Finding the Right Position for Cursive

Finding the Right Position for Cursive Before students begin to write cursive, they need to: find a comfortable posture. position their paper properly. learn to hold a pencil correctly. Posture Explain to students that good posture will make writing easier. For correct writing posture, have them: sit up straight. place both arms on the desk, with only their elbows off the desk. Paper Position Have students look at the paper-position diagrams at the top of Handwriting Practice page 8. Show them how to position their papers for cursive writing. Point out that students should shift the paper as the writing line fills. Explain that left-handed writers will position their papers differently from right-handed writers. Have students practice placing their papers in the proper position on their desks. Cursive Paper Position left hand right hand T5 Handwriting Practice, p. T5

Holding the Pencil Have students look at the pencil-position diagrams on the bottom of Handwriting Practice page 8 for left-handed and right-handed writers. Demonstrate how to hold a pencil when writing. Grasp the pencil between the index finger and the thumb. The thumb will be about an inch from the point. The index finger is placed on top of the pencil slightly lower than the thumb. The middle finger is placed a little lower than the index finger. The last two fingers rest beside the middle finger. Tell students not to hold the pencil too tightly or their fingers may become cramped. left hand Pencil Position right hand Now that students know how to position their paper for cursive writing and how to hold their pencils, have them practice the cursive slant stroke on page 8. As students write, remind them to shift their papers when each line is filled with writing so that the paper always remains positioned at their midsections. Point out that shifting their papers will help them write cursive letters with the proper slant. Handwriting Practice, p. T6 T6

Getting Ready to Write Cursive Use this lesson to introduce students to the basic strokes for cursive handwriting. Present the information before they complete Handwriting Practice pages 9. The letters in cursive handwriting are based on five basic strokes the undercurve, downcurve, overcurve, slant, and sidestroke. Three of these strokes are based on ovals. The undercurve and the downcurve are part of the backward oval. The overcurve is part of the forward oval.. undercurve. downcurve. overcurve 4. slant 5. sidestroke backward oval forward oval Introduce your class to the five basic strokes in cursive writing by telling them the following story. For the activity, each student will need a sheet of paper and a pencil. As you tell the story, use the board to model the basic strokes described in the story. Then have the students write the strokes on their papers. Pia and Carlos went to the airshow. They watched a shiny silver jet swoop out of the clouds and make a backward oval. Say to the class: Let s draw the shape the shiny silver jet made in the air. On the board, draw a backward oval. Point out to the students the direction of the oval as you make it. Then ask students to make several backward ovals on their papers. Then they saw a small red airplane take off. Say to the class: Let s draw the line the red plane made when it took off. On the board, draw an undercurve beside the backward oval. Show students that the undercurve is part of the backward oval they just drew. Ask students to make several undercurves on their papers. Flying must be cool, said Carlos. Then he and Pia gasped as the little plane made a large backward oval in the air. Say to the class: Now let s draw part of the oval that the plane made. On the board, draw a downcurve next to the backward oval. Point out which part of the oval is the downcurve. Have students make several downcurves on their papers. T7 Handwriting Practice, p. T7

Then the red plane flew away from the crowd. What s going to happen next? asked Pia. Suddenly the plane made a forward oval all the way around. Pia and Carlos shouted, It must be like riding a roller coaster up there! Say to students: Now let s draw the forward oval. On the board, draw a forward oval. Point out the direction of the forward oval as you are making it. Emphasize that it goes in the opposite direction of the backward oval. Ask students to draw several forward ovals on their papers. Then the red plane made another forward oval. Pia shook her head. The pilot must be dizzy. Say to students: Now let s draw part of the forward oval. On the board, make an overcurve stroke next to the forward oval. Point out the part of the oval that is the overcurve. Then ask students to make several overcurves on their papers. I d never go up in an airplane like that, whispered Carlos. I d be too scared. Pia agreed with him. Then they saw the plane fly at a slant toward the ground. Carlos closed his eyes and held his breath. Say to students: Now let s draw the slant that the plane made. Draw the slant on the board. Point out that it slants to the left. Then ask students to write several slants on their papers. Pia said, Carlos, open your eyes. When he did, he saw the plane fly straight ahead and then make a dip. That looks bumpy, he said. Say to students: Now let s make the dip that the plane made. Draw a sidestroke on the board. Point out that the sidestroke is smaller than the other shapes students have drawn. Then ask students to draw several sidestrokes. Pia and Carlos watched the plane do ovals and dips and slants for several more minutes. Then it quickly landed. The pilot stepped out of the plane. She smiled, took off her helmet, and looked straight at Pia and Carlos. Who wants to go for a ride in my plane? she asked, smiling. I guess we do, said Carlos and Pia. They ran to the plane and climbed in! After you have finished reading the story, ask students to use the shapes they have made to draw a picture about the story at the bottom of their paper. As students draw their pictures, notice if they are right-handed or left-handed. Also look at the strokes they have drawn and note which ones they are having trouble with. For more practice in writing the five basic cursive handwriting strokes, use Handwriting Practice pages 9. For specific directions on how to write the basic strokes and how to correct errors, see the Write It Right chart on page T7. Handwriting Practice, p. T8 T8

