Beginning Practicecu Edoc

Beginning and Practice
Cursive
Modern Style
Sailing through Handwriting Series

Grades 2-4
Written by Marie-Helen Goyetche
Illustrated by Ric Ward
About the author: Marie-Helen Goyetche is the author of over 100 parenting/educational articles for national
and regional magazines. When Marie-Helen isnt writing, she teaches in an elementary school and at the local
community college in Early Childhood Education. Marie-Helen lives with her husband and her two sons.
Thanks to Mountainview Elementary and St. Jude Elementary schools for field-testing this book.
ISBN 978-1-55035-843-8
Copyright 2006
Revised August 2008
All Rights Reserved * Printed in Canada
Permission to Reproduce
Permission is granted to the individual teacher who purchases one copy of this book to reproduce the student activity material for
use in his/her classroom only. Reproduction of these materials for an entire school or for a school system, or for other colleagues or
for commercial sale is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of
the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for this project.
Published in the United States by:

On The Mark Press
3909 Witmer Road PMB 175
Niagara Falls, New York
14305
www.onthemarkpress.com
On The Mark Press S&S Learning Materials
Published in Canada by:

S&S Learning Materials
15 Dairy Avenue
Napanee, Ontario
K7R 1M4
www.sslearning.com
OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive
At A Glance
Learning Expectations Beginning Cursive
The students will:
Develop skill in writing cursive lowercase and uppercase
letters within the appropriate spacing and between the correct
lines on a page in the DNealian* (modern) style
Associate parts of letters with sections of a sailboat image in
order to learn which part of the letter goes where
Develop awareness of appropriate spacing between letters
and the letter elements
Further develop fine motor skills, and writing and language
abilities by exploring creative extension activities and games
in class or at home
* DNealian is a registered trademark of Donald N. Thurber

Learning Expectations Practice Cursive
Prac
tic
Curs e
ive
Writ
i
Exerc ng
ises
At A Glance
Handwriting
Develop skill in writing lowercase and uppercase letters within
the appropriate spacing and between the correct lines on a page
in the DNealian* (modern) style
Develop awareness of appropriate spacing between letters and

the letter elements
Further develop fine motor skills
Critical Thinking & Creative Skills

Rudimentary research and computer skills
Creative writing stories, descriptions
Letter writing
Drawing skills
Mapping skills
Brainstorming
Metacognition
Learn aspects of: emergency preparedness
Emotional development
Creating lists
Careers and role play
Develop personal opinions
Language Development
Learn and use Dolch Sight Words
Understand how words are used in context (e.g., envelopes,

song lyrics, directions, etc.)
Develop vocabulary
Use words correctly in sentences
Reading comprehension
* DNealian is a registered trademark of Donald N. Thurber

Sailing through
Handwriting Series
Table of Contents
At A Glance Beginning Cursive........................................................................... 2
At A Glance Practice Cursive............................................................................... 3
Teacher Assessment Six Ss Rubric.................................................................5
Student Self-Assessment Six Ss Rubric...................................................................5
Teacher Guide

The Analogy Handwriting and Sailing........................................................... 6

Organization of the Resource.............................................................................7

Heres our Crew!................................................................................................ 8

Paper Position Diagram..................................................................................... 8

Dolch Sight Words............................................................................................. 9
Reproducible Worksheets

Cursive Alphabet (Modern Style).....................................................................10

Pre-Writing Practice......................................................................................... 11

Beginning Cursive Lowercase Letters a to z..................................................12

Beginning Cursive Uppercase Letters A to Z............................................... 38

Beginning Cursive Numerals........................................................................... 65

Beginning Letter Practice Pages...................................................................... 66

Beginning Word Practice Pages....................................................................... 68

Practice Cursive Alphabet (Modern Style)...................................................... 70

Practice Cursive Letters Aa to Zz......................................................................71

Letters from the Crew..................................................................................... 119

Further Practice Pages....................................................................................125
Certificates.............................................................................................................127
Students name:______________________
Teacher Assessment Six Ss Rubric

Skill

Size
Criteria
All the time

Level 3
Half the time

Level 2
Needs more practice

Level 1
Letters are the same height
Slant
Slants are parallel to each other
Shape
Is similar to the model shown
Space
Letters take up the same space
Sitting

Letters are sewn together

evenly
Sense
of pride
Work is neat and pleasing to

view
Name: _________________________
Student Self-Assessment Six Ss Rubric

Skill
What I should
be doing
Great work!
HHH
I need some
practice
HH
I need more
practice
H

Size
3 Letters are the
same height

Slant
3 Slants all look
the same
Shape
3 Looks like the
one on the line
Space
3 My letters are
spaced evenly
Sitting
3 My letters are put
together where
they should be

Sense
3 Im proud of my
of Pride work
Teacher Guide
The Analogy Handwriting and Sailing

Welcome to Beginning and Practice Cursive, Modern Style. The analogy between sailing
and writing is ideal. Before one sets out for a sailing expedition or before one can write neatly on
paper, there are a number of factors one must consider.

Before you set sail, you

need to
Before you can write, you

need to
1. have your equipment: 1. have your equipment:

a boat, sails, and water; paper, pencils, and a place to
work;
2. be able to read a map 2. be able to write the letters,
and trace out your journey; within the right spacing and
in between the right lines;
3. practice maneuvering 3. practice writing your letters.
your boat.

This resource uses the concept of a sailboat floating on water to introduce and teach
writing. Children love boats and what a great way to grab their interest and develop their
understanding of spatial concepts. Children will be able to write with ease as they associate
which part of the letter goes where on the lines, comparing it to the sailboat on the page. As
children move from learning to write cursive to practicing their new skills, the sailboat remains
on the pages of the book as a reminder and a guide.
The upper part of some letters are in the

sails: b, d, f, h, i, j, k, l, and t.
The boat sits on the water line as do the letters
a, c, e, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, and z.
The fish show the child that some letters must
go in the water such as g, j, p, q, and y
Organization of the Resource

Beginning Cursive, Modern Style (pages 10-69)

Lowercase letters are presented first since this is what children most often find difficult and
so they need extra practice. They are introduced by letter formation, progressing from simple
to more complex, rather than alphabetically. Modern style capital letters follow the lowercase
letters and each capital letter worksheet also includes more lowercase practice. Youll find letters
on both sides of the page to encourage left-handed children.

Each worksheet concludes with an extension activity, which can be done in class or at home.
The activities will enhance fine motor skills, and further develop childrens writing and language
abilities. Handwriting cannot be mastered if a child isnt ready. To master handwriting, children
should have practice sessions of 15 minutes a day from four to six times a week. When
introducing a new letter, let children feel the letter shape by drawing the letter up in the air.
Using a piece of string or yarn to shape the letters will assist children greatly to visualize the
formation and continuity of cursive handwriting.
Practice Cursive, Modern Style (pages 70-126)

The second part of the book focuses on both the uppercase and the lowercase modern style
letters, providing practice with both in interesting and creative ways. On each page, children will
practice writing the focus letter, a word associated with that letter, and then a sentence. Dolch sight
words are included on each page. Dolch sight words are those most commonly encountered when
reading, many of which either cant be sounded out or cant be illustrated. The use of these words
reinforces reading and writing skills. The complete list of Dolch sight words is included in this
resource.

The theme of the page is continued in a meaningful writing exercise that generates interest
and further develops critical thinking and language skills. The activities are designed to be
interactive and relevant to childrens lives. At the end of the book, children are encouraged to put
their accumulated skills to the test by writing postcards to the sailors that have been with them
throughout; these may be used as an assessment tool, along with the rubrics found on page 5.

