B. Foundations of Language · Cursive, Spelling and Sentences

Beginning Cursive Writing

D2.2 A1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can name the four strokes that cursive letters are made from.
I can form lowercase cursive letters, starting in the right place, with the right size.
I can join letters into a word without lifting my pencil, and make letters lean the same way.
I can check my cursive, keep practising when it feels hard, and see myself getting better.

Words to know

cursive
Joined-up writing. The letters in a word are connected, so the pencil keeps moving from one letter to the next.

stroke
One movement of the pencil, like a curve or a line.

join
The little line that connects one cursive letter to the next.

slant
The way letters lean. In cursive, all the letters lean the same way.

legible
Easy for someone else to read.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you practised printing neatly and smoothly. You remembered the 4 S's: Start in the right spot, the right Size, Sit on the line, and Space between words.

In Grade 3 you will begin to write in cursive. Cursive is joined-up writing. Have you ever seen a grown-up sign a birthday card with loopy, connected letters? That's cursive!

Why learn cursive?

In cursive, your pencil keeps moving inside a word. You lift it only at the end of the word.
Many people find cursive smooth and comfortable once they have practised.
You will be able to read cards, letters and notes written in cursive.

Cursive looks fancy, but it is built from just a few simple strokes. If you can print, you can learn cursive!

Different styles

There are a few different styles of cursive. Your school might teach letters that look a little different from someone else's. That's okay! Follow your teacher's style. The big ideas in this lesson work for every style.

The same lines as printing

Cursive letters use the same three heights you know from printing:

Small letters go from the baseline up to the middle line: a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x.
Tall letters reach up to the top line: b, d, h, k, l, t (t is a little shorter), and f.
Tail letters hang below the baseline: g, j, p, q, y, z (and f has a tail too).

Writing lines. Small letters fill the space between the baseline and the middle line. Tall letters reach the top line. Tails go below the baseline.

Four strokes make almost every letter

Cursive letters are built from four strokes. Trace each one in the air with your finger while a grown-up reads the words:

Undercurve: start on the baseline and swing up, like the bottom of a bowl. Most letters start with this stroke.
Downcurve: start near the middle line and curve back and down, like the start of a c.
Overcurve: go up and over, like a little hill or rainbow.
Slant line: a straight line that leans. All your slant lines should lean the same way.

The four cursive strokes. The dot shows where each stroke starts.

Letter families

Letters that start with the same stroke belong to the same family. Learning one family at a time makes cursive easier. (Your teacher's families might be grouped a little differently.)

Family	How the letter starts	Letters
Swing-up letters	Undercurve up to the middle line	i, t, u, w, r, s, p, j
Loop letters	Undercurve up, then a loop	e, l, h, k, b, f
Magic c letters	Undercurve, then a downcurve like c	a, c, d, g, o, q
Hill letters	Overcurve, like a hill	m, n, v, x, y, z

Lowercase cursive letter families

Worked example

Let's write a cursive i

Write a lowercase cursive i.

Put your pencil on the baseline.
Undercurve: swing up to the middle line.
Slant line: come straight back down to the baseline, leaning the same way as your other letters.
Finish with a small undercurve swing up. This little tail is the join that will connect to the next letter.
Dot the i after you finish the whole word.

A cursive i is undercurve, slant line, undercurve, and a dot added at the end of the word. A cursive u is just like it, done twice (with no dot).

Joining letters

Most cursive letters end with a swing up from the baseline. That ending stroke is the join: it carries your pencil right into the next letter.

Four letters end up high, at the middle line, instead: b, o, v and w. After these letters, make a little sideways bridge along the middle line, then start the next letter from up there.

When the word is finished, lift your pencil. Then go back to dot your i's and j's and cross your t's and x's.

Worked example

Let's join a word: "cat"

Write the word cat in cursive.

c: undercurve up, then downcurve around like a c, and swing up from the baseline. Don't lift!
a: from that swing, go into a downcurve to make the round part of the a. Go up to close it, then a slant line down and swing up. Don't lift!
t: undercurve up higher than the middle line (but not all the way to the top line), slant line straight down, and swing up at the end.
Now lift your pencil and cross the t.
Check: are all three letters touching? Do they all lean the same way?

cat is written with one pencil stroke, then one lift to cross the t.

Worked example

Let's join after a bridge letter: "on"

Write on in cursive.

o: undercurve, downcurve all the way around, close it at the middle line.
The o ends up high, so make a little bridge: a short sideways stroke along the middle line.
From the bridge, go straight into the n: overcurve hill, slant down, overcurve hill, slant down, swing up.
Check that the bridge didn't drop down to the baseline. If it did, the o and n will look like an a!

