My 8th grader prefers manuscript. So I still have him do cursive copywork once or twice per week. I don’t want to force his style, but I think he needs to keep up the skill of cursive. If he were to switch his writings to cursive, I would drop the cursive copywork. He will learn typing next year. In 4th grade, cursive copywork was assigned 4 days per week. It was a struggle for a while and he was very slow. I suggest using a timer. See how long he can comfortably go at a good pace now and gradually increase the time. Maybe add a minute every few weeks until he is up to where you want him to be. Drawing is helpful in building up the same muscles and skills as writing. We have used Draw and Write Through History. I find much of our cursive copywork at Currclick. We use a variety, including Bible Scriptures and Presidential Penmanship.
We have found the writing handbook by Brave Writer, The Writer’s Jungle, of help. The Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op offers discounts periodically. It also supports CM methods of copywork, dictation and narration. Included are ideas to help you encourage and help your children with writing projects. In our home for junior high, we write weekly entries in a journal, Friday Freewrites, science notebook, and history narrations. We still do some oral narrations too. The Writer’s Jungle helps you help your child transition from oral to written stories and find their writer’s voice. We have creative writing projects, about one every month or two. The length of their writing gradually increases with more practice. We started with half a page, then one full page, etc.
Another great book to help you be able to help your child with language arts is the SCM hand book, Hearing and Telling, Reading and Writing.