Monday, January 24, 2011
Teaching Cursive
I heard on the news last week that many schools will no longer be teaching cursive handwriting and will replace it with typing/computer skills. We have always tried to incorporate cursive handwriting skills, but I have to admit when time becomes crunched, it is usually the first thing to get chopped from the schedule. It has become even harder to stay on it as 3rd and 7th grade both use Sw*tched On Sch**lhouse, a computer based curriculum. How did/do you work it in? I can't even remember... what grade do they teach it in public schools?
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6 comments:
J had cursive in h.s. when she was in 2nd grade but we cross it out too when things get pressed. I had it when I was in 3rd. Now our state doesn't teach cursive at all unless you're in a resource classroom. I don't understand....
I think cursive is WONDERFUL! I use it all the time for those "handwritten" letters that everyone deems so essential for professional purposes, and for cards and letters I send to people I care about. (Could you really TYPE a condolence letter?)
Cursive can be an art form. I got in trouble as a little girl because I thought the "Palmer Method" letters we were supposed to use were not nearly so beautiful as the copperplate script in the antique textbook I had at home, and I was NOT (even though a very docile little girl)going to expend effort to do something UGLY when that same effort could perfect something BEAUTIFUL!
I do think computer skills are important, too, but that's like saying you don't need to learn to use the oven - just skip that and teach microwave cooking. Well, both are good!
Well, Genea is in 2nd grade and not learning cursive yet. So, I imagine they teach it in 3rd or later. I remember learning in 3rd because I was so excited about it. I love to read yet there was this part of the written world that I could not decipher.
We taught cursive in 2nd grade. Students have to write their SAT essays in cursive or else they get points off and every point matters. We used Can-Do Cursive. I just recently gave that to a 15 year old boy and he is doing fantastic with it!
We skipped cursive. I print everything except my signature . . . but I'm a rebel like that. ;-)
When I taught elementary, we started cursive the second half of second grade. At the Montessori school my children attended, they taught cursive exclusively. As they taught letter combinations they had the students combine the individual letters; I see some sense in that, even if the handwriting is not so great. But, in Montessori they do a LOT of fine-motor exercises starting with preschool, so most of the kids did great with it.
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