Teaching cursive in letter groups instead of alphabetical order

Our school dropped cursive and then brought it back for third grade, which means the teacher has one year to cover what used to take three. The letter groups are how she does it: all the round letters in a week, then the under-curve ones, instead of marching from a to z.

What the sheet looks like

The cursive handwriting generator prints the alphabet in those teaching groups: round (c a d g q o), under-curve (i t u w e l), tricky (r s p j b) and over-curve and loop (m n v x y z h k f), or just the vowels, or all 26. Each letter gets a numbered start dot, gray letters to trace and a line to write on, three, four or six letters per page. After letters come letter joins, word lists by group or your own spelling words (up to 12), and whole sentences, ready-made or up to four of your own.

Paper is primary three-line or wide single rule, in a large size for second grade or standard for grades 3–5. There is also a one-page cursive alphabet chart for the wall.

Why it works

• Letters that share a starting stroke are learned together, so each new letter is one small change from the last, not a fresh shape.
• The start dot matters more in cursive than in print. Most cursive mistakes are a letter begun in the wrong place, and the dot removes the guessing.
• Joins get their own page. Writing letters well and connecting them well are separate skills, and most workbooks skip the second.

Who it suits

Second through fifth grade, ages seven to eleven. Start with the large size and the round group, and do not move to joins until the child can write the letters without looking at the model. For a child whose print is still unsteady, the copywork sheets on primary rows are the step before cursive. Fifth graders mostly need the sentences page with their own text; the letter pages are below them.

Tape the alphabet chart above the desk before you print anything else. It answers half the questions.