Tails and Curls: The Art of Cursive Handwriting (Ages 13-18)

Each lesson will include letter demonstration and practice.  Following each lesson, students will receive worksheets that may be used to guide their practice in between lessons. Students will be required to spend an ample amount of time in between classes practicing what they have learned. 

Although the focus of this class will be learning the mechanics and art of standard, cursive handwriting, each lesson will also include brief fun facts on topics such as calligraphy, fountain pens, fonts, John Hancock’s signature, and National Handwriting Day.  We will also have a brief discussion about the handwritten U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776); diary of Anne Frank (1942); and Book of Kells (800 AD).

During the ten sessions offered, all 26 letters of the alphabet (in both their upper- and lower-case forms), as well as some punctuation marks, will be demonstrated.

Resources, including links to articles and videos of interest; vocabulary lists and other notes prepared by the teacher, will be posted on the classroom page. Students will be given the opportunity to have their work displayed on the classroom page, as well.

Lesson 1: A demonstration of the "Up and Right" lower case letters e, i, l, r, s, and t.

Lesson 2: A demonstration of the "Up and Right" lower case letters b, f, h, j, k, and p.

Lesson 3: A demonstration of the "Counter-Clockwise" lower case letters a, c, d, g, and o  and "Counter-Clockwise" upper case letters A, C, E, and O.

Lesson 4: A demonstration of the "Counter-Clockwise" lower case letter q; the "Scoop" upper and lower case letters U and u;  and the "Up and Over" lower case letters m and n. 

Lesson 5: A demonstration of the "Boomerang" upper case letters B, M, N, P, and R and the "Clockwise" upper and lower case letters Q, Z, and z.

Lesson 6: A demonstration of the "Scoop" upper case letters V, W, X, and Y and the "Scoop" lower case letters v, w, x, and y.

Lesson 7: A demonstration of the "Up and Left" upper case letters I and J and "Up and Right" upper case letters G and S.

Lesson 8:  A demonstration of the upper case letters D, F, H, K, L, and T.

Lesson 9:  While the teacher demonstrates copying a poem in cursive handwriting, students will also copy the poem in their own cursive handwriting.

Lesson 10: A demonstration of a pangram written in cursive.  Students will be asked to create a pangram (a sentence that includes every letter of the alphabet at least once). The challenge is in making a grammatically correct sentence in as few words as possible. The fun is in making those words silly enough to tickle your funny bone.