teaching kids to read cursive

[dragons in the flower bed]

My children checked out one of those "ology" books from the library, and were dismayed to find they could not read them! Oh dear.

 

For a variety of reasons, I previously had no intention of teaching them cursive (handwriting, yes, but just manuscript). Do I need to teach them cursive so that they can read it? Or is there some other way to deal with this issue?

[FO4UR]

I think reading cursive is important-

 

For my little ones, I make up cards with our spelling words in print and a set in cursive also. They play matching game with them -read from them both.

 

You could try teaching that way first, and teach them to write in cursive if that doesn't work.

[Whereneverever]

I think the easiest way to teach them to read it is by teaching them to write it.

[nmoira]

 

Do I need to teach them cursive so that they can read it? Or is there some other way to deal with this issue?

I don't think so. IIRC, one of the GDI manuals actually has a few cursive passages with which to teach reading cursive. I can't imagine it would be difficult after a little practice and with occasional reinforcement.

[SnowWhite]

Some of those oldfashioned McGuffey Readers have both cursive and print in them I think. I'm off to check for sure and will give you a link if I find them. IMO it's easier to teach cursive-reading than cursive writing and I think reading cursive is a NECESSARY life skill. It's used in too many careers not to teach it.

 

Here's a link:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14640/14640-pdf.pdf

 

Page 23 has cursive on the left and printed words on the right.

Edited May 6, 2009 by SnowWhite

[SquirrellyMama]

I had also decided not to teach my kids cursive only enough to sign their name. Then some friends said they wouldn't be able to read it. I'm interested in the replies to your question.

[Mom0012]

The cursive program my son is using focuses on learning to read cursive as well as to write it. They have him spell and then read 5 words that are written in cursive each day. I have to say, I was quite surprised at how difficult for him in the beginning. But, now it has just totally clicked and isn't a problem at all.

 

Lisa

[elegantlion]

We used HWT with my son. He is mildly dyslexic and has trouble reading cursive. I wrote the individual cursive letters on flash cards to help and using HWT helped to see the letters. I never thought about it being a issue until I wrote out those flashcards and realized the individual letter do kind of look foreign, almost like Greek. :001_huh:

 

He still prints the majority of his work but often I write things out in cursive, assignments, some things on the white board to make sure he can READ cursive. He prefers printed things but his comprehension was improved. My own natural handwriting is a combination of print and cursive. Ideally I'm going to have him work on writing cursive over the summer. I guess for us in order for him to learn to read it, he had to learn to write it.

[Julie in MN]

I think the easiest way to teach them to read it is by teaching them to write it.

 

:iagree:

 

I tried just teaching the reading part. I used the matching cards, and I made a "book" of cursive words on a spiral set of index cards, and I had a cursive placemat, etc. I just couldn't get it to work.

 

I ended up just doing cursive slowly over a long time. Group schools get past the cursive thing by requiring everything to be written in cursive during 4th grade. We never did that, so we're still doing a little at a time in 7th grade, by writing his Bible verse in cursive. Because it's been such a low-key thing, it still isn't super-easy for him, but he can do it & can read "most" notes from grandma.

 

I do NOT want his boss to write him a note in cursive & him to say he can't read it because he was homeschooled :tongue_smilie:

[Alana in Canada]

Hmmm. I've been teaching cursive in a low-key way as well--and require it only sporadically.

 

Perhaps that's why neither one can read it yet?

[i.love.lucy]

HOD recommends a program called "Cheerful Cursive" to teach it. I haven't used it yet because I was trying to save money and bought a cheapo workbook, but I am getting it for next year. My understanding is that it will have the child work on reading a sentence in cursive and copy it in manuscript, and vise versa, so it helps them to learn to read cursive.

 

Maybe check it out!

[In the Rain]

:iagree:

 

I do NOT want his boss to write him a note in cursive & him to say he can't read it because he was homeschooled :tongue_smilie:

 

:iagree: I used to work in a preschool setting with a young woman who couldn't read cursive. It was a really issue for her. Parents would send in notes about their kids and someone else would have to read them to her. :001_huh:

 

To the OP, I think your kids could learn to read it without writing cursive. My 7yo is learning cursive, but can read it much better than she can write it. I often write her notes in cursive.

[nmoira]

 

I used to work in a preschool setting with a young woman who couldn't read cursive. It was a really issue for her. Parents would send in notes about their kids and someone else would have to read them to her. :001_huh:

I don't think it's necessary to learn to write cursive (we're using GDI), but it's critical to be able to read it. Imagine an historian or other researcher who cannot read handwritten documents. It's like closing off part of the world.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Thanks for all of the ideas. I asked the kids if they'd like to learn to write it, but they both say they'd prefer to focus on reading it. So I told them we'll try that, but if it doesn't work, they'll end up doing something like SmithHand or Cheerful Cursive, a one book cursive writing course.

 

SnowWhite, the McGuffey book at Project Gutenberg is just text. The original illustrations aren't reproduced, so the cursive is not present.

 

Moira, do you know which Italic book (or is it all of them, or the TM) has the section on reading standard cursive?

[nmoira]

Moira, do you know which Italic book (or is it all of them, or the TM) has the section on reading standard cursive?

It's in the TM, but is not very extensive. Here are their recommendations:

 

 

• review the comparison page in the book (it's a list of 26 names in alphabetical order written in both italic and cursive)

• spend at least 5 minutes a week from 3rd grade on teaching recognition of looped cursive

• write a looped cursive letter and have the student identify it (but not write it). Start with lower case, one letter at a time. Compare it with the italic form. [There is a chart showing which order to introduce the letters.]

• Have students read samples of looped cursive

• Have students read a variety of materials, including ones written in a poor hand

 

We're also going to learn... I think it's called copperplate? [Just googled... that's not it... I'm thinking of the old fashioned handwriting with lots of vertical lines.]

Edited May 6, 2009 by nmoira

[SnowWhite]

The PDF file further down the page does include the images, as well as the cursive. Sorry my screenshot is so small, but hopefully you can sort of see it.

[katilac]

honestly, I can't imagine it being any easier learning to 'just' read cursive rather than write it - - when my dd learned to write cursive, she learned to read it with no additional work. it seems like it would be take a much longer time to get it if you are only reading/comparing it to print.

 

five minutes a day for a few months and you're done; I'd make 'em read it and write it! and that's 5 minutes of THEIR time, not yours.

[Mommy22alyns]

Becca learns to read it by her cursive copywork. I have her read the moral out loud before she copies it.

 

Sylvia's not quite there yet, but we had noticed the cursive selections in her beloved McGuffey's book.

[nmoira]

 

honestly, I can't imagine it being any easier learning to 'just' read cursive rather than write it

For older kids perhaps, but I think it would be confusing for younger kids being taught a style other than cursive to introduce cursive writing before their writing in the first was automatic.