Appearance Lessons for Cursive Handwriting Appearance lessons are on Handwriting Practice pages 8 40. Slant Use this lesson with Handwriting Practice page 8. Explain to students that the cursive letters they write should look like the model letters on their Handwriting Practice pages. Point out that cursive letters often slant to the right, though not always. Some writers especially those who are left-handed will not slant to the right. Some writers may slant straight up and down; others will slant to the left. Emphasize that it is the consistency of the slant that is most important. That means all letters should have a uniform slant. Write the words good slant on the chalkboard using a guideline grid. Draw parallel slanted lines through each letter to demonstrate a uniform slant. As students complete page 8, encourage them to make sure that all their cursive letters slant in the same direction and to the same degree. After students have completed the page, you may wish to have them draw light slanted lines through their letters to make sure the slant is uniform. Size, Alignment, and Spacing Use this lesson with Handwriting Practice page 9. Emphasize to students that it is important for their handwriting to look good when they make final copies of their work. To do this, they need to work on letter size, alignment, and spacing between letters and between words. Emphasize that size and alignment are important parts of cursive writing. Cursive writing has good alignment when all the letters touch the bottom line and when all the letters that are the same size for example, the lowercase letters a, c, and e are equal in height. Write this sentence on a guideline grid on the chalkboard: I like soccer. Point out that the tops of all the tall letters touch the top line and the tops of the small letters touch the middle line. Point out that the tall letters should all be the same height and the small letters should all be the same height. Draw horizontal lines across the tops of the tall letters and across the tops of the small letters to show that they are the same height. \\. T9 Handwriting Practice, p. T9

Emphasize to students that correct spacing between letters, words, and sentences is important for clear, legible handwriting. Remind students that their letters should be evenly spaced not too close together and not too far apart. For spacing between words, tell students that the beginning stroke of a word should start near the ending stroke of the word before it. Point out that they need to leave a little more space before words that begin with a downcurve. \\\ Tell students that they should leave enough space between sentences to fit a cursive uppercase O. \\\ As students complete Handwriting Practice page 9, have them pay special attention to size, alignment, and spacing. Letter Formation, Line Quality, and Margins Use this lesson with Handwriting Practice page 40. Emphasize to students that they need to write each cursive stroke in a letter carefully so that the letter is easy to read. Remind students that it is important not to push too hard on their pencils when they write. If they do, the letters will be too dark. Point out that if they don t push hard enough, the lines will be too light. Uneven pressure will result in an uneven line. Point out the margins on Handwriting Practice page 40. Tell students that it is important not to write too close to the edge of the paper. Leaving margins makes writing easier to read. As students complete Handwriting Practice page 40, have them pay special attention to good letter formation, smooth even lines, and good margins. Handwriting Practice, p. T0 T0

Lesson Plan for Cursive Letters As you teach students to write each cursive letter, follow these steps. Teach and Model Have students turn to the Handwriting Practice page for the letter or letters you are teaching. Look at the Letter Say: Today you are going to learn how to write the cursive lowercase letter ( i). Ask students to look at the model letter. Point out the numbered direction arrows on the model letter. Then show the sequence in which students will write the strokes and the direction of those strokes. Ask questions about the letter. Questions may include: Is the letter tall or small? On which line does the letter ( i) begin? Which line does the top of the letter ( i) touch? What is the first stroke in the letter ( i)? Model the Letter Using a guideline grid, write the letter on the board. Name the strokes that make up the letter as you write them. For example, to model writing the cursive letter i you might say: Let s write the lowercase letter i.. Put your pencil on the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line.. Then slant down to the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line. Lift.. Put a dot halfway between the middle and top line. Ask students to lightly trace the model letter with their pencils as you describe it and write it. The strokes for each cursive letter are shown and described in the Write It Right chart beginning on page T7. T Handwriting Practice, p. T

