriting.
American Educator, The Education Digest, September 2010.
6. Graham, S., Weintraub, N., & Berninger, V. (1998). The relationship between handwriting style
and speed and legibility.The Journal of EducationalResearch, vol 21 (5),290-296.
7. James, K. H., & Engelhardt, L. (2012). The effects of handwriting experience on functional brain
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8. Liu, X. (2017, March 11). Writing Instruction, Writing Research, and Educational Psychology: an
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It may not be reproduced or redistributed without prior written permission.
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