Cursive Letters: i, t, u and w

Four lowercase cursive letters, i, t, u and w, each get two ruled lines on this 2nd grade page. The first line begins with a dark model of the letter at the margin, then two grey groups of three joined letters to trace, then empty space; the second line is blank. A strip at the top shows the four letters together and names the model: traditional cursive. The child traces the grey letters and keeps writing the letter joined, on their own, to the end of its line and all along the line below. The ruling has a top line, a dashed midline and a baseline, so children can see how tall each letter should be.

These four letters come first because they share the same starting stroke, an upswing from the baseline, and cursive is taught in families of shared strokes. Once a child can swing up into i, the t, u and w follow the same path. Writing each letter three times joined before lifting the pencil is what makes cursive flow; a single letter repeated alone never practises the join. Most American schools teach cursive in second or third grade, and several states now require it.

One sheet, four letters, eight lines. Remind children that the dot on the i and the cross on the t are added after the whole group is written. The model is traditional cursive, the style most American schools use; if your school follows another program, the letterforms may differ slightly. The next faces of the cursive writing family cover capitals, joining pairs, whole words, reading cursive and copying sentences.