Our crew of sailors give out the instructions, so children can also use this book at home with
their parents; together they can follow the instructions. The child can begin at the starting point
and off on a journey theyll go!

Always encourage children to do their best and avoid reprimanding a child for messy writing.
Children will experience the greatest success with handwriting if they enjoy the learning process
and want to foster their own skills.

Happy sailing happy writing!
Heres Our Crew!

Hi! Im Issa. My mother is
from Madagascar and my
father is from Uganda.
Hi! My name is Chen. My

favorite activity is doing
Chinese papercuts!
Kwey! (rhymes with

day and means hello)
My name is Ahanu and
Im of Algonquin Indian
descent.
Good morning! My name

is Majida. My family is
from Sudan and I can speak
three languages; Arabic,
French, and English.
Hola! My name is Bonita.

I live here in the U.S. but
my family is from Mexico
City, Mexico.
Hi everyone! My name
is Jamie and my favorite
thing in the world is
reading, reading, and
reading!
Paper Position
Left Handed
Right Handed
Dolch Sight Word Lists

Edward Dolch created a list of words that are used frequently, and must be learned by sight. He
organized his listing into categories that match grade levels. It is a consensus that all of the words
in all the categories be learned during the first grade. Dolch words have been used in each of the
exercises in this book.
Pre-primer
a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little,
look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow,
you
Primer
all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like,
must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they,
this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes
1st Grade
after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, giving, had, has, her, him, his, how,
just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then,
think, walk, were, when
2nd Grade
always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, dont, fast, first, five, found,
gave, goes, green, its, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those,
upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, wish, work, would, write, your
3rd Grade
about, better, bring, carry, clean, cut, done, draw, drink, eight, fall, far, full, got, grow, hold, hot,
hurt, if, keep, kind, laugh, light, long, much, myself, never, only, own, pick, seven, shall, show, six,
small, start, ten, today, together, try, warm
Nouns
apple, baby, back, ball, bear, bed, bell, bird, birthday, boat, box, boy, bread, brother, cake, car,
cat, chair, chicken, children, Christmas, coat, corn, cow, day, dog, doll, door, duck, egg, eye, farm,
farmer, father, feet, fire, fish, floor, flower, game, garden, girl, good-bye, grass, ground, hand,
head, hill, home, horse, house, kitty, leg, letter, man, men, milk, money, morning, mother, name,
nest, night, paper, party, picture, pig, rabbit, rain, ring, robin, Santa Claus, school, seed, sheep,
shoe, sister, snow, song, squirrel, stick, street, sun, table, thing, time, top, toy, tree, watch, water,
way, wind, window, wood
Beginning and Practice Cursive
Cursive Alphabet
(Modern Style)
abcdefghij
klmnopqr
stuvwxyz
ABCDEFGH
IJKLMNOP
QRSTUVW
XYZ
10
Name:_ __________________________
Pre-Writing Practice
When we write lowercase cursive letters we need

to make a connection between the letters. We
make a tail or a hook before and after each
letter to make an easy connection. Think of
a parade of elephants hanging onto the tail of
the elephant before them. Practice drawing the
curves up and down and the loops up and down.
Make the little hooks and tails.

Bonita
Extension Activity: Doodle: Take a pencil to any paper and draw squiggles, curves, lines frontward and
backward, slants, and curls. Try not to think about what youre doodling, just let your hand feel the motion.
Doodle big and doodle small.
11
Lowercase i
Name:_ __________________________
iii
Start at the water line, and make a curve up

to the edge of the boat. Now go down to the
water line, making a tail on the opposite side
of the beginning curve. With cursive, we rarely
lift our pencils off the paper, but to dot your i
you will have to.

Issa
i i i i i i i i ii i i i
i
i
Draw these i words in the boxes below.
i
iii
Extension Activity: Take a sheet of paper and divide it into six big blocks. In each block write a color. Then
list all the items that you know that have that color, e.g. white: sugar, flour, snow, etc.
12
Lowercase s
Name:_ __________________________
sss
Start at the water line, and make a curve up

to the edge of the boat. Make an outward curve
that goes down past the water line and touches
the first line. Then, change direction and curve
back forward to form the tail.

Majida
ssssssssss
s
s
Draw these s words in the boxes below.
s
sisi
Extension Activity: Take a sheet of paper and divide it into several columns (8 to 10). Write down one word at
the top of each column, eg. cake, rain, dear, etc. Try to find as many rhyming words as possible for each
column. Keep these lists to use for writing a story or poem.
13
Lowercase r
Name:_ __________________________
rrr
Start at the water line, make a curve to the

edge of the boat. Slant downward slightly, and
then go down into a curve that ends as a tail.

Ahanu
r rrrrrrrrrrr r
r
r
Draw these r words in the boxes below.
r
rsir
Extension Activity: Pretend that you could have the ideal bedroom. What color it would be. Would you give it
a theme? What kind of flooring would you have? What about furniture and decorations? Write down what your
dream room would look like.
14
Lowercase e
Name:_ __________________________
eee
The e is done all within the boat. Start at

the water line, curve up to the edge of the
boat and make a backwards loop, then go back
down to the water line and keep going to make
a forward tail that is ready to latch onto the
next letter.

Jamie
e e e e e e e e ee e e e
e
e
Draw these e words in the boxes below.
e
eee
Extension Activity: Do you remember your dreams? In one or two paragraphs write about a dream that you
remember. Where did it take place? What happened? Why do you think you remember this dream?
15
Lowercase u
Name:_ __________________________
u uu
Start at the water line, and curve up to the

edge of the boat, go back down and when youre
almost at the water line, curve forward along
the water line and go back up to the edge of
the boat. Go down to the water line for the last
time, ending with a tail.

Chen
u uuuuuuuuuuuu
u
u
Draw these u words in the boxes below.
u
urs
Extension Activity: Whats the title of your favorite song? Can you write down some words from your favorite
song?
16
Name:_ __________________________
ww w
Lowercase w

edge of the boat. Go back down, and curve
forward to do a half curl that touches the water
line and goes halfway back up to the edge of the
boat. Then go back down again, and do a half
curl that touches the water and goes back up to
the edge of the boat. Add a small curved tail
to hook onto the next letter.

Bonita
w w w w w w w ww
w
w
Draw these w words in the boxes below.
w
wiwr
Extension Activity: Your friends dog or cat was hit by a car. Your friend is very sad. Write a letter to tell her
how much youre sad too. Write her something that will help cheer her up.
17
Lowercase c
Name:_ __________________________
ccc
Start at the water line and curve up under the

edge of the boat. Come back down and continue
to form a lowercase c. Extend your c to form a
tail to join to the next letter.

Issa
c ccccccccccc c
c
c
Draw these c words in the boxes below.
c
csce
Extension Activity: Cooking is a science and its also lots of fun! Write down your favorite recipe. Dont forget
the ingredients, and the steps one should take to prepare your recipe. It is a good idea to indicate for what
occasion the recipe can be used.
18
Lowercase a
Name:_ __________________________
a aa
Start at the water line and curve up under the

edge of the boat. Come back down and continue
to form a lowercase a. Then at the end of the
letter, add an extension like a tail ready to
latch onto the next letter.

Majida
a aaaaaaaaaaa a
a
a
Draw these a words in the boxes below.
a
acea
Extension Activity: Extension activity: Write a letter to your grandfather or grandmother, or some other
relative or friend. Think of a special moment shared by both of you and describe it in your letter.
19
Lowercase o
Name:_ __________________________
ooo
Start at the water line and curve up under

the edge of the boat. Come back and continue
to form a lowercase o. Once youre at the edge
of the boat, make a small curve to hook onto
the next letter.

