Introducing cursive comes sooner than you expect. The methodology of this program is to introduce students to cursive in 1st grade and build these skills as they are learning to read and write. Lessons take between 10-15 minutes. There are 3 steps that are repeated in the format of this program: one page of instruction, one page of practice, and one page of play. Every letter is given these three pages to help achieve mastery. Lessons on connecting letters are provided towards the end of the book. There are testing and scoring examples provided. The workbook is spiral-bound along the top, so your wrists are not resting on the coil. Lines provided are half-dotted with plenty of space for practice. Everything you need to help instruct your students in cursive is found in this book. There is a supplemental software (050483) that provides additional practice pages and lessons you can create. Supplemental lesson plans (056838) are also available to help you schedule and plan penmanship into your curriculum year. 115 pgs, pb. ~Rebecca
The character Mr. Meerkat is the book's guide, making learning tasks fun; step by step, he shows the way to draw each letter and encourages creativity. There are clear arrow directions for letter creation, and plenty of shaded letters to trace for practice. The book is bound at the top for equal access for left- and right-handers. NACs simplified strokes and letter forms allow first grade students to truly master beautiful cursive. We have used NAC in our Highlands Latin School, with dramatic results. Every child can master cursive in the first grade, and many of our first graders write better than typical third graders. Learning cursive early ensures that students are not slowed down or frustrated in the upper grades when they are focusing on other subjects, such as grammar and composition.
New American Cursive teaches your child cursive skills beginning in first grade. There are fewer strokes, a natural right slant, and the strokes are simplified. The program’s philosophy is that students have the motor skills to write cursive at the first grade level, but when we wait to teach them at about third grade, they go back to the speed of first grade writing as they transition from print to cursive.
Mr. Meerkat guides your child through each book as he shows
the way to draw each letter and encourages creativity. Each lesson includes 3
different types of practice pages. The first page is the instruction page on
which students follow a 3-step process under Mr. Meerkat’s direction. Students
first say the letter followed by feeling the letter. In this second step,
students trace large format letters with their finger and are also encouraged
to write the letters in the air or draw them on a table with their finger. The
third step is to write the letter, both upper and lower case, first by tracing
and then by forming the letter freehand.
The second page of the lesson is a practice page, and the third page contains fun exercises and artwork. Students will practice letter connections, words, and short sentences and even have an opportunity to draw something fun. A reminder for proper paper placement and pencil position is placed at the bottom of pages throughout the book.
Recommended by Memoria Press
I used this workbook to teach my older two boys cursive and hope to do the same for my 7 year old.
school requirement
Easy to teach and use