Practice and Apply Write the Letter Ask students to trace the gray letter in the first row. Then ask them to complete the first row of letters by writing the letter on each writing line. If students need help, tell them to look again at the model letter. Point out that the numbered arrows show them the direction of each stroke. Then have students write the remaining rows of letters. Encourage them to take their time and write each letter carefully so it is easy to read. Join the Letters For all lowercase and some uppercase cursive letters, direct students to complete the third row, where they connect the cursive letter they are learning with other letters. Emphasize that making a smooth connection between letters is an important part of cursive writing. Point out to students the strokes that are used to connect the individual letters. Tell students they will use these joinings again when they write the words. For more information on the strokes used to join cursive letters, see Joining Cursive Letters on page T6. After students have learned all the lowercase letters, have them complete Handwriting Review page 50 which reinforces all the different kinds of joinings between cursive letters. Write the Words Have students complete the words and/or sentence. Again, emphasize the joinings between the cursive letters. Remind students that the joinings between letters need to be smooth, and that good cursive handwriting always has a consistent slant. Then have students read the direction at the bottom of the page. They may be asked to write another word using one of the letters they learned, or to circle their best letters. Assess When students have completed their Handwriting Practice page, ask them the questions in small type at the bottom of the page. Encourage students to look at their letters critically and to identify strokes that are not correct. Then review their work. To help assess students handwriting, use the Student s Assessment Rubric and the Cursive Handwriting Assessment Checklist on page T9. Then ask yourself: Did students use the proper strokes in forming the letter? Do students letters look like the model? Did the students write words neatly? Handwriting Practice, p. T T

If students need more support in writing a particular letter, refer to the Write It Right chart beginning on page T7 which shows the correct way to write the letter. The chart also shows a common error for each uppercase and lowercase cursive letter and tells how to correct it. Encourage students to assess their handwriting by asking themselves: Are my letters joined correctly? Which is my best letter? Which letter do I need to practice? As you review each group of letters, follow these steps. T Review Have students turn to the Handwriting Review page for the letters they have learned. Point out the models of the review letters at the top of the page. Then write the review letters on the board. As you write the strokes in each letter, say them aloud. Then direct students to write each review letter. Practice and Apply After students have finished writing the letters, direct them to look at the words and/or sentences and identify the review letter or letters. Direct students to write the words and/or sentences using their best handwriting. Emphasize that cursive letters must connect to each other smoothly, and that the slant should be consistent. Assess After students have completed their Handwriting Review page, ask them the questions in small type at the bottom of the page, and have them look at the review letters they wrote. Encourage students to look at their letters critically. Then ask yourself: Are students writing the review letters correctly? Have students used the correct stroke to join the letters? Do students letters have a consistent slant? If students are having trouble with their review letters, have them practice writing the letters on a separate sheet of guideline paper separately and joined to other letters. Encourage students to write the strokes in each letter carefully and to take time making the connecting strokes between letters. Then have them compare their letters with the model letters at the top of the Handwriting Review page. Encourage students to assess their writing by asking themselves: Which are my best letters? Which letters need more practice? Did I join the letters correctly? Handwriting Practice, p. T

Activity Place These handwriting activities provide more opportunities for students to have fun practicing cursive writing. The activities can also be used for manuscript maintenance. Book of Homophones On the chalkboard, write a list of common homophones, such as deer and dear, son and sun, one and won, eight and ate, or right and write. Review their meanings and spellings with students. Ask students to suggest other homophones. Then invite each student to write a page for a class Homophones Book by choosing one homophone pair and writing a sentence for each. Students may want to illustrate their sentences. Pick a Letter Place pieces of paper with lowercase alphabet letters written on them in a jar. Ask students to pick letters from the jar. Then challenge them to look around the classroom for names or objects that begin with that letter. Have them write their findings in list form. Before beginning the activity, the class may want to guess which letter will have the most words. Animal Crackers On strips of paper, write several animals names, such as cat, dog, hen, lion, tiger, in manuscript. Give one to each student. Have students write the animal s name on another strip of paper in cursive. Then have students display the cursive and manuscript names side-by-side. I Am a Person Who... Have students complete a poem in which each line begins with the phrase, I am a person who... To help spark ideas, offer examples such as the following: I am a person who likes to eat spaghetti, or I am a person who loves dolphins. Poems can be as long or as short as students choose. Then have them write their poems using their best handwriting. Display the poems in the classroom. On the Mark Invite students to make bookmarks. Cut construction paper or oaktag into a bookmark shape. Then have students write the title of the book they are now reading and the author s name. Remind them to use capital letters when appropriate. They may want to add their name or decorate their bookmarks. Encourage students to use their bookmarks in books they are currently reading. Keep the bookmark paper on hand so that students can make more as they move on to new books. Handwriting Practice, p. T4 SAM Keyword: Handwriting Activities T4

