cursive handwriting

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cursive handwriting
By Denise

I teach fourth grade and I expect cursive handwriting for some assignments, but not all. For example, when we are working on something like the writing process I want the kids to be free from worrying about forming letters
correctly. Of course the kids who feel comfortable writing in cursive are encouraged to do so, but the ones who struggle with it don't have to. On the other hand, I have some lessons which must be in cursive all of the time. I also know that cursive is mainly taught in third grade at our school, and the kids are required to write in cursive all of the time for the second half of the

year. However, at another school district I had the same problem of some kids not knowing how to write in cursive. I spent some time reviewing it, but the bottom line was I didn't have time to reteach something that should have been taught before. Especially since some kids knew it and some didn't. I think part of the problem is that schools don't often spend money to buy a program to actually TEACH cursive. Neither of the schools I've been at had a program, teachers just used their own worksheets, etc. Kids also don't get a separate handwriting grade anymore. I remember getting one when I was in elementary school.