LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read opposing viewpoints and take a side; evaluate the pros and cons of teaching cursive in school.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 2: Analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.

 

CASEL: Social awareness

KEY VOCAB

stimulates

comprehension

manuscripts

Lesson Plan: Should Schools Teach Cursive?

Weigh the pros and cons of teaching cursive in schools.

Table of Contents:

1. Preparing to Read

2. Reading and Discussing

3. Building Comprehension and Vocabulary

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

1. Preparing to Read

Before you read the debate “Should Schools Teach Cursive?” ask your students the following pre-reading question: 

What are the pros and cons of teaching cursive in schools? 

2. Reading and Discussing

  • Have your students read the debate, “Should Schools Teach Cursive?” independently; read the article out loud to them; or have one student read one side of the debate and another student read the other side.
  • After they’ve read the debate, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed? Remind them to vote in the poll at the end of the story. 
  • Next, have your students answer the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking questions, either working in small groups or independently. 


Close-Reading Questions
The following questions can be shared in printable or interactive form from the Resources tab. 

  1. How does Allison say that learning how to read cursive in school helped her?
  2. Which two skills does Thomas believe are more practical for modern students to learn than cursive?

Critical-Thinking Questions

  1. Did you learn to read or write cursive in school? If your answer is yes, do you feel this skill has benefited you? If your answer is no, do you ever wish you had learned it? Explain your answer.
  2. Do you think schools should teach cursive? Why or why not?

3. Building Comprehension and Vocab

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Quiz

  • Vocab Builder

4. Expanding SEL Opportunities

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity: 

Have students use a mix of their own ideas and ideas from the article to draft an OPEN LETTER to send to the school newspaper with their opinion on the cursive debate.

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