A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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1 - Introduction
4
5
14
16
17
18
22
Get to Know Handwriting Without Tears®
Simply Smart Student Materials
Active Teaching
Activity Design
Letter Lesson Design
Teacher Support
Scope & Sequence of Cursive
25 - Foundation Skills
26
28
29
30
32
33
Stages of Learning
Posture, Paper & Pencil Grip
Stomp Your Feet
Paper Placement & Pencil Grip
The Correct Grip
The Importance of Cursive
35 - Lowercase Let ters,
Words, Sentences & More
TEACHING STRATEGIES
36 Lowercase Teaching Order
37 Learn & Check
38 Teaching with Technology
39 Air Writing
40 Laser Letters
41 My Teacher Writes
42 Letter Stories
44 Getting It Together
45 Connection Inspection
46 Pre-Cursive Exercises
47 Cursive Warm-Ups
48 Wet-Dry-Try for Lowercase Letters
49 Other Wet-Dry-Try Activities
2
3rd Grade Cursive Teacher’s Guide: Introduction
1_TG3rd_FM_00i-024.indd 2
cadghtpelf
LOWERCASE LETTERS –
50 Introducing the Magic C Bunny
51 c and cc+ Connections
52 Voices
53 a + Connections
54 d + Words with d
56 g + Words with g
58 Wet-Dry-Try with Mystery Letters
59 Mystery Letter Game with cc
60 h + Words with h
62 t + Words & Sentences with t
64 p + Words & Sentences with p
66 e + Words & Sentences with e
68 l + Words & Sentences with l
70 f + Words & Sentences with f
72 Review & Mastery: Cursive to Cursive
73 Review & Mastery:
Print to Cursive/Spelling to Cursive
uyij
LOWERCASE LETTERS –
74 u + Words & Sentences with u
76 y + Words & Sentences with y
78 i + Words & Sentences with i
80 j + Words & Sentences with j
82 Review & Mastery: Cursive to Cursive
83 Review & Mastery:
Print to Cursive/Spelling to Cursive
krs
LOWERCASE LETTERS –
84 k + Words & Sentences with k
86 r + Words & Sentences with r
88 s + Words & Sentences with s
90 Review & Mastery: Cursive to Cursive
91 Review & Mastery:
Print to Cursive/Spelling to Cursive
OW
T
92
93
94
96
98
100
102
owbv
TRUCK LETTERS –
About Tow Truck Connections
Tow Truck Kids
o + Words & Sentences with
w + Words & Sentences with
b + Words & Sentences with
v + Words & Sentences with
Tow Truck Connections
o
w
b
v
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a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
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06 Review & Mastery: Cursive to Cursive
1
107 Review & Mastery:
Print to Cursive/Spelling to Cursive
mn
LOWERCASE LETTERS –
108 m + Words & Sentences with m
110 n + Words & Sentences with n
112 Special Situation – m
113 Special Situation – n
114 Review & Mastery: Cursive to Cursive
115 Review & Mastery:
Print to Cursive/Spelling to Cursive
xqz
LOWERCASE LETTERS –
116 x + Words & Sentences with x
118 q + Words & Sentences with q
120 z + Words & Sentences with z
122 Review & Mastery: Cursive to Cursive
123 Review & Mastery:
Print to Cursive/Spelling to Cursive
44 Paragraphs – Tropical Rainforest
1
146 Sentences – Quotations
147 Fluency & Personalization
149 - Resources
150
151
158
160
164
165
166
167
168
170
171
172
Handwriting Record
Third Grade Teaching Guidelines
Reading Cursive
Remediation Tips
Making a Magic C Bunny
Mystery Word Game with cc
School-to-Home Connections
Use It, Don’t Lose It
Handwriting Standards for Third Grade
Common Core State Standards
References
Index
125 - Capitals,
Poems, Paragraphs & More
CAPITALS
126 Capital Teaching Order
127 To Connect or Not to Connect?
128 Capitals – C A O U Y
129 Capitals – V W X Z P
130 Capitals – B R N M H
131 Capitals – K T F I J D
132 Capitals – L G S E Q
133 Capital Connections & Review
WRITING ACTIVITIES
134 Words – Compound Words
135 Poem – You’re or Your?
136 Words – Greek & Latin
137 Paragraph – Maps
138 Punctuation – Dates, Greetings & Closings
139 Friendly Letter – Thank You
140 Poem – Suffix People
141 Paragraph – Moons
142 Sentences – Capitals
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3rd Grade Cursive Teacher’s Guide: Introduction
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Teaching with Technology
Introducing simple technology into your daily classroom experiences can make learning cursive engaging
and fun. You may also challenge students’ cursive skills by showing them a printed letter and asking them
to write it in cursive.