Ahanu
oo oooooooo
o
o
Draw these o words in the boxes below.
o
orw
Extension Activity: Pretend youre on a vacation somewhere special. Write a postcard to your mom or dad
about the wild adventures you are having.
20
Lowercase n
Name:_ __________________________
nnn
Start at the water line and go up to the edge of

the boat. Make a small curve and go back down
to water line again. Go up again and form a
second hump in the boat. Go down to the water
line and finish off with a tail.

Jamie
n n nnnnnn n
n
n
Draw these n words in the boxes below.
n
nono
Extension Activity: Whens the last time you had a sleep over? Write about the fun you had, who was there
and what made it special. How will you make your next sleepover the best one so far?
21
Lowercase m
Name:_ __________________________
m mm
Start at the water line and go up to the edge

of the boat. Make a small curve and go back
down to the water line again. Go up and form
a second hump in the boat and go back down to
the water line. Now go up for a third and final
hump, and finish off with a tail.

Chen
mm m m mmm
m
m
Draw these m words in the boxes below.
m
memo
Extension Activity: A new student from another country has just arrived at your school. He doesnt know how
to play your favorite sport. Write down how to play; dont forget the most important rules of the game.
22
Lowercase x
Name:_ __________________________
xxx

the boat. Make a small hump and then curve
down to the water line and end it with a tail for
the next letter. Lift your pencil and go back to
the edge of the boat to add a backward slanted
line that crosses the first line.

Bonita
xx xxx x x xxxx
x
x
Draw these x words in the boxes below.
x
xnxa
Extension Activity: Knock Knock! Whos there? Me. Me who? Me and my Knock Knock joke. Invent your
own Knock Knock jokes and write them down to make a joke book.
23
Lowercase v
Name:_ __________________________
v vv

the boat, make a small curve and go back down
to the water line again. Then curve along the
water line and end with a forward slant up that
stops at the edge of the boat. From here add a
small curve to hook onto the next letter.

Ahanu
v v v v v v v v v vv
v
v
Draw these v words in the boxes below.
v
vrev
Extension Activity: Arts and crafts are so much fun. Write down instructions to make a creative craft. Include
the materials youll need, the steps to do it, and how your creation can be used.
24
Lowercase l
Name:_ __________________________
lll
Start at the water line, and make a long, skinny

curve up to the tip of the sail. Loop backward
and go back down to the water line, finishing
with a tail.

Majida
l llllllllllll
l
l
Draw these l words in the boxes below.
l]
l
lolel
Extension Activity: Superman, sunshine, and campground are all compound words: two words put together to
form another word. How many other compound words do you know? Write them down and count them.
25
Lowercase t
Name:_ __________________________
tt t
Start at the water line and make a long, skinny

curve up to the tip of the sail. Now go back
down to the water line along the same line, and
make a tail . This should look like a stretched
up i. Although we rarely lift our pencils off the
paper, to cross your lowercase cursive t, you will
have to.

Chen
t t t t tt t t tt t t t
t
t
Draw these t words in the boxes below.
t
tati
Extension Activity: An acrostic poem is a poem in which special letters spell another word.

CAT Cute
Using the letters in your name, create an acrostic poem that describes you.

Active

Trained
26
Lowercase h
Name:_ __________________________
h hh

and go down to the water line then form the
hump of a lowercase h. Make a small curve up
from the water line to latch onto the next letter.

Jamie
hhhhhhhhh h
h
h
Draw these h words in the boxes below.
h
here
Extension Activity: Create new animals by combining two already existing animals, e.g. cat + mouse = catouse
and deer + horse = dorse. Draw your new animals using characteristics of both.
27
Lowercase b
Name:_ __________________________
bbb

and go down to the water line then make a curve
up to the edge of the boat to form a lowercase
b. At the edge of the boat, make a small curve
outward to hook onto the next letter.

Issa
bbbbbbbbbbb
b
b
Draw these b words in the boxes below.
b
bobo
Extension Activity: Alliteration means to repeat sounds in the same sentence. For example, Im writing
wonderful wacky words on a warm winters Wyoming day. Use the letters of your name to write alliteration
sentences. Try saying them as tongue twisters!
28
Lowercase k
Name:_ __________________________
kkk

curve up to the tip of the sail. Loop backwards
and go straight down to the water line. Go up
again but curve out before you get to the edge of
the boat. Loop forward to make a skinny loop
for the top of the k, then go into a downward
slant with a tail for the next letter.

Bonita
k k kkkkkkk k k
k
k
Draw these k words in the boxes below.
k
kick
Extension Activity: Write a sentence down, e.g. Have a happy day. Pass the sheet to a friend and ask them
to cross out one word and replace it with another word, making sure the sentence still makes sense. Pass the
sentence on to another friend, or back to you, and change the sentence as many times as you can until there are
no words left from the original sentence.
29
Name:_ __________________________
ddd
Lowercase d
Start at the water line and go up with a curve

under the edge of the boat. Come back down in
a curve and continue to circle around to form a
lowercase d, closing the circle and going right
up to the tip of the sail. Come back down in a
straight line to the water, but dont stop there!
Add a small curve for a tail to latch onto the
next letter.

Ahanu
d d d dddd d ddd
d
d
Draw these d words in the boxes below.
d
deda
Extension Activity: You have been given a gift card of $100 to spend at any store you want. Use one of the
weekly flyers to see whats on sale. Write down what youll buy and how much it will cost. Can you spend the
whole $100 even?
30
Lowercase g
Name:_ __________________________
ggg
Start at the water line and curve up with a

curve under the edge of the boat. Come back
and continue to form a lowercase g. Once you
have done the lowercase g hook in the water, loop
forward and upward past the water line to form
a tail.

Jamie
g ggggggggggg g
g
g
Draw these g words in the boxes below.
g
gago
Extension Activity: Write down a big word like optometrist, veterinarian, or personification. Challenge
yourself and your friends to find as many smaller words as possible in each big word. You can combine the letters
any way you want, but you cant add new ones.
31
Lowercase z
Name:_ __________________________
z zz
Start at the water line and curve up to the

edge of the boat. Continue the curve to make a
backwards c that ends at the water line. Make
another curve that goes down into the water and
then turns into a loop that reaches up into the
boat. Finish off with a tail.

Chen
z zzzzzzzzzz
z
z
Draw these z words in the boxes below.
z
zaza
Extension Activity: Write a Who am I? riddle. Write three to four clues about your physical appearance, and
what makes you special. Finish it off with Who am I? Write the answer on the back of the card. Make a few
Who am I cards about your friends and family, and have a Who am I? game.
32
Lowercase q
Name:_ __________________________
qqq
Start at the water line and curve up under

the edge of the boat. Come back and continue
to form a lowercase q. Turn the hook of the
lowercase q into a loop that ends at the water
line. Then add a tail to hook onto the next
letter.

Bonita
q q qq q q q q qq q q
q
q
Draw these q words in the boxes below.
q
quack
q m
Extension Activity: What is your favorite legend? Rewrite the story with yourself as the main character. How
will this change the ending?
33
Lowercase j
Name:_ __________________________
jjj
Start at the water line, and curve up to the edge

of the boat. Draw a straight line down to form
a lowercase j. For the lowercase j hook in the
water, loop forward and upward, cross over the
water line and form a tail. Dot your j as well.

