Cursive First

Hi Joyful Mama, love your profile name!

The two things that I didn’t like about Abeka were that the clock face letters start on the midline instead of the baseline and that the line size is HUGE! It’s easier for even young ones to use smaller lines so that they aren’t drawing their letters instead of writing them. I like the consistency of all lowercase letters starting at the same place.

With that said, I still wish cursive first was in a clean workbook style as I dislike making copies. In fact, I’ve just ordered 2 new cursive workbooks to look at – we’ll see. I love the way the Handwriting without Tears workbooks are laid out and the style so clean and uncluttered, but I don’t care for the cursive font. Ideally, cursive first would be in a similar format, but I continue to search. Someday, I may just make my own! 😮

I used SWR w/ my oldest and it was very effective, but very time consuming. We’ve looked at every O-G based phonics program and bought most of them, but I’m now using All About Spelling just for the simplicity. There is an active SWR group on yahoo that may be helpful at times.

Best wishes,

Christie

They learn them as they learn to write them. Cursive First comes with a set of cursive phonogram cards and we review them just as we review the print ones. Neither of my kids have had difficulty with this and both learn to read print and cursive at the same time with no problem.

HTH,

Christie

I wanted to comment on the conversation about Cursive First.  I am looking at teaching my Kindergartner cursive, and am liking Cursive First.  She already knows manuscript (I used Handwriting Without Tears). 

I wanted to share with Christie that I found a way around the copying dilemna.  I wanted her to be able to redo a HWT page as many times as necessary, so I copied each page once and then slid it into a plastic sheath.  She uses dry erase markers and does her practice.  We found some fine point dry erase markers.  We just wipe it off after she is done.  It has been wonderful and eliminated the need to make multiple copies.  You wouldn’t even have to copy, but just cut the plastic sheath to slide onto the page in the book.  I secure the sheath and paper with one of those really strong paper clips that acts like a vice.  I don’t know their official name, but you can secure thick stacks of paper at once with them. 

I know that they also need to practice on paper, but you could just use lined paper for that, or even make your own lined paper on the computer.  That’s really easy to do, and the lines could be as small or big as you wanted.  Then you could just print off sheets as needed.

Hope this gives you some ideas around the copying problem so you can still use Cursive First.

Also, I am planning on using Spell to Read and Write or The Writing Road to Reading (which is the program that Wanda Sanseri first used and taught, and then used to create her own program (SRW) by changing some things, but keeping the essential aspects like the phonograms, spelling rules, and spelling lists).  I just wanted to let you know that my friend who uses SRW doesn’t do all the extra things Wanda lays out.  She taught the phonograms, then does the spelling lists.  Its not very cumbersome when you do just that, but you still get the value of the program.  Just an idea.

CB

The Cursive First program does NOT includ basic strokes…

We started with the Cursive First program, and ended up not liking it.   I’ve switched to Peterson Directed Handwriting, which has a cursive first option.  My son just finished all the letters, and has beautiful handwriting – when he uses it.  I’m hoping that copywork now will help with him using it all the time….

Peterson Directed Handwriting does start with basic strokes.   over curve, under curve… and (for the cursive) it teaches 4 basic strokes that make up (with a few variations) all the lower case cursive letters…  “sharp top, loop top, round top, roll top”…. and teaches the children to build muscle memory.  It also recommends having “fluency tests” periodically to actually measure how quickly they write legibly.  

The cursive first option of Peterson is available as PDF files that you can print from.  Because I have 2 different aged kids, I got both Step 1 and Step 2…   and found them useful to use together.  Step 1 has the big letters to “finger trace” (as the first step of building the muscle memory)… and just had them alphabetical with the idea that you would use them in whatever order your reading program teaches letters…. but both my kids read that i wanted to use it with.  Step 2 is meant for a 6 or 7 yo, and has the letters in the order easiest to learn to write.  So that is the order I’ve used with the kids.    My now 7yo, as I said, just finished it up and although he needs refinement, is writing fairly well.   My just barely 5yo, who is left-handed, is struggling with the letters – I’m not sure if it is because she is left-handed (which Peterson gives lots of information on teaching left-handed kids on their website, etc.) or because she is so young, or both…  sigh

Anyway – that is my recommendation.  There is lots of information on their website, and I phoned with some questions before starting, and he talked to me for quite a while showing me things…   I think their program is much better than the “Cursive First” program I bought before it!