Abstract: The following invention is a method for teaching cursive writing to students quickly and effectively through grouping of letters with common basic shapes into letter strings that may be written by the student in a continuous movement, without lifting the pen. The system was developed out of seeking an abbreviated way of teaching cursive penmanship to a learning disabled student. After several days of focusing on lowercase cursive letters I had written on a white board, a pattern I had never noticed before became evident. Based on my observations, I divided the letters into four categories and wondered if pointing out the pattern to my student would be helpful. I hoped the task of learning variations on four basic shapes would seem less overwhelming than the chore of practicing 26 discreet letter forms one by one.