Issa
j jjjjjjjjjjjj
j
j
Draw these j words in the boxes below.
j j
j
joje
Extension Activity: On an index card, write a few things you really like, a few things you dislike, your favorite
book and why you like that book. Have your friends, classmates, or family do the same. Shuffle the cards together and randomly read one aloud. Can you guess who the card is describing?
34
Name:_ __________________________
y yy
Lowercase y
Start at the water line and go up to the edge

of the boat. Make a small hump and go back
down almost to the water line again. Then curve
along the water line and up in a forward slant
to the edge of the boat. Go down straight into
the water and make a forward loop up into the
boat, crossing the water line, and finish off with
a tail.

Majida
y y yyy yyyyyy
y
y
Draw these y words in the boxes below.
y-y
y
yoyo
Extension Activity: Pretend youre going to meet your favorite actor or actress. Write 10 questions about
things that you would like to know about them.
35
Lowercase p
Name:_ __________________________
p pp

edge of the boat, then draw a straight line down
into the water. Now come back up to the edge
of the boat and go into a forward curve into the
boat to make a circle for the p. When the curve
touches the straight line down, change direction
and go forward to form a tail.

Ahanu
p p p p p p p pp p
p
p
Draw these p words in the boxes below.
p
paper
Extension Activity: Pick your favorite storybook character and write her a letter. Tell her three to five things
you have in common and three to five things you dont have in common. Dont forget to sign your letter.
36
Lowercase f
Name:_ __________________________
fff
Start at the water line, and make a long,

skinny curve up to the tip of the sail. Loop
backward and go down all the way into the
water. Loop forward and go up to the water
line. Add a tail. This is the only letter that
goes into the sail, the boat, and the water.

Jamie
f f f f f f f f ff f f f
f
f
Draw these f words in the boxes below.
f
fafe
Extension Activity: On a sheet of paper write the letters from a to z with space in between each letter to write
a word. Choose a category, e.g. animals, food, or countries, and write a word in that category for each letter of the
alphabet.
37
Uppercase Letters
Uppercase Letters (capitals)

Uppercase letters (capitals) are beautiful and because they tell us something big such as where
a sentence begins, the name of a person, a name of a place, the day, the month, the season, they
are also important.
Capital letters can stand alone; theres no need for a hook before the letter. Tails for
connecting to the next letter are only given to capital letters that end at the water line. Many
of them have fancy little curls to make them pretty. Make your capital letter and then follow
with the rest of the word in lowercase cursive letters. If the capital letter ends in the air, just
pick up your pencil to start the next lowercase letter.
Youll never find a capital letter in the middle of a word. Once you have learnt your letters,
your personality will shine through with how you use your capital letters. Most capital letters
start within the sail. They stand up tall and take up the whole sail and boat. Only three go
into the water do you know which ones?
A
T
X
H
D
O C E Q
F V U W
Y Z N M
K P R B L
S G I J
38
Uppercase A
Name:_ __________________________
A AA
A capital cursive A is like a lowercase a but its

bigger. Start at the tip of the sail and make a
big curve backward down to the water line that
comes back to the point where you started. Then
draw down to the water line again, and finish
off with a curve for a tail.

Chen
A AA AAAAAA A A
A
A
Draw these A words in the boxes below.
a
Aa
Extension Activity: Write a story with a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Recopy your story onto pieces
of paper cut out to represent a hamburger. The beginning part goes on the top bun, the middle part goes on the
meat, and the ending goes on the bottom bun. Extra details can be copied on red, green or orange paper to
represent ketchup, lettuce, and cheese.
39
Uppercase O
Name:_ __________________________
O OO
Start at the tip of the sail, go backward into a

curve that will go from the tip of the sail all the
way around touching the water line and going
back up to the tip of the sail again. Finish with
a small curl that makes a tail.

Bonita
O O O OOOOOO O O
O
O
Draw these O words in the boxes below.
Os
Or
Do you remember the lowercase o?
o
Oo
Oc
Extension Activity: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Write a news report. What happened? Where did it
happen? To whom did it happen? When did it happen? How did it happen? And why did it happen?
40
Uppercase C
Name:_ __________________________
CCC
Start just under the tip of the sail and go

backward into a curve that will go from the tip
of the sail all the way down along the water
line and continues up again until it stops near
the edge of the boat.

Issa
C C C C C C C C C CC
C
C
Draw these C words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase c?
c
Cc
Extension Activity: Choose 10 words with five or more letters. Rewrite each word but with the letters all
scrambled. Have a friend place the letters back in the right order to get the original word.
41
Uppercase E
Name:_ __________________________
Start just below the tip of the sail and go

backward into a curve that will take up the
sail and end at the edge of the boat. Go
backward into another curve in the boat.
Finish off with a tail that stops near the
edge of the boat.

Majida
EEE
EEEEEEEEEEE
E
E
Draw these E words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase e?
e
Ee
Extension Activity: Write to the author about a story youve read. Did you agree with the sequence of events?
Did you like the characters, if yes why? If not why not? What recommendations for improvements or a next
book could you give?
42
Uppercase Q
Name:_ __________________________
Q QQ
The capital cursive Q looks like the number

2. Start at the tip of the sail and go forward
into a big curve that goes all the way down to
the water line. Make a small loop along the
water line and finish it off with a tail.

Ahanu
Q QQQ Q Q Q Q Q Q
Q
Q
Draw these Q words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase q?
q
Qq
Extension Activity: You are going to open a new restaurant. On a sheet of paper create a menu for your
restaurant. Write down your food items and their prices. Use your new cursive skills to write your restaurants
name.
43
Name:_ __________________________
T TT
Uppercase T
Start at the tip of the sail and make a short,

wavy horizontal line along the tip of the sail.
Lift up your pencil and starting in the middle of
your wavy line, draw straight down toward the
water line, but stop before you reach it and curve
backward. End this curve when you still inside
the boat, and finish with a short, forward line
for a tail.

Bonita
T T T T T TT T
T
T
Draw these T words in the boxes below.
To
To
Do you remember the lowercase t?
t
Tt
Th
Extension Activity: On a piece of paper, draw lines to form seven columns. Label each column one day of the
week. Fill in each column with activities that you experience during that day. Dont forget recess! Make yourself
busy, busy, busy!
44
Uppercase F
Name:_ __________________________
FFF
Start at the tip of the sail and make a short,

wavy horizontal line along the tip of the sail.
Lift up your pencil and starting in the middle of
your wavy line, draw straight down toward the
water line, but stop before you reach it and curve
backward. End this curve when you still inside
the boat. Then make a horizontal line that goes
forward and crosses the F.

Issa
FF FFFFFF
F
F
Draw these F words in the boxes below.
Fl
Fl
Do you remember the lowercase f?
f
Ff
Fi
Extension Activity: She had a cow. Were as busy as bees. Its raining cats and dogs. These are sayings, or
idioms, that are using animals and their characteristics as descriptions. Create your own idioms using animals
and illustrate them.
45
Uppercase V
Name:_ __________________________
VVV
Start at the tip of the sail and make a small

hump, then go down in a slight backward slant
to the water line, make a narrow curve forward
and go up again to the tip of the sail. Finish
with an outward curve to form a tail.

Jamie
V V V V V V V VV
V
V
Draw these V words in the boxes below.
Ve d
Vi
Do you remember the lowercase v?
v
Vv
Va
Extension Activity: Write prepositions on index cards, e.g. above, near, off, on, opposite, outside, over, under,
up, across, after, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, and inside. Place the cards anywhere around the
room. At the count of three, everyone searches for a card. When a player finds a card, they say preposition
and try to use the preposition correctly in a sentence, referring to the position of the index card, e.g, The card
is under the book. Players keep all cards they use correctly. If a player doesnt use a preposition correctly, they
must place the card back somewhere else and the game begins again.
46
Uppercase U
Name:_ __________________________
U UU

hump. Go down to the water line, make a wide
curve forward along the water line and go up
again to the tip of the sail. Stop and go back
down. When you are close to the water line,
turn outward to form a small tail.

