Word Processing Activities

Teaching keyboarding in conjunction with word processing allows students to transfer their touch keyboarding skills to all areas of the curriculum. Once a student has learned to key by touch, the skill of touch keyboarding can be integrated in many areas of the curriculum. Here are just a few suggestions.

• In conjunction with word processing, keyboarding skills can be used for any writing activity. The class may key journal entries, a passage from a favourite story, a poem or book possibly with illustrations, and present it to the class.
• Use students' spelling and vocabulary words for practice during keyboarding drills. Keyboard rhyming words, synonyms, antonyms, or homonyms. Complete "story starters" such as "It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly...." Have students key the days of the week, months of the year, all the holidays they can think of in a certain time period, favourite colours, etc.
• Explore current issues or topics that concern your students. Plan learning activities related to one of these topics that will include researching, composing, keying, and printing a document.
• Plan a classroom newsletter with students. Once "reporters" have researched and interviewed as necessary, have them compose individual newsletter articles at the keyboard. This could be tied, for example, to science where students are asked to interview scientists or technologists. Students could also interview "elders", transcribe and report histories relevant to their environment. They will be proud of the results, and they will have a chance to demonstrate their skills!
• Plan a Working World Newsletter with students. Assist them to prepare a short list of relevant questions to ask working people about their careers. Depending upon the classroom, students could work in groups or pairs for this activity. After the interviews have taken place, the students may write about what they discovered. Use the same procedure to introduce your students to the concept of entrepreneurship by preparing a class project entitled Owning Your Own Business.
• Assign grade 4 or 5 students the task of preparing a simple biography. The subject of the biography is to be of a kindergarten or grade 1 student in the same school. Entitle the document, The Life Story of ............. The older students may utilize the keyboard in the preparation of this documentation. In addition to information about topics such as family, hobbies, favourite things, and birth information, include pictures, photographs, and perhaps a section "About the Author." Print the biographies.

Assessment Masters

Computer Learning Centre
Used with permission Manitoba Education,
K-3 Computer Awareness Interim Guide (1985)

Name Game
Used with permission Manitoba Education,
K-3 Computer Awareness Interim Guide (1985)

Input - Output
Used with permission Manitoba Education,
K-3 Computer Awareness Interim Guide (1985)

Answers for "Input - Output"
Used with permission Manitoba Education,
K-3 Computer Awareness Interim Guide (1985)

Proficiency Checklist
Used with permission Manitoba Education,
K-3 Computer Awareness Interim Guide (1985)