cursive for 10th grader?

[Mountainmama]

Son came out of PS and I just found out that he only knows how to read cursive and barely sign his name. What is a good cursive program for a kid his age? Am I thinking correctly that he really needs to know cursive handwriting?

[Maura in NY]

If his printing is neat, I don't know that I'd waste too much time on cursive. I'd have him practice his signature a bit, so he can write it fluidly when he has too (It can be a high pressure moment, when there's an audience, and you don't really have a signature. I know my 16 yo, who has always struggled with handwriting, can't stand to sign in front of people. All writing is tortuously slow and painstaking -- and still pretty horrible -- for him.)

 

The one time he could "need" it is for the SAT -- here's a funny thread from College Confidential:

 

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/982436-damn-cursive-sat.html

 

That said, I think students need quick, legible handwriting. It doesn't need to be traditional cursive.

[Sisyphus]

Since starting dual enrollment in middle school, my son has been the only one writing in cursive, and he is the only one reading it, too. His Russian teacher has him as the class reader for anything written on the board in English, lol.

 

I've heard it helps with sat writing score, but I don't know if that's really true.

 

So I would say based on what I've seen, unless he has a burning desire to learn, it is no longer necessary.

 

As he is older, you could probably just print out free worksheets from the Internet for him to learn.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I would spend time on cursive since it is easier to take notes in cursive and many teachers do not allow laptops in the class. Also, writing things in cursive is faster and more efficient than print. Lastly, writing down notes and other things you are trying to learn helps with "muscle memory" and helps one learn things better than typing.

 

here are some resources:

PenTime had books going up to 8th grade. You could start with 5th grade book if you like:

 

http://www.rainbowresource.com/searchspring.php?q=pentime

 

Universal Publishing also has 3 books on this page that would be good:

http://www.rainbowresource.com/searchspring.php?q=universal+publishing#/?_=1&filter.category_name=Handwriting%3E%3ETRADITIONAL%20STYLE%20-%20MANUSCRIPT%20%26%20CURSIVE&page=1

 

Seton has a cursive book for older students and Lulu.com has several history copybooks in cursive for older students.

[klmama]

One of mine reviewed cursive in middle school with this book and saw great improvement: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0736715231/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

 

[Lori D.]

I would spend time on cursive since it is easier to take notes in cursive and many teachers do not allow laptops in the class. Also, writing things in cursive is faster and more efficient than print. Lastly, writing down notes and other things you are trying to learn helps with "muscle memory" and helps one learn things better than typing.

 

 

Not trying to pick a fight, and I agree with you that these are all great points -- but not true for all students.

 

We worked for years with our DS who has mild LDs to master cursive. He just could never get it; each letter of cursive was like trying to recreate an artistic shape for him, rather than a fluid connection of letters. That is just the way his brain his wired, and we were unable to help him connect with cursive... sigh... We did find that in his late teens, doing Callirobics helped a bit, but by that time he had really latched onto printing and typing.

 

DS's printing is neat, he has a signature and he has much better "muscle memory" through typing (his strength) rather than writing (his area of weakness). For college classroom notes he either types (if laptops are allowed) or prints (if laptops are not allowed).

 

 

So few public schools teach/use/encourage cursive after about 5th grade, plus the heavy emphasis on texting and electronic keyboards means that the majority of high school students do not know cursive or use it any more. I would weigh the pros and cons and yes, teach cursive if it can be fairly quickly incorporated into your schedule and mastered in a semester's time. Or, if there are other more pressing needs for your limited time in high school, then you might decide cursive is not a high enough priority, and it will not cause your son to stand out in a bad way if he never "gets" cursive... Your call! :)

 

Hunter on these boards teaches cursive to adults and older students; check out her posts in this past thread for ideas: Teaching cursive to older students.

 

 

BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Maura in NY]

I've heard it helps with sat writing score, but I don't know if that's really true.

 

As BlueHen drilled into my son when he took AP Stats -- Correlation doesn't prove causation :) They say kids who write their SAT essays in cursive get higher scores, but speculation is that it could be because on average, kids who have better writing skills are more likely to have better handwriting as well, just because they write more.

 

I agree with Lori D. that it all depends on the student. If they were never taught to write in cursive, it could be a fairly painless and fun activity, particularly if the student is motivated. BUT if a child was taught to write in cursive in 3rd or 4th grade, and still struggles when they are high school age, it's likely not worth the effort to improve, especially if the teen's printing is decent. I guess I was assuming that to be the OP's case, just because it is the case in our house. All efforts to Improve cursive for Banjo Boy were just painful exercises in frustration. It's exactly as Lori describes -- he "draws" every letter.

[quark]

My rising 6th grader is now game to try cursive after resisting it all these years. I found this "for all grades" workbook on Amazon.

[Twigs]

I wanted to improve my handwriting a few years ago and chose Write Now which is cursive italics. If you son is motivated, he can do it on his own. I spent 20-30 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days a week for a couple of months. I only did the 1st part of the book (the 2nd part of the book is working with an edged pen, for calligraphy). My handwriting improved dramatically. I could write in cursive before, but it was messy! Italics was brand new to me - it was very easy. I am very pleased with my handwriting now. Best wishes.

[KimberlyI]

As previous poster linked, I also used Write Now for my 9th grade son last summer because his cursive had become illegible. He improved greatly!

[NASDAQ]

Michael Sull's American Cursive Handwriting. Excellent and a beautiful hand.

[Barbara H]

Most high school and college students don't write in cursive. I read statistics from the College Board that said that just 15% of students write their essays in cursive. If he wants to try it certainly you can offer the option, but personally I would not consider it a big deal if he can't write in cursive at this point. Most teens don't.