Chen
U UU
U UUUUU UU U
U
U
Draw these U words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase u?
u
Uu
Extension Activity: Write your initials as fancy as you can and practice writing them again and again. Next
time you write notes, finish them off with your initials. Theyll soon become your trademark.
47
Uppercase W
Name:_ __________________________
WW W
Start at the tip of the sail and make a

small hump, go down to the water line, make
a narrow curve and then go up again to the
tip of the sail. Go back down again to form
a second curve. V + V together make a W.
Finish with a small, outward curve.

Majida
WWWW WW
W
W
Draw these W words in the boxes below.
Wo
Wa
Do you remember the lowercase w?
w
Ww
Wa
Extension Activity: Your best friend is going to the dentist/eye doctor/surgeon. Shes petrified!! Write down
for her what will happen step-by-step. What should she expect?
48
Uppercase X
Name:_ __________________________
XXX

small hump. Go down to the water line in
a soft curve. Then lift your pencil to draw
a backward slant from the tip of the sail that
crosses the first curve and ends at the water
line.

Ahanu
X X X X X X X XX
X
X
Draw these X words in the boxes below.
X
(a d)
X-r
Do you remember the lowercase x?
x
Xx
X
(a b)
Extension Activity: Signatures are found in many places: at the end of letters, on checks, on contracts, in
greeting cards Practice writing your signature.
49
Uppercase Y
Name:_ __________________________

small hump, go down to the water line,
curve forward and go up to the tip of the
sail again. Go straight down into the
water, make a loop and bring it up past the
water line. Finish with a tail.

Bonita
YYY
YY Y YYY Y Y YY
Y
Y
Draw these Y words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase y?
y
Yy
Y]
Extension Activity: Think of your favorite card game. Write down all the rules and directions on a sheet of
paper. Youll always have them on hand to teach someone new to the game.
50
Uppercase Z
Name:_ __________________________
Z is a cursive capital Q with a loop in the

water. Start at the tip of the sail and make
a small hump. Go down to the water line, then
take a plunge into the water where a backward
loop is made with a tail that goes up past the
water line.

Issa
ZZZ
Z ZZ ZZZZZZ ZZ
Z
Z
Z words in the boxes below.
Draw these
Z
Do you remember the lowercase
z
Zz
Z
z?
Extension Activity: Write a story that begins with the words,Today, I had the most horrible, terrible day!
What happened? Why was it so bad? What made it better?
51
Uppercase N
Name:_ __________________________
N NN

hump. Go down to the water line, then up again
to form a second hump in the sail. Then go
down again to the water line and finish off with
a little curve in the boat.

Majida
N N N N N N N NN
N
N
Draw these N words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase n?
n
Nn
Extension Activity: Youre preparing a time capsule to hide in a safe place until the year 2050. Write down
whats happening in the world today; What are the top news stories? What are todays music and movie hits?
Who are the important sports personalities?
52
Name:_ __________________________
MM M
Uppercase M

hump. Go down to the water line, up again to
form a second hump that reaches up to the tip
of the sail and goes down again to the water
line. Go up for a third hump along the tip of
the sail and go down to the water line and
finish with a little curve for a tail.

Chen
M M M M MM M
M
M
Draw these M words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase m?
m
Mm
Extension Activity: Lets have a party! You and some friends have decided to throw a party. What will your
theme be? Make a list of items youll need. Make a list of the songs you want to hear. Who will you invite? Dont
forget to create an invitation.
53
Name:_ __________________________
HHH
Uppercase H

curve and go straight down to the water line.
Lift your pencil and make another line that
starts at the tip of the sail and goes down to
the water line. Go upward and backward to
form a small curl along the edge of the boat
that touches, but does not cross, the first line.
The curl should come back to cross the H, and
end in a short curve.

Jamie
HHHH HH H HH
H
H
Draw these H words in the boxes below.
Ho
Ho
Do you remember the lowercase h?
h
Hh
He
Extension Activity: During a storm the electrical power goes out. How will this change your evening? How
will you do your homework? Play games? Wash? What will you eat? How will you stay warm?
54
Uppercase K
Name:_ __________________________
KKK

curve and go straight down to the water line.
Lift your pencil and, starting at the tip of the
the sail, go down in a backward slant to the
edge of the boat. Then go forward with a curve
down along the water line.

Issa
KK KKKKKK KK
K
K
Draw these K words in the boxes below.
K b
Do you remember the lowercase k?
k
Kk
Extension Activity: You have the power to change into a cat or a dog. Which one will you choose? Why?
Give five good reasons for your choice.
55
Uppercase P
Name:_ __________________________
PPP
Start at the tip of the sail. Go straight down

to the water line and up again along the same
line up to the tip of the sail. Form a forward
curve in the sail and stop when it touches the
first line.

Majida
P P P P P P P P P PP
P
P
Draw these P words in the boxes below.
Py
Pa
Do you remember the lowercase p?
p
Pp
Pi
Extension Activity: A choral story is a story that is read out loud that usually has some parts read (or sung) by
more than one person at once. Write a choral story that includes parts that a group of your friends and family will
say together as a chorus.
56
Uppercase R
Name:_ __________________________
Start at the tip of the sail. Go straight down

to the water line and up again along the same
line up to the tip of the sail. Form a forward
curve in the sail and stop when it touches the
line. Then go down in a forward slant and
when you reach the water line curve up to form
a little tail.

Chen
RRR
RRRRRRRRRRR
R
R
Draw these R words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase r?
r
Rr
Extension Activity: Create your own memory card game. Youll need 4 sets of 26 cards (same size and same
color). On one set, write all the lowercase manuscript letters. On the other, write the uppercase manuscript
letters. On the third set all lowercase cursive letters and on the fourth set all capital cursive letters. Mix the
cards up, then flip all the cards upside down on a flat surface. Take turns trying to match two letters together.
57
Uppercase B
Name:_ __________________________
BBB
Start at the tip of the sail. Go down to the

water line and then go back up over the same
line. At the tip of the sail form a curve that
stays in the sail. At the edge of the boat, form
another curve in the boat, that finishes at the
down line. Come back forward to make a short
line in the boat for a tail.

Bonita
B BB BB BBBB B B
B
B
Draw these B words in the boxes below.
Br
Bl
Do you remember the lowercase b?
b
Bb
Ba
Extension Activity: On a sheet of construction paper, write your full name (middle name too) with liquid white
glue. Sprinkle glitter over the glue. Allow it to dry on a flat surface. You can use this as a nameplate for your
door.
58
Uppercase L
Name:_ __________________________
Start at the edge of the boat, curve up within

the sail and make a small loop, then go back
down to the water line. Just before the water
line, make a small backward loop that sits on
the water line and continue with a horizontal
line with a wave along the water line.

Ahanu
LLL
LLLLLL LL L
L
L
Draw these L words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase l?
l
Ll
Extension Activity: Select a scene from a famous childrens nursery rhyme and rewrite it as a script for a play.
Who said what? How was it said?
59
Uppercase D
Name:_ __________________________
D DD
Start at the tip of the sail, go straight down

to the water line and at the water line make a
small loop. Continue along the water line, with
a big curve that goes up to the tip of the sail.
When it reaches your first line, finish it with a
small curl with a short tail.

