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JennGM
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| Posted: Feb 29 2012 at 2:09pm | IP Logged
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After going through all this with my first son, I'm rethinking my decision. I was drawn to the Montessori approach of cursive first, then print (or Italic? is it?)
But after long discussions and research, I decided to go the traditional route of print (ball and stick) to cursive.
My oldest son really struggled with his printing. As we foray into cursive, he's really having an easier time with control and neatness -- proving the Montessori way has a method to its madness.
Now the younger son already is miles ahead of older brother just because his grip is correct, he loves to write and color and draw. His scribbles naturally look like cursive. And he is also trying to make letters and numbers already on his own.
So, all this to say, I'm rethinking the decision -- start with cursive with my younger one?
Can you help me talk this through?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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pmeilaen
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When I introduce the letters, I introduce them both at the same time in print and cursive. We then briefly practice the print letters so we know what they look like and can recognize them when reading printed texts. As soon as I think my child knows those letters, we switch our focus to cursive. When I went to school I never learned to print, but only learned cursive!
I have one child who had problems with writing both sets of letters, so we went very slowly with both types. My kindergarten child on the other hand, who has not yet had any formal writing or reading lessons, has taught herself cursive before being able to print any letters just by watching her older sister.
I once read that second children are more creative than first children so that would fit the description of your son 
I think I would start with cursive with your younger son since he shows signs of readiness for it.
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Eva
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JennGM
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Eva, I like that approach. My younger is already recognizing letters in print, so it wouldn't be too hard to transition.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Erin
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Regardless of what you do I'd really encourage you to sit with them and be disciplined about where they start their letters, ask me why I say this?? 
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Erin
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CatholicMommy
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Three ideas to consider:
Maria Montessori herself wondered how she was going to address "print" and teaching it, since she had just given the children cursive. But they proved to her, without her having said a THING, that they could make the leap from cursive to print - on their own.
Our Lady of Victory's handwriting series does print for the first half of kindergarten; then cursive from second half of kindergarten forward. So if you want to look at a handwriting book itself, these ones would be geared for that age of writer in mind.
Lastly, I am currently working a group of children who are all over the spectrum with writing, and I can say that cursive has been a BIG hit with them. A struggle for some at first, but it has not slowed down anyone's reading abilities - and anyone who can do basic drawings and can already write in cursive, will very quickly learn to write in print (since they read it all the time) at any moment that printing is actually necessary (filling out forms??? is it necessary any other time? Mostly we just need to read print).
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kristacecilia
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| Posted: March 01 2012 at 11:52am | IP Logged
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My almost 8 year old has always been enh about writing until he begged me to start cursive and I conceded. When he does his copywork in cursive he BEGS to do more than I ask him to and his writing is so much neater. For awhile I felt like he should master print before going to cursive and I held him back, but he enjoys it so much and his writing is so careful and nice when he does cursive that I realize it was really stupid of me to try and keep him back.
I just use StartWrite to make cursive copywork for him of his poetry, latin vocabulary or prayers, etc, and he copies them.
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pmeilaen
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| Posted: March 02 2012 at 8:10pm | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| Eva, I like that approach. My younger is already recognizing letters in print, so it wouldn't be too hard to transition. |
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I'm glad that this is helpful. Good luck with your cursive journey!
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Eva
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 02 2012 at 10:18pm | IP Logged
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The negative side is I have sandpaper letters and the movable alphabet in print.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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pmeilaen
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JennGM wrote:
| The negative side is I have sandpaper letters and the movable alphabet in print. |
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Maybe he can use those just for practicing reading and could practice writing the cursive letters in a box filled with sand or cornmeal.
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Eva
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JennGM
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Has anyone used Peterson Handwriting? A local mom recommended it.
I am trying to go through the website to understand more. He said I could use it for cursive first, but that there are no printed materials for pre-K-K for cursive.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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CrunchyMom
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Did you see this free e-book Peterson offers for their ABCs and 123s in Cursive?
