CURSIVE HANDWRITING in Grades 3-5

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction provides districts with a State Board approved Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS). Currently, students are expected to master the following handwriting skills at each grade level:

Create readable documents with legible handwriting (manuscript in (K-2) and cursive (3-5))

Elementary students in Hoke County Schools will receive cursive writing instruction. North Carolina legislators included cursive writing in the law and it became a required foundational skill in the standard course of study for English/Language Arts (ELA).

The most current standard course of study for ELA includes the requirement that public schools provide instruction in cursive writing so that students create readable documents through legible cursive handwriting by the end of fifth grade.

The standard course of study specifically addresses cursive writing in grades three, four and five and the legislation requires that students create readable documents in legible cursive writing by the end of fifth grade.

Classroom teachers support cursive writing through direct instruction, informal instruction, practice, exposure to sample materials, and homework in cursive writing.   In the third and fourth grades, more time is allotted to teaching and practicing cursive writing.

Start teaching cursive writing in third grade, refine in fourth grade and by fifth grade, students are reading and creating documents in cursive writing. 

Hoke County Schools will use the McGraw Hill Wonders Cursive Handwriting Curriculum.

Monitoring of Cursive Handwriting Instruction Includes:

3rd Grade

*  all 3rd grade ELA teachers have student practice workbooks for students and a teacher manual

*  teacher explicitly models and teaches cursive handwriting 2 days a week

*  students are expected to write in cursive in some centers and other independent classwork 

*  opportunities are given for students to read cursive writing (peer reviews of stories etc...)

*  teachers write in cursive on the board, in anchor charts,  etc…for further exposure and practice 

*  opportunities to read authentic documents that contain cursive writing

4th Grade

*  all 4th grade ELA teachers have a teacher's manual and students will use notebook paper to practice

*  explicitly model and teach cursive handwriting 1 days a week or as needed

*  students are expected to write in cursive in centers and other classwork often

*  opportunities are given for students to read cursive writing (peer reviews of stories etc...)

*  teachers write in cursive on the board, in anchor charts,  etc…for further exposure and practice 

*  opportunities to read authentic documents that contain cursive writing

5th Grade

*  all 5th grade ELA teachers have a teacher's manual and students will practice on notebook paper

*  explicitly model and teach cursive handwriting as needed to support

*  students are expected to write in cursive in centers and other classwork daily

*  opportunities are given for students to read cursive writing (peer reviews of stories etc...)

*  teachers write in cursive on the board, in anchor charts,  etc…for further exposure and practice 

*  opportunities to read authentic documents that contain cursive writing

*  evidence of student mastery of cursive handwriting by the end of the year