My 3rd grader has been learning how to write in cursive since last year... now when do you make them write everything in cursive? She can when she wants, but you know how it is... unless forced... I don't think she wants to.
My ds (8) asked to learn cursive in 2nd grade. He learned it, learned it well, and now uses it when he wants to. I've never "made" him do it and I think that's why it hasn't lost it's appeal. I'm curious why you need her to write everything in cursive if you know that she already knows how. (not being snarky, I think the demand is what's turning her off.)
I personally think that cursive is obsolete, except for 3-5th grade classrooms, of course. My dd learned cursive at her request in 3rd grade when she was homeschooling. Her ps teacher says she has the best cursive handwriting in the 5th grade. Too bad she won't use it for anything after this year unless she just wants to write it on her own in letters. Ds never learned how to write cursive at all. It was tedious for him--he has Tourette's Syndrome--and he has a hard enough time just printing (he types everything). I did, however, teach him to read cursive. Kinda like hieroglyphics, someone needs to read them, but there is nobody left that needs to be written to in that form.
My oldest started to learn in 1st grade and had it down by the end of second grade. I don't force her to write cursive in all subjects. I do like her papers in cursive only because her cursive is nicer than her print.
We're in the middle of a cursive program. I think after we master each letter, I'll encourage them to use it whenever they'd like and only require it if we're doing copy work for practice.
My oldest learned it in end of 2nd and through 3rd grade. I didn't expect her to use it most of the time until this year (5th grade). Now she uses it for everything but history. For some reason she chooses to do her history notebook in manuscript. It's ultra neat, though, so I don't mind. I do think there is value in continuing to practice good manuscript as well. My son does 50/50....he's still learning cursive (3rd grade). He likes cursive a lot better than manuscript, so I think once he's got the hang of it, he's not going to ever do manuscript again. I'm going to have to force him once a week! LOL
We started with cursive. I don't care which one he uses as long as he knows both well by middle school.
I teach cursive in second grade, whether the student is using CLE or not (CLE starts partway into second.). I prefer that they use cursive with all writing after that, except in certain places where they only need to indicate a single-letter answer. Each student is different. I have a 12 year old who is just learning cursive well this year, having started last year when I taught him to practice his spelling - he'd write it in print, then I'd show him how to do each specific word in cursive, then he'd copy it. This year I have three using different levels of Pentime which continues a one-sentence practice of manuscript although learning cursive, one in first grade just learning to print, and one in second who finally got her print under control enough for me to start the cursive she's soooo eager to learn. I started her in Reason for Writing, the transition book, but it's a bit small for her so I write her lessons on horizontal "multigrade" handwriting paper where the lines are bigger. After she's practiced she can then handle the smaller lines more easily.
Cursive is a struggle with us right now. My dd attended public school through 4th grade. They had just started learning cursive. I switched her to a private school the beginning of this year (5th grade) that uses Abeka and they had started cursive in 1st grade and were now writing everything in cursive. My dd was lost. Now that we are homeschooling, I am teaching her to write cursive and she writes it sometimes but prefers print. We are using ACE and alot of their books show using cursive. I have her writing cursive when she is able. I hope to catch her up to where she can write everything in cursive easily and then when I am confident that she knows it well, I will let her choose which she wants to write in. A little interesting tidbit...my son is in high school and I have noticed that he and most of his male friends write in print, but most of his female friends write in cursive.
I am gradually adding what is required to be in cursive...I am having him do his spelling practice in cursive, but not the test. (I don't want him to be worried about making the letters "right" when he needs to be concentrating on spelling right.) I tried to have him do his final copy of a report in cursive...but that was too much. I hope to be there by the end of the year. I want it to be automatic. But he is still not comfortable putting it in cursive from reading print. (I have to write it out in cursive for him to copy) So that is what I plan to work up to next semester. (We will do 4 days of regular copy work and then on Friday will be a "test" where he is copying print into cursive.) On the other hand. My oldest son does not do cursive at all. but I got him "home" late and he has some dysgraphia issues.
The school down the street from us starts teaching the students cursive at the end of 2nd grade. Then, they review the alphabet quickly in 3rd and continue on to words and sentences for the rest of the year. Last year (my son's 2nd grade year) I started teaching my son the cursive alphabet. He was really frustrated by it, so I backed off and we haven't picked it back up yet. I just asked this question though on a 3rd grade teacher's forum. I only got one response back saying that cursive is taught in 3rd grade and the kids practice at penmanship time and sometimes during spelling time for most of the year. This teacher says that her students still print for their regular work, tests and quizzes until about April of the 3rd grade year. At that point the teacher starts requiring that they write in cursive. A side note....the school my dd attends for kindergarten starts teaching their 4th graders typing in October of the school year.
I taught my oldest in third grade and my middle daughter in second. I never actually make them use it though. We focus a lot more on typing since I know they will have to learn to do that well.
My ds used A Beka and learned cursive in 2nd grade. He is a very good writer and printer, he uses either, I don't make a big deal of it. It's his choice - He is in 9th grade this year. My dd is in K-5, uses A Beka and she has started cursive. She loves it and can't wait until the next letter. She can write the vowels and t, n, b, l, m, h, s. She is a very good printer and her writing is also good.
Not that it is of any real consequence, but dd corrected me on my cursive timeline. She learned it in 2nd grade while homeschooling. When she went to ps for 3rd grade, the kids were just learning cursive at that time. Now that I've shared that, I hope I'm off the hook with my little flub-up.
I don't do grade levels so...my daughter learned when she was 7yo, but she still prefers printing. I, personally, have a natural style that does not tire the hand as much as the more common cursive styles. Mine is in between print and cursive or a connected print kind of like the Italic Handwriting, so my daughter has been encouraged to a similar style and it was not much of a transition.
I have taught cursive to all of my kids and they do both manu. and cursive well. I look at it this way. Everyone has a way that they write. That eventually you will choose what is comfortable to you. I have the philosophy if I can read it and spelling so on it correct they way they go about it is up to them lol.
After reading these comments... we are doing the same here... my oldest prints... she does not like to write cursive.... my youngest writes cursive but she is slow at it...so she does not want to all the time.... so I will let them choose for right now, but on certin things they will need to write in cursive... I think!
