Grade 2 | CURSIVE
WEEK 9 • TEACHER GUIDE • DAYS 1–5
Use this guide with the Week 9 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.
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This week
Week: Cursive Week 9 of 10 (C9): Capital Letters U, V, W, X, Y, Z, P, R, B. Suggested alongside Academic Week 25.
Standards (Alabama Course of Study, English Language Arts 2021):
- 2.LF.37.c: Form uppercase and lowercase letters in cursive.
Materials: A sharpened pencil, the printed Week 9 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.
Day 1: Capitals U and V
Goal: The child forms U and V correctly and writes them at the start of the names Utah, Vera, joining the small letters that follow.
Cue for U: “Overcurve tall, slant, curve, swing up, slant down, curve up.”
Watch for: A pointed bottom; lifting before the last slant down.
Cue for V: “Overcurve tall, slant, curve, swing up, curl, out.”
Watch for: A pointed bottom; leaving off the curl and the short stroke at the top.
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.
Teaching note: U and W retrace without lifting; V has a small curl at the top.
Routine checklist. Check each step as the child finishes it.
- ☐ Warm up: the child writes the letter large in the air with a straight arm while saying the cue.
- ☐ The child traces the model with a finger, starting on the green dot and following the arrows.
- ☐ The child traces the gray letters on the sheet, then writes on the empty rows.
- ☐ The child joins the letters in the practice words.
- ☐ The child circles his or her best letter, and the adult names one thing to fix next time.
Day 2: Capitals W and X
Goal: The child forms W and X correctly and writes them at the start of the names Will, Xavier, joining the small letters that follow.
Cue for W: “Overcurve tall, slant, curve, up; trace down, curve, swing up, curl, out.”
Watch for: A middle peak that reaches the top line; leaving off the curl.
Cue for X: “Overcurve tall, slant, curve up. Lift, cross.”
Watch for: Crossing from left to right; a cross that misses the middle.
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. Check each step as the child finishes it.
- ☐ Warm up: the child writes the letter large in the air with a straight arm while saying the cue.
- ☐ The child traces the model with a finger, starting on the green dot and following the arrows.
- ☐ The child traces the gray letters on the sheet, then writes on the empty rows.
- ☐ The child joins the letters in the practice words.
- ☐ The child circles his or her best letter, and the adult names one thing to fix next time.
Day 3: Capitals Y and Z
Goal: The child forms Y and Z correctly and writes them at the start of the names Yuri, Zoe, joining the small letters that follow.
Cue for Y: “Overcurve tall, slant, curve, swing up; slant down below, loop left, curve up.”
Watch for: A tail loop on the right side; a first part that does not reach the baseline area.
Cue for Z: “Overcurve, curve back, point, down below, loop left, curve up.”
Watch for: Leaving out the small point; a tail loop on the right side.
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. Check each step as the child finishes it.
- ☐ Warm up: the child writes the letter large in the air with a straight arm while saying the cue.
- ☐ The child traces the model with a finger, starting on the green dot and following the arrows.
- ☐ The child traces the gray letters on the sheet, then writes on the empty rows.
- ☐ The child joins the letters in the practice words.
- ☐ The child circles his or her best letter, and the adult names one thing to fix next time.
Day 4: Capitals P, R and B
Goal: The child forms P, R and B correctly and writes them at the start of the names Paul, Rosa, Ben, joining the small letters that follow.
Cue for P: “Up to the top, slant down. Lift, up and over, back to the slant.”
Watch for: A round part that closes at the baseline (looks like D or B).
Cue for R: “Up to the top, slant down. Lift, up and over, point, slant down, curve up.”
Watch for: Leaving out the small point before the leg; a leg that starts from the bottom.
Cue for B: “Up to the top, slant down. Lift, over and in, out and back, around.”
Watch for: Leaving out the short middle line; two round parts of very different sizes.
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.
Teaching note: P, R and B share the same first stroke. The round parts begin with a pen lift.
Routine checklist. Check each step as the child finishes it.
- ☐ Warm up: the child writes the letter large in the air with a straight arm while saying the cue.
- ☐ The child traces the model with a finger, starting on the green dot and following the arrows.
- ☐ The child traces the gray letters on the sheet, then writes on the empty rows.
- ☐ The child joins the letters in the practice words.
- ☐ The child circles his or her best letter, and the adult names one thing to fix next time.
Day 5: Handwriting Check
Check: The child writes the letters U, V, W, X, Y, Z, P, R, B and the phrases “Rosa Parks”; “Pine Valley”; “Winter Woods” in cursive without models. The child may look at the printed letters and words; do not show the cursive models.
Rubric: Score each area 1 (not yet), 2 (sometimes) or 3 (consistent).
| Area | What to look for | Score (1, 2 or 3) |
|---|---|---|
| Letter formation | Starts on the dot’s spot and follows the strokes in order. | |
| Size | Short letters reach the midline; tall letters reach the top line; tails go below the baseline. | |
| Slant | Letters lean the same way, a little to the right. | |
| Spacing | Even space between letters; a clear space between words. | |
| Joins | Each letter flows into the next without a lift, except where a dot or cross needs one. | |
| Legibility | Another reader can read every letter and word. |
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
- Alabama State Department of Education, ALEX, English Language Arts 2021, Grade 2, standard 37 and parts a to c: https://alex.alsde.edu/node/8723, https://alex.alsde.edu/node/8724 and https://alex.alsde.edu/stds/COS/8725/printer_friendly
- Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama Reading Initiative, Handwriting Guide K-3 (posture, grip, paper position and the scoring rubric adapted for Day 5): https://www.alabamaachieves.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ARI_20221019_Handwriting-Guide-K-3_V1.0.pdf
- TypeTogether, Playwrite US Trad (SIL Open Font License 1.1), via Google Fonts: https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Playwrite+US+Trad
Week 9 Copybook | Week 9 Teacher Guide | Week 8 Copybook | Week 10 Copybook | Grade 2 index