Ahava~Love Assembly

Grade 2 Cursive Week 1 | Teacher Guide

Grade 2 | CURSIVE

WEEK 1 • TEACHER GUIDE • DAYS 1–5

Use this guide with the Week 1 Copybook. Each lesson takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Model each letter or stroke first, say the cue while the child writes, and keep the practice short and careful. Day 5 is an independent check.

Week 1 Copybook | Week 1 Teacher Guide | Week 2 Copybook | Grade 2 index

This week

Week: Cursive Week 1 of 10 (C1): Getting Ready to Write. Suggested alongside Academic Week 17.

Standards (Alabama Course of Study, English Language Arts 2021):

  • 2.LF.37: Write legibly.
  • 2.LF.37.a: Write words and sentences fluently using correctly formed manuscript letters with appropriate size and spacing.

Materials: A sharpened pencil, the printed Week 1 sheets (print at 100%, actual size, on letter paper), and a table and chair that let the child sit with feet flat.

Models: Cursive letter models are drawn from Playwrite US Trad, a school handwriting font by TypeTogether released under the SIL Open Font License. Start dots and arrows were placed by hand on each letter and checked against the letter’s path. Print models in Week 1 are simple ball-and-stick letters drawn for this copybook.

Day 1: Sit, Hold and Slant

Goal: The child sits, holds the pencil and slants the paper correctly, and prints his or her first name.

Show and say: Model each step on the page while the child copies you. Check feet, arms, grip and paper before any writing.

Grip: The pencil rests on the middle finger and is held by the thumb and pointer finger, a little above the sharpened part. A tight grip or white knuckles means the child is pressing too hard.

Paper: Right-handed writers turn the top of the paper to the left. Left-handed writers turn the top to the right. The writing hand stays below the line being written.

Left-handed note: Left-handed writer: slant the paper the other way (top turned to the right), hold the pencil a little higher, and keep the wrist below the writing line so the hand does not cover or smudge the letters. Pull strokes toward the elbow.

Routine checklist.

  • ☐ Feet flat and back against the chair.
  • ☐ Both arms on the table; the other hand holds the paper.
  • ☐ Correct grip, held gently.
  • ☐ Paper turned for the writing hand.
  • ☐ First name printed twice.

Day 2: Tall, Short and Tail Letters

Goal: The child prints tall, short and tail letters at the right size on three-line paper.

Cue: “Tall letters touch the top line. Short letters touch the midline. Tails hang below.”

Watch for: Short letters that grow past the midline; tails that sit on the baseline; letters floating above the baseline.

Routine checklist.

  • ☐ The child sorts the letters by saying “tall”, “short” or “tail”.
  • ☐ Tall row copied.
  • ☐ Short row copied.
  • ☐ Tail row copied.
  • ☐ The child circles the best letter in each row.

Day 3: Spaces Between Words

Goal: The child leaves a clear space between words and keeps letters inside a word close together.

Cue: “Finger space between words.”

Watch for: Words that run together; spaces inside words. A left-handed child can use a craft stick as a spacer instead of a finger.

Routine checklist.

  • ☐ The child points to the spaces in the model.
  • ☐ Sentence copied once with a finger spacer.
  • ☐ Sentence copied again without the spacer.
  • ☐ Capital letter at the start and a period at the end.

Day 4: One Neat Sentence

Goal: The child prints one sentence fluently, with correct size and spacing.

Cue: “Say it, then write it, word after word.”

Watch for: Long pauses to form letters (note which letters); size and spacing slipping by the end of the sentence.

Routine checklist.

  • ☐ The child says the sentence aloud first.
  • ☐ Sentence written once.
  • ☐ Sentence written again a little faster, still neat.
  • ☐ The child checks size and spacing.

Day 5: Handwriting Check

Check: The child copies two sentences in manuscript print: “Seeds travel far.” “Rain fills the barrel.” Give no help with letters or spacing.

Rubric: Score each area 1 (not yet), 2 (sometimes) or 3 (consistent).

AreaWhat to look forScore (1, 2 or 3)
Letter formationStarts on the dot’s spot and follows the strokes in order.
SizeShort letters reach the midline; tall letters reach the top line; tails go below the baseline.
SlantLetters lean the same way, a little to the right.
SpacingEven space between letters; a clear space between words.
JoinsEach letter flows into the next without a lift, except where a dot or cross needs one.
LegibilityAnother reader can read every letter and word.

Note: This week the Joins row is not scored, because the child writes in print. Score the other five areas.

Next step: If any area scores 1, repeat this week’s hardest lesson before moving on. Scores of 2 can be practiced alongside next week’s lessons.

Sources

Week 1 Copybook | Week 1 Teacher Guide | Week 2 Copybook | Grade 2 index