The o and the n are joined by a bridge along the middle line.

Making your cursive easy to read

Slant: all letters lean the same way, like a row of trees in the wind.
Size: small letters stay small, tall letters reach up, tails hang down.
Spacing: letters inside a word are joined. Between words, leave a space about as wide as a small o.
Slow and steady: neat and slow is better than fast and messy. Speed will come with practice.

Just for fun

Funny but true: In cursive you only lift your pencil at the end of a word. So a long word like bookkeeper is a little pencil marathon. Ready, set, write!

Keep going!

Cursive feels slow and wobbly at first. That is normal! Every grown-up who writes cursive once felt the same way. Practise a few minutes every day. Each time, circle your best letter and say what makes it good. That's how you see yourself getting better.

What about capital letters?

Capital letters in cursive look quite different from printed capitals, and some of them don't join to the next letter. Many classes learn the lowercase letters first, then the capitals. Your teacher will show you.

Hands-on activity

Cursive practice tray

You need: a baking tray or plate with a thin layer of salt or sugar (or a sheet of paper and a crayon), and lined paper with a pencil.

With one finger, draw the four strokes in the salt: undercurve, downcurve, overcurve, slant line. Say the name of each stroke as you go. Shake the tray gently to erase.
Write one letter from each family in the salt: i, e, a, n.
Now use the lined paper. Write each letter three times in a row, joined together: iii, eee, aaa, nnn.
Try short words: it, up, in, cat, on, we.
Circle your best letter in each row. Tell a grown-up what makes it your best (good slant? right size? smooth join?).
Rainbow write one word: write it in pencil, then trace over it with three different crayons.

Grown-ups: help with the tray so salt doesn't get in eyes, and tidy up after.

Your turn

Name the four cursive strokes.

Most cursive letters start with which stroke?

Is a a small, tall or tail letter?

When you write the word it in cursive, when do you dot the i and cross the t?

Which four letters end up high and need a bridge join?

Write the word up in cursive. What should a grown-up look for?

Why do all the letters in a cursive word need to lean the same way?

More practice: warm-up

True or false: in cursive, you lift your pencil after every letter.

Which stroke looks like a little hill?

Is l a small, tall or tail letter?

Is g a small, tall or tail letter?

Trace an undercurve in the air with your finger. Which way does it go?

More practice: on your own

Sort these letters into the magic c family and the hill family: d, m, o, n, g, y.

Write we in cursive. Which letter needs a bridge?

A friend's cursive on looks like an. What went wrong, and how can it be fixed?

Write cat in cursive. How many times did you lift your pencil?

Your cursive letters are neat but very slow. What is a good plan?

Challenge

Write your first name in cursive (ask a grown-up to show you the capital letter if you haven't learned it). What should you check?

Write this sentence in cursive: we can skate. How many pencil lifts (not counting dots and crosses) should there be inside each word?

Look at three cursive words you wrote today. Pick your best one and your hardest one. What will you practise tomorrow?

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is cursive writing?

Which stroke do most cursive letters start with?

When should you dot the i's and cross the t's in a cursive word?

Which letter ends up high and needs a bridge join?

Where does the tail of a cursive y go?

Which tip makes cursive easier to read?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The Grade 3 Ontario Language curriculum (D2.2) asks children to begin to write in cursive, forming letters with appropriate formation patterns, size, placement and spacing. Grade 3 is a start: full cursive fluency is a Grade 4 expectation. We also weave in Strand A transferable skills: perseverance and self-assessment.

How to help at home:

Follow the cursive style your child's school uses. Letter shapes vary between programs, so ask the teacher for a model sheet if you can.
Short, frequent practice (5 minutes a day) works better than long sessions.
Practise strokes and letter families before words. Then practise easy joins (it, up, in) before bridge joins (on, we, be).
Write birthday cards, grocery lists or a short note in cursive together.
Praise specifics: "Your slant is really even!" rather than "Nice writing."

Common difficulties:

Starting letters in the wrong place (e.g. starting an a at the bottom). Say the strokes aloud: "undercurve, downcurve..."
Lifting the pencil after every letter. Remind them to keep going and add dots and crosses at the end.
Bridge letters dropping to the baseline, so on looks like an.
Uneven slant and size. Lined paper with a middle line helps.
Frustration. Cursive is slow at first. Keep printing for longer writing tasks while cursive develops.

Left-handed children may need to tilt their paper differently from right-handed children and may slant their letters less. Comfort and legibility matter most.