Materials
• Computer or interactive
whiteboard (WB)
• Digital Teaching Tools
(available online at
hwtears.com/dtt)
Grouping
Whole class
Activity
1. Choose a letter. Prepare Digital Teaching Tools (DTT) to demonstrate
the letter.
2. Children point their pointer fingers at the screen.
3. As children trace the letter, say the parts of letter.
We are going to trace a in their air.
Say the parts of a with me, Magic c, bump the line, up like a
helicopter, bump, back down, bump, travel away.
Suppor t/ELL
Making large movements can
help children learn correct
letter formation. For children
who do not know the cursive
letters in their names, use
the Digital Teaching Tools to
introduce letters. Children can
Air Write the letters in their
names using a visual model
(p. 39).
Check
Observe as children trace letters in the air following the model on the
screen. Do children say the correct parts of the letters as they trace?
More to Learn
You can also teach cursive capitals using the Digital Teaching Tools.
Connections
Technology Link: Use this lesson as an opportunity
to discuss computers. Call children forward to activate
DTT. They will enjoy watching the letter come to life.
38
3rd Grade Cursive Teacher’s Guide: Lowercase Letters
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Connection Inspection
Bring cursive connections to life by turning your students into words. Their bodies will be the letters, and
their arms will be the connections. Play this unique activity in teams of four and allow children to problem
solve together to pass the inspection.
Materials
None
Grouping
Groups of four
Suppor t/ELL
It is easier for children to
connect their arms when
they can see the words
written on the board. Start
by showing the cursive model
on the board until children
understand the activity. Then
you may model words in print.
Activity
1. Choose the words to connect and write them in print on the board.
2. Divide your class into teams. Choose one student to be the “inspector.”
3. Explain to your students that for base line letters they should keep their
left hands down low. For letters that end high (Tow Truck Letters - o, w,
b, v), put their left arms out. Explain that the next letter (student) has
to start wherever the previous letter (student) ends.
4. Have the teams solve the word problems by making the connections
with their arms.
5. Have the inspector see if children connected their arms correctly.
Check
Observe as children build the words. Are they joining their arms correctly
to make the connections?
More to Learn
After children have learned all of their connections (at the end of the
workbook), give them a mini quiz available at hwtears.com/click
Team 1
11
wag
dog
Team 2
Connections
Video Lesson: View “Connection Inspection” at
hwtears.com/videos

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3rd Grade Cursive Teacher’s Guide: Lowercase Letters
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h
travel, up like a helicopter + slide down, bump + climb back up, and over + and down, bump, travel away
ObjectiveS: To write lowercase h with correct formation; to write h in words.
h is
Lesson Plan
h
Have children turn to p. 14. Look for lowercase h. Read the
words together.
travel
up like a
slide down
bump
climb back up
and over
1. Demonstrate and finger trace the let ter.
and down
bump
travel away
Demonstrate h on the Blackboard with Double Lines,
whiteboard, or flip chart.
Use Air Writing for h (multisensory activity p. 39).
Children finger trace the large lowercase h model
in their workbooks.
Can you climb up + over + down?
Start on the dot. Copy
h
h.
h
Check
h
h
Copy the models.
hag
cha
had
hag
cha
had
2.Demonstrate and copy the let ters.
Check
14
Cursive Handwriting
had
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Demonstrate h again, saying the step-by-step
directions together.
Children watch, then copy h’s.
Help children their letter for correct Start, Steps,
and Bump.
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3.Demonstrate and copy the words.
Prepare double lines.
Demonstrate hag, letter by letter. Children copy.
Demonstrate cha and had.
Children watch, then copy all of the words.
More to Learn
Cursive h is the first letter that starts on the
base line. Demonstrate the base line start
and compare it to other letters learned.