Chen
D DDDDDD D D
D
D
Draw these D words in the boxes below.
Di
Dr
Do you remember the lowercase d?
d
Dd
Da
Extension Activity: Write your favorite story in your own words, but change the ending. If the original ending
was sad, make it happy. If it was happy, make it spooky.
60
Uppercase S
Name:_ __________________________
S SS
Start on the water line, and go up to the tip of

the sail in a slanted curve. Make a small loop
within the sail, cross over the first line and form
a forward curve inside the boat that touches the
water line and goes up again to the middle of
the boat. To finish, make a short line forward.

Majida
S S SSS SS SS S
S
S
Draw these S words in the boxes below.
Sp
Sl
Do you remember the lowercase s?
s
Ss
Sc
Extension Activity: Take a product that you love, e.g. your favorite cereal, cookies, or shampoo. Write a
commercial for this product. Where would it take place? What would be said and why? How will you convince
people to buy this product?
61
Uppercase G
Name:_ __________________________
G GG
Start at the water line and go up to the tip of

the sail with a slightly slanted curve. Form
a backward loop within the sail and make a
small curve forward that goes up again, almost
to the tip of the sail. Go down into a curve at
the water line that crosses the first line in the
middle of the boat. Finish off with a short line
forward.

Issa
G G G G GG G G G
G
G
Draw these G words in the boxes below.
Gr
Gr
Do you remember the lowercase g?
g
Gg
Gi
Extension Activity: Take a known tune, e.g. Old MacDonald, Twinkle, Twinkle, or For Hes a Jolly Good
Fellow. Rewrite the words to a situation that has happened to you at home, or at school.
62
Uppercase I
Name:_ __________________________
Start in the middle of the boat with a

backward short line and then form a
curve along the water line. Go up into a
narrow loop that reaches the tip of the
sail and comes back down. Finish with a
small, forward curve on the water line.

Jamie
III
I IIIIIII I
I
I
Draw these I words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase i?
i
Ii
Extension Activity: Write down the names of your friends along with one thing theyre good at, e.g. John
funny, Chen great musician. Write each of their names on a separate sheet of paper and decorate them to make
certificates.
63
Name:_ __________________________
JJJ
Uppercase J
Start at the water line, go up in a backward

curve to the tip of the sail and down into the
water. Make a small loop, come back up to
cross the water line and finish in the boat. This
is one of three capital letters that touches the
sail, the boat and goes into the water; what are
the other two?

Jamie
J J J J J J J J J JJ
J
J
Draw these J words in the boxes below.
Do you remember the lowercase j?
j
Jj
Extension Activity: Write a letter to the author of the Sailing through Handwriting Series and give her your
ideas. What did you enjoy the most about the writing series? What did you enjoy the least? What should she do
for the next series? Dont forget to sign your letter and include your address.
64
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Numerals
z
o
t
t
f
f
s
s
e
n
65
Letter Practice Page 1
Name:_ _________________________________
Practice some more letters and numerals here. Which letters are
your favorites?
66
Letter Practice Page 2
Name:_ _________________________________
Practice some more letters and numerals here. Which letters do

you find most difficult?
67
Word Practice Page 1
i
r
u
c
m
s
h
g
z
f]
68
Word Practice Page 2
Br
Da
J
K
L
N
Ol
Po
Q
Tu
69
Cursive Alphabet
(Modern Style)
Use these dotted letters to remind you how to write each

of the uppercase and lowercase letters in cursive.

Jamie
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee
Ff Gg Hh Ii
Jj Kk Ll Mm
Nn Oo Pp Qq
Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv
Ww Xx Yy Zz
70
Focus: A a
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: a
Write the sentence: I a e a a a r.
I went apple picking last weekend with my grandmother. Then I helped peel
and cut the apples to make apple pies. We have 10 apples left over. What
would you do with 10 apples?

Chen
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________
________________________
______________________
_______________________
______________________
_______________________
_________________________
__________________________
71
Focus: A a
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: a
Write the sentence: Bi a c b s.
I have a big dog. Hes friendly, but sometimes my friends are afraid of
him. Have you ever been afraid of an animal? Why were you scared?
Can you name two animals that make other people afraid?

Bonita
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
72
Focus: B b
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: b
Write the sentence: Br c b l.
On Saturday morning, Im going to make a special breakfast for my mom.

Can you help me and give me some advice? What should I make? How can
I make it look nice? Whats your moms favorite breakfast?

Ahanu
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
73
Focus: B b
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: b
Write the sentence: Th b i v b.
At our house, we like books a lot. We sit together on my moms bed and she
read books to us. Sometimes we read books to her. Whats your favorite
book? Can you show me what the front cover looks like? How many pages
does it have? Why do you like this book more than other books?

Majida
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
74
Focus: C c
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: c
Write the sentence: C m o m c p.
My mom works two jobs so I am often alone. My mother got me a cell

phone so that we can talk to each other at any time. I want to preprogram
some numbers into it: my moms work, our next door neighbor, my aunt, my
brothers babysitter. Write a list of the people you would program into your
cell phone. Do you know their numbers?

Issa
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
___________________________
_________________________
75
Focus: C c
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: c
Write the sentence: I w m y a t c!
Living in the city is great. Everything is so close. The park is just around
the corner, so are the stores. Can you give me directions to get from your
house to the nearest park or a restaurant you like? Make sure you tell me
whether to turn left or right at the corners! You can give the directions to
someone at home to test them. Can they find your destination?

Jamie
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________
________________
__________________
________________
__________________
________________
__________________
________________
76
Focus: D d
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: d
Write the sentence: Th d] I d l d.
I love to draw! I especially like to draw funny monsters. Some have one
eye, others have spiky hair, or huge feet. Tell me about a funny drawing
you once drew.

Chen
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
77
Focus: D d
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: d
Write the sentence: C t d w y l.
A few nights ago I had a dream that I left the door open before going to
bed. A skunk came in the house and jumped on my bed! But it was just
a dream. When I woke up, it was my cat on my bed. Tell me about a
strange dream that you have had.

Bonita
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
_________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
78
Focus: E e
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: e
Write the sentence: Ha y e f t e s?
Once I experienced an earthquake. It was a small one, and it was over

before I realized what was happening. There are certain things a family
should be ready to do in the case of an earthquake or other natural
disasters like floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes. What should you do if one
of these things happens at your house or school?

Ahanu
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
79
Focus: E e
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: e
Write the sentence: M d e h p.
My dad took a First Aid course at work. Now if anyone gets hurt in an
emergency, my father knows what to do. Im too young to take a First Aid
course but I can get some things ready for a small emergency. I will put
bandaids in my emergency kit. What else can I put in it? Please write me
a list.

Majida
My Emergency Kit
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
80
Focus: F f
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: f]
f]
Write the sentence: Fi t f] b i j a!
I love frogs, especially the red and green-eyed frog found in the rain forest.
If you could become a frog, where would you like to live? What would you
eat? Would you be a funny frog?

Issa
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_______________________
_ _____________________
___________________
_ _________________
___________________
_ _________________
___________________
_ _________________
81
Focus: F f
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: f
Write the sentence: Fa r a t f a f!
Do you love the rides at the fair? Do you prefer rides that turn or rides
that fly in the air? Have you ever been on a roller coaster? What are your
favorite rides? Please tell me about them.

Chen
____________________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
82
Focus: G g
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: g
Write the sentence: Pl t s i t g .
Growing flowers and vegetables is lots of fun. I put the seeds in the soil and
put them in the sun. I have to water them every few days. Do you have
a garden? What grows there? What would you like to grow if you had a
garden of your own?

Jamie
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
________________________________________________
______________________________________________
83
Focus: G g
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: g
Write the sentence: Wh i g, g, a s?
Last Halloween my mom made some magic stew using creamed corn, chick
peas, tomatoes, and mushy spaghetti. It looked gross. She put in some coins
and little toys. We blindfolded each other and put our hand in the stew to
find the hidden treasures. What ingredients would you put in a gross magic
stew? What treasures would you put in for your friends to find?