Joining Cursive Letters Use this chart throughout the year to help students practice joining cursive letters. By practicing different kinds of joinings, students cursive writing will be more legible. In the left column of the top chart, you will find letters grouped by ending strokes. In the right column, you will find letters grouped by the beginning stroke. In the bottom chart, you will find examples of each possible kind of joining using the ending and beginning strokes in the top chart. Letters Ending in an Undercurve a, c, d, e, f, h, i, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, u, x Letters Beginning with an Undercurve i, t, u, w, e, l, b, h, k, r, s, f, p, j Letters Ending in an Overcurve Letters Beginning with a Downcurve j, g, y, z a, d, g, q, o, c Letters Ending in a Sidestroke Letters Beginning with an Overcurve b, o, v, w n, m, v, x, y, z Examples of Cursive Joinings undercurve to undercurve ie fi mu overcurve to undercurve ge ju ye sidestroke to undercurve or bu we undercurve to downcurve ed io no overcurve to downcurve jo ga yo sidestroke to downcurve og ba vo undercurve to overcurve py um az overcurve to overcurve gn zy gy sidestroke to overcurve by on vy Handwriting Practice, p. T6 T6

Write It Right B A S I C Writing the Stroke Correctly S T R O K E S To make an undercurve, touch bottom line and curve up to the middle or top line. Check paper s position. To make an overcurve, touch bottom line and curve up and over to the middle or top line. Check paper s position. Think of an oval. To make a downcurve, touch the top or middle line and curve left and down to the bottom line. Check paper s position. Think of an oval. To make a slant, slant left from the top or middle line to the bottom line. Check paper s position. To make a sidestroke, make a short horizontal curve. Touch the middle line and pull down straight below the middle line and then curve forward to the middle line. Make sure sidestroke is curved. T7 Handwriting Practice, p. T7

L O W E R C A S E L E T T E R S Writing the Letter Correctly a Touch the middle line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line. Begin the downcurve further to the right so that the undercurve touches it. Make sure the letter ends in an undercurve. Slant down to the bottom line and end in an undercurve. \c\\ Make an undercurve and loop back to touch the top line. Slant down to the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line. End in a sidestroke. Touch the middle line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line. End with an undercurve. The top of the second undercurve needs to touch the middle line. To avoid roundness, flatten the side of the c. Also practice backward ovals and downcurves. \\d\ Touch the middle line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the top line. To avoid a loop, stop after the first undercurve and then pull the slant stroke to the bottom line. Slant to the bottom line and end with an undercurve. \e\ Make an undercurve and loop back to touch the middle line. Slant down to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. The loop should cross the undercurve about halfway between the bottom and the middle line. Handwriting Practice, p. T8 T8

Writing the Letter Correctly Make an undercurve and loop back to touch the top line. Slant down to the descender space below the bottom line. Loop forward to the bottom line. Close the bottom loop at the bottom line. End in an undercurve. \g\\ Touch the middle line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line and then an undercurve up to the middle line. Make sure the downcurve touches the middle and bottom lines. Close the loop at the bottom line. Slant through the bottom line to the descender space, loop back, and end in an overcurve. Make an undercurve and loop back to touch the top line. Slant to the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line, slant, and end in an undercurve. The slant stroke should cross the undercurve at the middle line. \i\\ Touch the bottom line and undercurve to the middle line. Slant to the bottom line and end in an undercurve. Lift. The slant stroke should slant to the left until it touches the bottom line. If necessary, adjust the paper to get the proper slant. Dot halfway between the middle and top lines. \j\\ Touch the bottom line and undercurve to the middle line. Slant through the bottom line to the descender space and loop back. Then make an overcurve. Lift. The loop should cross the slant stroke at the bottom line. Dot halfway between the middle and top lines. T9 Handwriting Practice, p. T9

