1. California grade school students are now required to learn cursive handwriting under Assembly Bill 446.
2. The bill, signed into law in October, mandates handwriting instruction for 2.6 million students in grades one to six.
3. Curs
ive lessons are particularly emphasized for third grade and above.
4. Lear
ning cursive is believed to improve cognitive development, reading comprehension, and fine motor skills.
5. Some educators see value in teaching cursive for reading historic documents and family letters.
6. Pamela Keller, a teacher, finds that students get excited about cursive when told it makes them smarter and enhances brain connections.
7. Keller offers gentle tips to students during cursive lessons and encourages a positive attitude.
8. Cursive, once sidelined due to technology, is making a comeback; California is the 22nd state to require cursive handwriting.
9. Research suggests that cursive promotes skills that enhance childhood development and engage different neural networks.
10. The legislation aims for students to read and write cursive proficiently by the time they leave sixth grade.