Ahanu
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
_____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
84
Focus: H h
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: h
Write the sentence: Hu p g t t h.
When my grandmother was in the hospital, we sent her some flowers.

I also made her a card. Do you know anyone who went to hospital? Did
you visit someone in the hospital? Tell me what you think about hospitals.

Majida
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
____________________
_ _________________
__________________
_______________
___________________
_______________________
85
Focus: H h
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: h
Write the sentence: Ho m h a o y h?
Do you remember your first hair cut? Did you move around a lot? Was your
cut too short or just right? Tell me about getting your hair cut and what
style you like best.

Jamie
__________________________________________________
______________________________________________
_ ___________________________________________
________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
86
Focus: I i
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: i
Write the sentence: I i I a a s.
I imagine I am a spy with a secret code. I write messages to my

friends with my secret code. I replace the letters with numbers, so a
= 1, b=2, c = 3, and so on until z = 26. In my secret code, the word
cat is 312. Can you make up your own code, and write a sentence
with it?

Issa
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
87
Focus: I i
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: i
Write the sentence: I c i a g i.
I think the person who invented the remote control for the TV should get a
medal! When my parents were children, they had to get up and change the
channel all the time. How many things can you think of that you use all the
time that were invented after your parents were children? What did people
do before it was invented?

Chen
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
____________________________
___________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
88
Focus: J j
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: j
Write the sentence: J i a s u i j.
I love jewelry! Rings, watches, necklaces and earrings. My dad likes

jewelry too. He calls them body decorations. Whats your favorite piece
of jewelry? What color is it? Is it shiny? What jewelry would you like
to wear?

Bonita
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
89
Focus: J j
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: J
Write the sentence: J a J s w J.
My birthday is in July and it is my favorite month. June is pretty good

too because it is the end of school. What months of the year do you like
best? Do any of them start with J? Tell me why your favorite month is
important.

Ahanu
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
90
Focus: K k
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: k
Write the sentence: Wo y l t b a k?
Every time I think about medieval times I think about the life of a knight.
Do you think they had an interesting life? If you could ask a real knight
five questions, what would you want to know?

Issa
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_______________________
_ ____________________________
_______________________
_____________
________________
_____________
________________
_____________
91
Focus: K k
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: k
Write the sentence: K k a g e.
I started doing karate a few months ago. I like it a lot. My mother is

happy because Im getting exercise. Im sure there are more reasons why
karate is good for me. Can you think of more reasons why karate is a good
thing to do?

Majida
______________________________________________
___________________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
92
Focus: L l
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: l
Write the sentence: L t l e l!
Today I am having a special lunch. My grandma made it for me.

She is a wonderful cook. Whats your most amazing lunch? If you
could have anything in the world for lunch, describe what it would be.

Chen
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
93
Focus: L l
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: l
Write the sentence: M l t l f.
I laugh all the time. Last night my sister and I laughed so much we did
not sleep very much. My dad wasnt very happy about it. Did you ever
laugh so hard your stomach was sore? Tell me all about it, then I can laugh
too!

Jamie
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________
_____________________
______________________
_____________________
______________________
_____________________
______________________
_____________________
94
Focus: M m
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: m
Write the sentence: I m s i b m.
My mother is an excellent singer. We enjoy music together. We like all

types of music: rock and roll, jazz, country, and hip-hop. What type of music
do you like? Do you have a favorite singer? Can you write the words to one
of their songs for me?

Ahanu
______________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
95
Focus: M m
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: m
Write the sentence: I p t p f h m.
On Sunday my friend came over. I drew her a map of my home, and

labeled all the rooms and hid a treasure. I put a big X on the map where
I hid a candy, and asked my friend to find it. Can you draw a map of your
home? Be sure to write the names of all the rooms in fancy pirate cursive
and put a big cursive X where you hide your treasure.

Bonita
96
Focus: N n
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: n
Write the sentence: N t m m n.
I am going to a new group tonight and I am nervous. When was the last
time you tried something new? Was it a sport? A new game? A new
hobby? Can you give me some advice about being nervous about trying
something new?

Majida
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
97
Focus: N n
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word:
Write the sentence:
Th b i t n a n!
Theres a new birds nest right outside my window. The birds have been
working hard for weeks to build their nest. It was amazing to watch them
build it. Have you ever seen something being built? What was it? Who
built it? How long did it take?

Issa
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

_ ___________________________________
_ ___________________________________
_ ___________________________________
98
Focus: O o
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: o
Write the sentence: Sn c i m o w.
When it rains or snows, its a good idea to keep the doors and windows
closed. Seems obvious to me, but to others it is not obvious. Can you think of
other important advice that seems obvious to you?

Jamie
___________________________________________
________________________________________
__________________________________________
_____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
99
Focus: O o
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: o
Write the sentence: Ho o a y?
Getting older is great. It means I get to stay up a little bit later at night.
What are some other good things about getting older?

Chen
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
100
Focus: P p
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: p
Write the sentence: We p w w t.
We are learning about the pioneers of our country. Their lives were very
different than ours in school and at home. Can you write down three things
they did back then and compare them to how things are today?

Bonita
Pioneer Days
Today
1. _____________________________
1. _ ____________________________
_____________________________ _ ____________________________
2. _____________________________
2. _ ____________________________
_____________________________ _ ____________________________
3. _____________________________
3. _ ____________________________
_____________________________ _ ____________________________
101
Focus: P p
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: p
Write the sentence: I w p m p i t b.
My brother is going to be in the Santa Claus parade! Parades are a lot

of work. People in the bands have to practice their music, and someone
makes the colorful costumes and the floats. Imagine you could design a
costume or float for a parade. What parade would it be? Can you
describe your decorations?

Ahanu
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
102
Focus: Q q
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: q
Write the sentence: C w h o q t?
I just met my favorite actor, but I was too shy to ask any questions. I
decided to write a letter instead. What questions do you think I could
ask about acting and movies?

Majida
_ ________________________________________
_ ________________________________________
_ ________________________________________
_ ________________________________________
_ ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
103
Focus: Q q
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: Q
Write the sentence: Th Q g m t q.
I saw a picture of the Queen of England in the newspaper. My dad says

that I might visit England someday. If I meet the Queen, I will have to
be very polite. What would you say to greet the Queen? If she asked you
if you would like to have a cup of tea, what would you reply?

Issa
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
____________________________________________
______________________________________________
104
Focus: R r
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: r
Write the sentence: R a f t w d]!
Last spring my friends and I went to play basketball in the schoolyard. It

started to rain and when I got home I was soaking wet. My older sister
made me hot chocolate while I changed into dry clothes. Tell me about a
time that you spent in the rain. What happened? What did it feel like?

Jamie
______________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
105
Focus: R r
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: r
Write the sentence: On y m, g s, g!
At my dads company picnic we had a three-legged race. It was so much

fun. We kept falling on the floor because we were laughing so much. Have
you ever been in a race before? Who won? What kind of race was it?

Chen
________________________________________________
______________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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106
Focus: S s
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: s
Write the sentence: Di y s Sa i t s?
I love surprises! I remember being surprised last year when I got my

cat. I was also very surprised to find out that I am allergic to cats.
Tell me about a surprise that happened to you. Was it a good or not
so good surprise?

Bonita
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
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107
Focus: S s
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: s
Write the sentence: I n n s f s.
When was the last time you went shopping? I went last weekend. When we
go to the book store with my aunt, she always buys many books. It costs her
a lot of money. Where do you like to shop? Do you have a mall nearby?
What items do you like to look at in the stores? What items do you wish
you didnt have to shop for in the stores?