4.Check & Evaluate
Suppor t/ELL
Sometimes, children will learn cursive h with
a loop. We removed the loop to make the
Help children their word for correct Size,
Placement, and Connection.
Evaluate children as they copy the words,
and help them as needed.
letter easier to write. Help children to form
cursive h without the loop. Revisit Cursive
Warm-Ups (p. 47) to practice the “up and
straight down” strokes.
Connections
Language Arts Link: Practice forming and using
regular and irregular verbs in writing and speech
(e.g., has/had).
60
3rd Grade Cursive Teacher’s Guide: Lowercase Letters
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w
down and up + down and up + end with a tow
ObjectiveS: To write lowercase w with correct formation; to write w in words.
w
w is
Lesson Plan
Tow Truck Letters always end with a tow.
Have children turn to p. 48. Look for lowercase w. Read the
words together.
tow
down and up
Start on the dot. Copy
w
w.
down and up
w
1. Demonstrate and finger trace the let ter.
end with a tow
w
Check
Demonstrate w on the Blackboard with Double Lines,
whiteboard, or flip chart.
Use Tow Truck Kids (multisensory activity p. 93).
Children finger trace the large lowercase w model
in their workbooks.
w
Copy the words.
was
claw
wash
jaw
was
claw
wash
jaw
2.Demonstrate and copy the let ters.
Check
48
Cursive Handwriting
Demonstrate w again, saying the step-by-step
directions together.
Children watch, then copy w’s.
Help children their letter for correct Start, Steps,
and Bump.
ja
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3.Demonstrate and copy the words.
Prepare double lines.
Demonstrate was, letter by letter. Children copy.
Demonstrate claw, wash, and jaw.
Children watch, then copy all of the words.
More to Learn
To practice the a to w connections, have
children write a list of words that rhyme with
claw and jaw (e.g., paw, saw, law, etc.).
4.Check & Evaluate
Suppor t/ELL
Show students how to make the tow straight
on the
w. Make the tow long enough so
Help children their word for correct Size,
Placement, and Connection.
Evaluate children as they copy the words,
and help them as needed.
that the next letter won’t be too close. If w
is pointy (
), tell students to travel on the
base line before going up.
Connections
Science Link: Which animals have claws? Have
students choose an animal, and then research, write,
and present a report on their findings.
96
3rd Grade Cursive Teacher’s Guide: Lowercase Letters
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You’re or Your?
Objectives: To distinguish contraction you’re from possessive your; to use apostrophes in contractions.
POEM
Lesson Plan
’ or Your?
Youre
Have children turn to p. 83. Even adults make mistakes with
you’re and your. But yo’re going to teach yor students
to use them correctly. Have children close their eyes as you
read “You’re or Your?” Be sure to read the title. Children
open their eyes and read the poem with you. Try reciting as
a class.
Do you wonder which to use?
’ a pem to help you chose,
Heres
’ (you are) ging fr a run,
If youre
’
Youre,
the contraction, is the one,
But, if you hae lst your shes,
Possessie your is what to use.
1.Explain contract and contraction.
To contract means to shrink. Say, “Contract!”
and make yourself small. A contraction is
shortening two words into one. Apostrophes
take the place of missing letters. Contractions
are fun to do. Take out a letter or take out
a few!
2.Demonstrate you are = you’re.
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More to Learn
Compare compound words with contractions.
They both use two words. Compound words
make a completely new word with a new
meaning. Contractions make a shorter word
with the same meaning as the two words.
Suppor t/ELL
A wonderful way to teach subject and
possessive pronouns is with the poem “Three
Little Kittens” which makes frequent use of
they and their, we and our, you and your.
Prepare double lines on the board. Write
yo are = yo’re. Write you’re in two steps:
1. Write yo are.
2. Add the apostrophe and erase the a.
Students copy the first four lines of the poem.
3.Explain possess and possessive.
To possess means to own. The suffix -ive makes
adjectives possessive. Possessive means belonging to.
Your shoes belong to you.
4.Demonstrate the first line.
Prepare double lines.
Model Do yo wonder which to se?
Children copy.
5.Monitor as children copy the poem.
Demonstrate more lines as needed.
Connections
Technology Link: Use the A+ Worksheet Maker to
create extra practice with contractions. Visit
hwtears.com/dtt
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3rd Grade Cursive Teacher’s Guide: Capitals
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