Next come the letters r , s , and t because they are so useful. Now we can have a car , a card , and a cart as well as a tar , star , tart , tarts , start and starts etc . The rest of the alphabet follows in alphabetical order. By using rst early , q naturally is followed by u. Just by learning to make the connecting strokes, students learn to write cursive.
Teachers can help their students learn to read cursive as they are learning to write manuscript.
The handwriting text does not have bunny rabbits and balloons that tend to be demeaning to older students. Yet, there is room for students to illustrate their own text. This can be fun for both the younger and the older students. Students practice writing manuscript and cursive letters in context of phonically consistent patterns rather than in isolation within unrelated words. As they practice their handwriting they are learning to spell without having to memorize words or spelling rules.