Ahanu
___________________________
_________________________
__________________________
____________________
______________________________
____________________
___________________________
.9
9
1
$
____________________________
_______________________
_ __________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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108
Focus: T t
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: t
Write the sentence: I f i 10 t!
My brother is still a baby. Right now, his fun is to flush things down the
toilet. He has flushed blocks, cars, socks, and even my mothers keys. My
parents dont know what to do! Can you help us? What do you suggest we
do?

Majida
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
109
Focus: T t
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: t
Write the sentence: Th y M. To!
When I grow up I think Im going to be a teacher. Imagine that you have

been asked to teach your class for a whole day. What would you teach?
How do you think you would feel? What would you find most difficult?

Issa
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
110
Focus: U u
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: u-d
u-d
Write the sentence: Go u t h a u t b.
Tomorrow at school we are having upside-down day. We will wear our

sheatshirts inside out, and turn our desks around to face the back of the
room. Can you think of three other things we could do for upside down day?
Perhaps you can write them upside-down!

Jamie
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
111
Focus: U u
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: u
Write the sentence: Ba p w u.
There is one umpire in my baseball league that never smiles. Every game,
he calls youre out! with a very deep voice. What do you think makes a
good umpire? Would you like to be an umpire or referee? Explain why or
why not.

Chen
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
112
Focus: V v
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: v
Write the sentence: Th v g i o a DVD.
Video games are the best. I love the strategy and technique you need to be
able to get to the next level. Whats your favorite video game? What level
are you on? What did you have to do to get there? If you dont like to play
video games, can you tell me why not?

Bonita
_ _______________________________________________
_ _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
113
Focus: V v
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: v
Write the sentence: Vi t m o a v t.
My teacher told me you can visit museums taking virtual tours on the
Internet. What kind of museum would you like to visit? Why would you
like to go there? If you can, take a virtual tour and write about three
things you discover. Or, describe three different things you would like to see
on a virtual museum tour.

Ahanu
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
_________________________________________
________________________________________
114
Focus: W w
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: w
Write the sentence: I w t w c.
When I grow up I would like to be a weather forecaster. I will stand in

front of the map on TV and tell the audience what they should wear today.
Pretend you are the weather forecaster, and write the weather forecast for
tomorrow. Dont forget to tell everyone what they should wear!

Majida
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
115
Focus: X x
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: x]a
x]a
Write the sentence: Wh d a X m d?
Xerography means dry writing in the Greek language. It is a word that

means to copy writing, like a photocopier. Xerox is a company that makes
photocopy machines. What do you think people did before they had photocopy
machines? Do you think this is a good thing? Explain your answer.

Issa
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
116
Focus: Y y
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: y
Write the sentence: Y p i y.
I enjoy sitting on my porch and watching people go by. Sometimes I play

hacky-sack in my yard. What game do you like to play in your backyard or
balcony? Can you explain to me how to play it?

Jamie
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
____________________________
_ _______________
_______________________
________________
_________________
________________
_________________
________________
_____________________
_____________________
117
Focus: Z z
Name:_ ____________________________
Write the word: z
Write the sentence: I s a b b a t z.
Sometimes I pretend to be an animal. If I were a zebra, I would eat grass

all day long at the zoo. If you could be any animal, which animal would you
be? How would you live? What would you eat?

Chen
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________
____________________________________________
________________________________________________
______________________________________________
118
Letters from the Crew
Name:_ ____________________________
Ola!
My name is Bonita and Im eight years old.
Do you love music? On my last birthday
I got a CD player and I havent stopped
playing it since. What type of music do you
like? What radio station do you listen to?
What are your favorite songs?

Talk to you later,
Bonita
De Bo,
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________
119
Name:_ ____________________________
Hello, my name is Majida.
De M,
I love sports. I play soccer, baseball and

basketball. Anytime I dont have anything
to do, all I need is a ball and Im happy. I
play for hours and hours and hours. What do
you like to do when youre not in school? What
makes time go by for you? Do you go outdoors
or stay indoors?

Write back,

Majida
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________
120
Name:_ ____________________________
Hi, my name is Issa. My family lives here

but I was born in Uganda. I have four sisters.
My dad is an airline pilot and we fly in planes
from the US to Uganda once a year. Have you
ever visited another country? Tell me about it.
If you havent been yet, where would you like to
go? Why did you choose that place?

Have a nice trip,
Issa
De I,
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________
121
Name:_ ____________________________
Hi! My name is Chen. These days my mom

is very ill. I help her by doing the laundry.
I wash some clothes in cold water and some
in hot water. Then I hang the clothes on
the clothesline for them to dry. This is hard
work but Im healthy and I can do it. What
type of things do you do around the house to
help your parents? Tell me about them.
De C,
Good-bye,
Chen
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________
122
Name:_ ____________________________
My name is Jamie. My dad is a farmer.

On our farm we have seven horses, plus over
100 sheep. Farm life is difficult but its
worth it. I help take care of the animals
before school, after school, and after supper
too. What type of chores do you think we
have to do? List them as if you were
preparing yourself to spend the day at our
farm. Cant wait to read your list.
De J,
Regards, Jamie
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________
123
Name:_ ____________________________
Hello there. My name is Ahanu. When

I was a baby, all I did was run everywhere.
My mom tells me I drove them nuts running
and running. I stopped running around the
age of six when my younger brother was born.
Do you remember any funny stories about your
childhood? Tell me about it.

Regards, Ahanu
De A,
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________
124
Further Practice Page 1
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125
Further Practice Page 2
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126
Date
Teacher/Parent
Congratulations!
Sailing
through
Handwriting
Beginning Cursive
Certificate 1
has successfully completed
Excellence in Cursive
Award
127
Date
Teacher/Parent
Congratulations!
Sailing
through
Handwriting
Practice Cursive
Certificate 2
has successfully completed
Excellence in Cursive
Award
128

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Beginning and Practice

Sailing through Handwriting Series

Published in the United States by:

Published in Canada by:

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

* DNealian is a registered trademark of Donald N. Thurber

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Learning Expectations Practice Cursive

Develop awareness of appropriate spacing between letters and

Further develop fine motor skills

Critical Thinking & Creative Skills

Creative writing stories, descriptions

Learn aspects of: emergency preparedness

Careers and role play

Develop personal opinions

Understand how words are used in context (e.g., envelopes,

Use words correctly in sentences

* DNealian is a registered trademark of Donald N. Thurber

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

On The Mark Press S&S Learning Materials

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Teacher Assessment Six Ss Rubric

All the time

Half the time

Needs more practice

Letters are the same height

Slants are parallel to each other

Is similar to the model shown

Letters take up the same space

Letters are sewn together

Work is neat and pleasing to

Student Self-Assessment Six Ss Rubric

On The Mark Press S&S Learning Materials

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Before you set sail, you

Before you can write, you

1. have your equipment: 1. have your equipment:

The upper part of some letters are in the

On The Mark Press S&S Learning Materials

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Organization of the Resource

Happy sailing happy writing!

On The Mark Press S&S Learning Materials

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Heres Our Crew!

Hi! My name is Chen. My

Kwey! (rhymes with

Good morning! My name

Hola! My name is Bonita.

On The Mark Press S&S Learning Materials

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Dolch Sight Word Lists

On The Mark Press S&S Learning Materials

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Beginning and Practice Cursive

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive

Beginning and Practice Cursive

When we write lowercase cursive letters we need

OTM-1858 SSR1-58 Beginning and Practice Cursive