So glad you mentioned not being able to find anything because I downloaded this some time ago but promptly forgot about it until watching the video on teaching lefties also on their website!
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JennGM
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CrunchyMom wrote:
Did you see this free e-book Peterson offers for their ABCs and 123s in Cursive?
So glad you mentioned not being able to find anything because I downloaded this some time ago but promptly forgot about it until watching the video on teaching lefties also on their website! |
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No, I didn't see it. Thanks. That makes me feel better.
I'm slowly going through the site now. To find time to watch videos is hard.
I think this is what I need to use. I was going to go through Cursive First, but I don't like the style, and the reviews aren't good. But this captures the movement and such that I think my boys really need. My oldest responded really well to Sound Beginnings and RigthStart directions in forming letters and numbers.
My 4th grader needs tons of work on the writing, but it's opposed to CM to just write letters and words aimlessly, and in his video he says that doesn't help, either. That's as far as I've gotten.
A local mom has started a classical mentoring program Aquinas Learning and mentioned this program as the best she's found...so that has started me on this look.
I'm not one to get a handwriting course, but this one seems different to me. Will look further. I couldn't find any mention of this on the forum.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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CrunchyMom
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I think that I must have come across Peterson via Don Potter's site.
He has a lot of resources including supplements to phonics programs that use cursive.
So, if you liked the Writing Road to Reading approach for your oldest, he has phonogram cards that coordinate with Sam Blumenfield's Alpha-Phonics in cursive
It isn't well organized, but there are a lot of great resources on this page
ETA I meant Sound Beginnings instead of Writing Road to Reading
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Lindsay
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CrunchyMom
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Sorry, this page is probably more relavent than the other one I linked. I think he has reorganized a bit since I was last at his site.
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Lindsay
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CrunchyMom
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CrunchyMom wrote:
Did you see this free e-book Peterson offers for their ABCs and 123s in Cursive?
So glad you mentioned not being able to find anything because I downloaded this some time ago but promptly forgot about it until watching the video on teaching lefties also on their website! |
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Aaaaah! It's all coming back. I remember now that you cannot PRINT this e-book. It IS helpful for using their method to introduce the letters, but it doesn't look like they even offer that e-book for purchase so that you can print it??? Very confusing, but since it obviously exists, maybe they would sell you a printable version? Their website it a bit confusing.
Aside from the exercises for the various introductory strokes and the verbal instructions for forming those strokes and reinforcing them in forming the letters, the workbook pages themselves are VERY similar to the ones I made in Startwrite. If you have Startwrite, I'd be happy to send you the files. I have two pages for each letter of the alphabet like the pages in the e-book.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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JennGM
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CrunchyMom wrote:
CrunchyMom wrote:
Did you see this free e-book Peterson offers for their ABCs and 123s in Cursive?
So glad you mentioned not being able to find anything because I downloaded this some time ago but promptly forgot about it until watching the video on teaching lefties also on their website! |
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Aaaaah! It's all coming back. I remember now that you cannot PRINT this e-book. It IS helpful for using their method to introduce the letters, but it doesn't look like they even offer that e-book for purchase so that you can print it??? Very confusing, but since it obviously exists, maybe they would sell you a printable version? Their website it a bit confusing.
Aside from the exercises for the various introductory strokes and the verbal instructions for forming those strokes and reinforcing them in forming the letters, the workbook pages themselves are VERY similar to the ones I made in Startwrite. If you have Startwrite, I'd be happy to send you the files. I have two pages for each letter of the alphabet like the pages in the e-book. |
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It requires individual license. I need to sit down and read further.
But I do have StartWrite, and that would be wonderful!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Angel
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Jenn, have you looked at New American Cursive? It's designed for first graders. I used it for a time with one of my kids. Lots of space to draw, too, if you have a kid with an artistic bent.
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Angela
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Learning to Write: Cursive, Print, Italic