Writing the Letter Correctly \k\ Make an undercurve and loop back to touch the top line. Slant down to the bottom line. To avoid a loop, pause after curving under and before slanting right. Make an overcurve to the middle line, curve forward, and curve under. Slant right and end in an undercurve. \l\ m\ Make an undercurve and loop back to touch the top line. Slant to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. Touch the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line and slant to the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line and slant to the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line and slant to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. To make an l with a proper slant, reposition the paper so that right handers are pulling the slant stroke to their midsections and left handers are pulling it towards their elbows. To avoid loops, stop after each slant stroke. \n\ Touch the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line and then slant left to the bottom line. To avoid the loop, stop after the slant stroke. Make an overcurve to the middle line and slant left to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. Handwriting Practice, p. T0 T0

Writing the Letter Correctly o Touch the middle line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line and an undercurve to the middle line. Stop after completing the undercurve and before beginning the sidestroke. End in a sidestroke. \p\ Touch the bottom line and make an undercurve to the middle line. After the slant stroke, retrace the stroke before you make the overcurve. q Slant left through the bottom line to the descender space and retrace back. Make an overcurve to the middle line and curve to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. Touch the middle line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line and an undercurve to the middle line. Slant through the bottom line to the descender space and loop forward to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. Make sure to begin the curve in the loop forward before touching the line. \ Touch the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line. Slant right and curve down a bit. Stop after the first undercurve. Make sure the next stroke is a short curved slant to the right. Slant down to the bottom line and end in an undercurve. s Touch just above the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line. Curve down and back. Be sure to retrace before beginning the final undercurve. Retrace the bottom of the curve and end in an undercurve. T Handwriting Practice, p. T

Writing the Letter Correctly Touch the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the top line. Slant to the bottom line and undercurve. Lift. To avoid the loop, pause after the first undercurve. Move left. Touch the middle line and slide right. \u\ Touch the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line. Slant to the bottom line and undercurve up to the middle line. Make the slant strokes parallel. Emphasize paper position to assure proper slant in writing. \v\ \w\ 4 Slant to the bottom line and undercurve. Touch the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line, slant to the bottom line, and undercurve to the middle line. End in a sidestroke. Touch the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the middle line. Slant to the bottom line and undercurve up to the middle line. Emphasize that the letter begins with an overcurve that curves up and over, not with an undercurve. To avoid loops, pause after each undercurve. Make sure slants are parallel. Slant to the bottom line and undercurve to the middle line. End in a sidestroke. \x\ Touch the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line, slant to the bottom line and undercurve. Lift. After the overcurve, be sure to slant left to the bottom line. Move left. Touch the middle line and slant to the left. Handwriting Practice, p. T T

Writing the Letter Correctly \y\ Touch the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line, slant to the bottom line and undercurve to the middle line. Be sure the loop crosses the slant stroke at the bottom line. Slant through the bottom line to the descender space, loop back (left) and end in an overcurve. \z\ Touch the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the middle line and slant to the bottom line. Make an overcurve and then curve down through the bottom line to the descender space, loop back and end in an overcurve. U P P E R C A S E Writing the Letter Correctly To avoid making a loop after the slant stroke, pause. Emphasize that the letter z ends in an overcurve. L E T T E R S \A\ Touch the top line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line and an undercurve to the top line. Stop before making the slant stroke. Slant to the bottom line and end in an undercurve. \B\ Touch the top line. Slant to the bottom line. Retrace to the top line. Curve forward to the middle line. Do not touch the slant line. Curve forward, then back. Emphasize that there should be no loop and the curve does not touch the slant stroke. T Handwriting Practice, p. T

