THE CASE FOR CURSIVE BY MEGAN WESTPHAL Should Cursive Writing Still Be Taught in Schools?

What is Cursive? Cursive is penmanship in which the symbols of the language are written in a conjoined and flowing manner

Cursive is DISAPPERING 45 states have adopted the Common Core Standards for English, which omits Cursive handwriting from required curriculum

Why Should We Keep it in Schools? Cursive Writing benefits students in: Developing motor skills Reinforces learning Helps students with disabilities Art Form and Uniqueness Connect students to the past

Academic Performance Research has proven that there is a positive correlation between better handwriting skills and increased performance in reading and writing In addition to aiding the writing process, the act of putting pen to paper aids students in absorbing the knowledge that visual and audio cannot do

Cognitive Development In terms of cognitive development; research has shown that handwriting skills can:  Increase brain activity  Impact performance on all academic subjects  Provide a foundation for higher-order skills  Influence reading, writing language, and critical thinking

Experts Recommend Schools should devote at least 15 minutes a day to handwriting instruction everyday A Child’s fine motor skills are not developed fully until the age of 10, handwriting should be continued passed on and learned more

Does 15 minutes matter out in a day? Think about it? What are your views about cursive writing being taken out of the classroom?

Opponents Argue Being able to read cursive is no longer relevant due to technological advances in society Time shouldn’t be wasted on cursive because there is no academic achievement unlike standardized testing subjects necessary for achievement

Is Cursive Beneficial? Threaded letter strokes help guide student’s eyes left to right, which correlates to reading and other forms of writing  Children who read cursive words first make a quick transition to reading print Tasks shown through Cursive:  Planning  Spelling  Self-Monitoring  Text Production  Punctuation

Now YOU Practice your Cursive As a classroom activity I would plan to do this fun activity by having our students work on their cursive through more than just worksheets Incorporating creativity into the classroom would be using shaving cream for the students  Each student will be given a flat tray where a layer of shaving cream will be placed. Students can be given letters, words or even sentences to work on their cursive handwriting skills.  PLEASE NOTE THIS IS MESSY, BUT WHAT IS A CLASSROOM OF FUN WITHOUT A MESS!!!!

Images of what it should look like!

The act of writing something by hand is quite possibly the ultimate form of word processing in that even the slightest mark on your paper reveals a depth of expression that the click of a keyboard will never know. It captures the bold stroke of confidence. The shake of hesitation. The scribble of haste. The trace of fragility. The flourish of fancy and other telling details of life’s trails and tales. It is the visible effort of an idea shaped into existence. The flow of thought from mind to hand that says with such authenticity. A human was here and took the time to leave a message Something to think about!

Resources handwriting-will-no-longer-be-taught-in-schools- because-it-s-a-big-old-waste-of-time handwriting-will-no-longer-be-taught-in-schools- because-it-s-a-big-old-waste-of-time instruction/5-reasons-cursive-writing-should-be- taught-in-school/ instruction/5-reasons-cursive-writing-should-be- taught-in-school/ d-school-kids-still-learn-cursive-writing-question- of-the-week d-school-kids-still-learn-cursive-writing-question- of-the-week