Cursive Q

What prints

A large dark "Qq" is at the top with a "Print: Q q" note and the words queen, quilt, quiet. Then come two lines of capital Q, two of small q, one line of q written three times joined, and lines for queen, quilt and quiet, each repeated with a dark first copy.

Small q has a special shape

Small q starts like a, c and d: a counterclockwise oval. After closing it at the top, the pencil goes straight down through the baseline into the space below, then ends with a small curve to the right. The curve is what ties q to the following letter. Because q in English nearly always comes before u, the shape practically has one job: hand off to u.

It is called one of the special-shape letters, along with s, r and z, since the finish does not match the standard upswing used by most others.

Capital Q

In the Zaner-Bloser alphabet capital Q resembles a numeral 2: a loop at the top and a curved base. In other books it looks like a large O with a tail, and D'Nealian again differs. The sheet's model is a font drawn in a natural hand, so check the shape against your classroom copy before a child memorizes either one.

Joining q to u

After the tail curve, the writer glides into u, which starts with a small undercurve. Because of the descender the join is lower than in most words, so "queen" and "quiet" have a noticeable dip after the first letter. Treat the pair q-u as one unit and practise it that way on the "qqq" row before moving on.

Slips to catch

• Drawing a 9 in place of q by looping the tail the wrong way
• A tail too short to cross the baseline
• Not closing the oval so q reads as a g with a hook
• Leaving a big gap between q and u

The settings

• Practice. Stays on "One letter".
• Letter. Opens on Q q.
• Line size. Large (beginners), Medium, or Small (confident writers).

Worked example: Amara and the quilt

Amara's q floats above the line in "quilt". Her dad prints at Line size: Large. They trace the dark q on the first row, stopping to say "round, down, flick". On the third row of "qqq" the tail clears the baseline. Then in "quilt" they treat qu as a pair, hold the pencil down through the flick, and write the l, t afterwards.

Between cursive P and cursive R, this page is a short stop. The cursive alphabet chart shows q in context.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets: Writing (handwriting and writing instruction for children) readingrockets.org