Writing the Letter Correctly \C\ Touch between the top line and the middle line, and make a downcurve to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. Point out that the slant stroke and the downcurve should slant to the left. Check paper position to encourage proper slant. \D\ Touch the top line and make a slant. Then loop back (left) and curve down to the bottom line. Then curve up to the top line. Loop back and curve right. Emphasize the slant that begins the letter D. Point out that the slant ends in a loop that touches the bottom line. \E\ \F\ 4 Touch between the top line and the middle line, and make a downcurve to the middle line. End in a downcurve to the bottom line. Touch just below the top line and curve forward and to the right. Lift. Touch the middle of the line and make a slant to the bottom line. Curve up to the left. Make a sidestroke. Lift. Emphasize that the second curve down is larger and further to the left than the top curve back. Emphasize that the slant touches the horizontal stroke. Move up and right. Touch the middle line. Slide right. \G\ Touch the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the top line, loop back (left) and curve forward. Make a curve down to the bottom line and then curve up. Emphasize that the loop crosses the slant at the middle line. End with a sidestroke. Handwriting Practice, p. T4 T4

Writing the Letter Correctly \H\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant to the bottom line. Lift. Move to the right. Touch the top line. Slant to the bottom line. Stop at the bottom line before beginning the retrace. Retrace, loop back (left), and curve right, ending at the middle line. \I\ \J\\ Touch below the middle line. Make a sidestroke left, then curve down to the bottom line and up to the top line. Downcurve to the bottom line and curve right. Touch just below the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the top line, slant through the bottom line to the descender space, loop back (left), and end in an overcurve. Emphasize that the sidestroke comes to a point and is not rounded. Emphasize that the first overcurve begins just below the bottom line. \K\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant to the bottom line. Lift. Move to the right. Touch the top line. Slant to the middle line. To avoid the loop, pause after the slant from the top to the middle line. Curve forward to the bottom line and end in an undercurve. \L\ Touch below the top line. Undercurve to the top line, loop back (left) and curve down to the bottom line, loop forward (right), and curve forward to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. The ending does not dip below the bottom line. T5 Handwriting Practice, p. T5

Writing the Letter Correctly \M\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant to the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the top line and then slant to the bottom line. To avoid loops, stop after the first and second slant strokes. Make an overcurve to the top line. Then slant to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. \N\ \O\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant to the bottom line. Make an overcurve to the top line. Then slant to the bottom line. End in an undercurve. Touch the top line. Make a downcurve to the bottom line, undercurve to the top line, loop back (left), and curve right. To avoid the loop, stop after the first slant stroke. Close the loop near the top of the letter. \P\ Touch the top line and slant to the bottom line. Retrace to the top line, curve forward and then back and touch the slant at the middle line. Point out that the forward oval meets the middle line. Make the oval smaller. Touch the top line and make a backward oval. Lift. Touch the oval above the bottom line and curve downward to the right. The ending stroke does not dip below the bottom line. Handwriting Practice, p. T6 T6

Writing the Letter Correctly \R\ Touch the top line. Slant to the bottom line. Retrace. Curve forward to the top line and then back to the middle line. To avoid the loop, pause after the slant stroke. Curve forward to the bottom line and end in an undercurve. \S\ Touch the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the top line, loop back (left). Curve down to the bottom line and then up almost to the middle line. The top loop crosses the undercurve at the middle line. The last stroke crosses the undercurve. \T\ End in a sidestroke. Touch just below the top line and curve forward and to the right. Lift. Touch the curve forward and make a slant to the bottom line. Curve up to the left. End in a sidestroke. Emphasize that there is no space between the curve forward and the slant to the bottom line. \U\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant to the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the top line. Stop before beginning the second slant. Slant down to the bottom line and end in an undercurve. \V\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant down to the bottom line. Make an undercurve that touches the top line. End in a sidestroke. End the letter in a sidestroke. T7 Handwriting Practice, p. T7

Writing the Letter Correctly \W\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant down to the bottom line. Make an undercurve to the top line. To avoid the loop, stop after the first undercurve. Slant to the bottom line, make an undercurve to the top line. End in a sidestroke. \X\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward, and slant to the bottom line. Make an undercurve that ends just above the bottom line. Lift. The slant line crosses at the middle line. \Y\ Touch the top line and slant (left) to the bottom line. Touch just below the top line. Curve forward, slant to the bottom line, and make an undercurve to the top line. Slant through the bottom line to the descender space, loop back (left), and end in an overcurve. The loop should close at the bottom line. \Z\\ Touch below the top line. Curve forward and slant to the bottom line. Make an overcurve, and then curve down through the bottom line to the descender space, loop back (left) and end in an overcurve. Stop after the first forward curve to avoid making a loop. Handwriting Practice, p. T8 T8