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Can You Read This?
Long ago, cursive writing was an important skill. Has it lost its value?
Art by RJ Matson; Shutterstock.com (Background)
Test Your Knowledge! How much do you know about prefixes Take this quiz to find out .
What to do: Read the article. Then go back and look for 10 words with the root graph or scrib/script. Write these words down on a separate sheet of paper. (We bolded the first one for you.) Choose three of the words and write down their definitions. Use context clues or a dictionary for help.
You love writing in cursive, right? Your pen flies across the page, creating paragraphs so beautiful you want to frame them.
Wait—what did you say? Your cursive looks like the scribbles of a 2-year-old?
Don’t worry. Today many people say the ability to use cursive is no longer important.
For many years, writing in cursive was seen as an important skill. It was taught in school. On a student’s transcript, you would see a grade for handwriting alongside the grades for math and science.
Why was it so important?
A Long History
Science Source/Photo Researchers History/Getty Images
Ben Franklin
Cursive is handwriting with letters joined together. It has been used for centuries. In the Middle Ages, scribes were people who wrote entire books by hand. They used cursive because the smoother writing meant fewer ink stains from their quill pens. They trained to make their handwriting neat and beautiful.
In the 1700s, Ben Franklin—one of our country’s Founding Fathers—wrote his autobiography in cursive. (The original manuscript is on display in a special library.) Other historical documents—diaries, letters, official records—were written in cursive too.
If we don’t learn cursive, how will we continue to learn from these sources? Will important history be forgotten simply because we can’t read someone’s handwriting?
No Longer Needed
Look through your grandparents’ old journals and letters. You’ll likely see their life histories written out in cursive. You might find a book with the inscription “For Emma on her 12th birthday. Love, Mom.” You might even find some autographs from celebrities!
But these days, cursive—and handwriting in general—isn’t a big part of our lives. We post “happy birthday” on Instagram instead of mailing cards. Writers type the scripts for movies and TV shows on computers. Doctors email prescriptions to pharmacies.
In 24 states, students are still expected to learn cursive. But for how long?
This loopy, swirly writing can be a thing of beauty. Will it soon be a thing of the past?
