Subjects
Grade
Brief Description
Are you focused on writing, particularly descriptive writing, in your first grade classroom? Students love seeing their work printed from the computer and, so why not have them write some of their work on a computer? In this lesson plan, youâll walk students through the basics of typing and saving on a computer.
Objectives
Students will:Keywords
word processing, writing, descriptive writing
Lesson Plan
Are you focused on writing -- particularly descriptive writing -- in your first grade classroom? Students love seeing their work in print, so why not have them write some of their work on the computer? In this lesson, you'll walk students through the basics of typing and saving on a computer.
Prior to the lesson:
Create a folder on each student's computer desktop. Name the folder "Student Work."
Make sure your word processing program is easy to find:
On Macs, make sure the Word (or AppleWorks) icon is located in the dock (OS X) or launcher (OS 9 and earlier). To do that,
Make sure students are comfortable with basic mouse skills (double-clicking, clicking, drag and hold) and navigation skills (opening and closing programs). No experience with word processing is required.
The lesson
Display your computer screen on a projector or TV monitor so all students can see it. Explain to students that they are going to write their work on the computer. Read aloud each of the steps below, demonstrating each step as you go along:
Repeat the steps above, but this time, ask one student at a time to tell you what step comes next. You might say, for example, "Alex, I double-clicked the big blue W and now I have a new document. What do I do next?"
After completing the activity the second time, students should be ready to work on their own. It's best to have a handout with screenshots available for students to refer to as they work. Click here for a sample handout from St. George's Independent Schools in Memphis, Tennessee.
Students can complete this activity as a whole group in a lab or on laptops. The activity also works very well at a classroom computer center of 1-5 computers. Encourage pairs of students go to the computer(s) during independent seatwork time. Have one student read the instructions aloud while the other types. Explain to students that the reader is not allowed to touch the computer, but he or she can answer questions if the typist needs help. When the typist is finished, students switch roles. By pairing students, you reduce the number of questions you'll need to answer during computer time, giving you a chance to monitor and assist the rest of the class. In addition, students enjoy helping one another, and they can learn from what they see others do.
Assessment
Students are assessed based upon their:Lesson Plan Source
Education World
Submitted By
Lorrie Jackson
National Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills