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Keyboarding Unit |
Credits:
Steve Gandy
Mountain View Elementary
Broomfield, CO
steve@stevegandy.com
Subject Matter:
Elementary, English Language Arts, Technology
Grades:
Kindergarten-5
Software Application:
StarOffice Word Processing, Type To Learn
Summary:
Our students need to be able to efficiently enter text at the computer. At the beginning of each year we have the primary students use a word processor to begin to learn the keyboarding skills they will use forever. They use common word lists, simple sentences and content from their classroom to practice the keyboarding skills. The older students use the Type To Learn typing software in the Mac Lab.
State & National Standards:
CO- Colorado Academic Standards
• Subject : Reading and Writing
• Standard 2: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences
Writing and speaking are essential tools for learning, for success in the workplace, and for responsible citizenship. Developing a range of writing and speaking abilities requires extensive study, practice, and thinking. Students need frequent opportunities to write and speak for different audiences and purposes, and they need to be able to communicate expressively, informatively, and analytically. Growth in writing and speaking abilities occurs by applying skills to increasingly challenging communication tasks
• Grade/Level : CO- Colorado Academic Standards
• Grade/Level : Grades K-4
Performance Indicator : creating readable documents with legible handwriting or word processing at the appropriate time
Local Standards:
Adams 12 Five Star Schools
Technology Curriculum
STANDARD #1 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY BASICS - Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of basic hardware and software components and operations.
Use input and storage devices such as keyboard, mouse, floppy disk and CD-ROM appropriately.
1st Grade:
Uses keyboard for input of letters and numbers.
2nd Grade:
Practices correct posture, places two feet on the floor, assumes correct distance from monitor, keyboard and mouse, and uses both hands on the keyboard.
Lesson Outcomes:
We have 3 big keyboarding rules for primary students:
1. Use both hands
2. Use the pinkie on the Shift, Return, and Back Space keys
3. Use the thumb on the space bar
While participating in this unit, and learning these rules, they become familiar with the placement of the alphabet and numerals.
The older students are expected to begin to use touch typing skills and progress to the point of 10 words per minute.
Assessment:
Assessment of this activity is on-going and interactive. The typed products are not the important piece here. Rather, it is the process by which the students become familiar with the computer keyboard and become able to enter their stories and writings efficiently.
Summative assessment is not done on their keyboarding here but at the end of the year starting in 2nd Grade. 2nd Grade Rubric, 3rd Grade Rubric, 4th Grade Rubric, 5th Grade Rubric.
Student Prerequisites:
None
Lesson Preparation:
We use a special set of smart cards to login generic users before the primary classes begin this unit. The generic users have StarOffice Writer loaded with an empty document. The font has been preset to Avant Garde, size 36 point. This file is present on all of our users' desktops. Its name is BIG_TEXT. It is a template file and thus easily brought back up fresh if things get messed up. See the Resources section.
The Sun Lab schedule is cleared for the primary grades so their scheduling is smooth. The classes sign up for 10-20 minute blocks of time everyday for the month.
Time Frame:
20 class periods.
Implementation Steps:
Students are brought into the lab and shown how to "wake" the sleeping monitors. The BIG_TEXT document (see Lesson Resources) is already loaded so the first direction is for them to find the letters that make their name and type them.
Depending on the grade level and keyboard experience of the individual student, this may be the whole first lesson. Others will begin to type the alphabet, or numbers, or copy words from the board. It all depends on how the classroom teacher wants to integrate the text that is typed with their class curriculum.
Some classes will opt to use the pre-made typing practice sheets listed under Lesson Resources as the source for their students' typing. Composing at the keyboard is discouraged during this unit. That will come later during actual writing process activities. For now, familiarity with the keyboard is the goal.
On an individual level, the 3 rules of keyboarding (see the Lesson Resources and Lesson Outcomes sections) are stressed from the very beginning with the students as they type. On the second or third class session the rules are "taught" more formally. After that, the adults circulate and encourage their use while the practice is on-going.
Products are not the goal but some papers are printed occasionally for sharing with parents, staff, and visitors. Some Kindergarten students write some of their very first sentences during these lessons.
Older students follow the prompts given by the Type to Learn Software.
Lesson Resources:
Product(s) Description:
No products were saved. In fact only 10% of the typing was even printed. This activity was seen as "process" not "content".
Comments:
We have used this unit for 2 years with great success. The students can enter text with some skill at the end of it and they are ready for the composition activities that follow shortly.
While this unit takes place in the Sun Lab, our older students use our keyboarding software (Type to Learn) in the Mac Lab.
BIG_TEXT is just
a blank word processing document like this one with a readable font set
to size 36.
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Page 1
red
blue
yellow
orange
purple
green
black
white
gray
Blue and red make purple.
Yellow and red make orange. Yellow and blue make green.
Page 2
one two three four five six seven eight nine ten
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
ten twenty thirty forty fifty sixty seventy eighty ninety one hundred
thousand million billion trillion
kilo mega giga
page 3
How now brown cow?
The quick red fox jumped over the slow brown dog?
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Once upon a time, in a galaxy, far far away...
We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!
What? Me worry?
page
4
Developed under a grant from Sun Microsystems, Inc. Open Gateways at Mountain View
Elementary School by Steve Gandy, Technology Coordinator - mountain.adams12.org/TISS
©
2003
