Essential Questions LessonLynn Smith, CED 505.20

Title: Introduction to Keyboarding and Learning Home Row

Grade: 6th Subject: Keyboarding

Overview:Keyboarding is a lifetime skill. Students have a hard time realizing how important it is to key correctly. Four skills essential for successful keyboarding are proper technique, accuracy, speed, and ergonomics.

Essential Question

1. Why is keyboarding an essential life skill?2. How do proper keyboarding habits improve effectiveness, efficiency, and

ergonomic health? (These questions will be answered throughout all lessons in the keyboarding unit.)

Subsidiary Questions

1. How is keyboarding used every day in education, business, and personal work?

2. What is the correct technique to use while keying? (how you should sit, hands, feet, etc.)

3. Why is it important to use proper technique?4. How can you increase your speed?5. What is the proper work space set up to facilitate good ergonomics?

Connection to Standards

NETS Standards:Standard #6: Technology Operations and Concepts – Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

Illinois State Standards:3.A.4 Use standard English to edit documents for clarity, subject/verb

agreement, adverb and adjective agreement and verb tense; proofread for spelling, capitalization and punctuation; and ensure that documents are formatted in final form for submission and/or publication.

3.A.5 Produce grammatically correct documents using standard manuscript specifications for a variety of purposes and audiences.

4.A.4.b. Apply listening skills in practical settings (e.g. classroom note taking, interpersonal conflict situations, giving and receiving directions, evaluating persuasive messages).

19.B.5 Apply the principles efficient movement to evaluate personal performance.

19.B.4 Analyze various movement patterns for efficiency and effectiveness.15.D.4.c Describe the impact of worker productivity (output per worker) on

business, the worker, and the consumer.

Activities/Tasks

Procedures

1. Discuss the purpose of learning how to key correctly.a. Ask students what jobs require people to use a computer.b. Ask students what daily activities require people to use a computer.c. Ask students how they use a computer.

2. Explain to students how the work area is to be arranged.a. Refer students to Figure 4.1 in the text on page 95.

3. Demonstrate the correct keying position:a. Curve your fingers upright over the home keysb. Keep your wrists low, but not touching the keyboardc. Hold your forearms parallel to the slant of the keyboardd. Keep your body erect, sitting back in the chaire. Keep your feet on the floor

4. Have students sit in the correct keying position. Observe and correct/offer comments if needed.

5. Explain where to place the fingers on the home row. a. Have students put their fingers on the keyboard in the correct

position.b. Go over finger placement again.c. Have students take their fingers off home row, and quickly put them

pack on. d. Review finger placement again, if needed.

6. Discuss keystroking.a. Tell students to keep their fingers curved and upright, barely

touching the keys.b. They should tap the key using a light tap with the tip of the finger.

7. Demonstrate how to space using a quick down and up motion of the thumb.

TECHNIQUE CHECK SHEET

RATINGS AND GRADESExcellent 4 points (3.6–4.0) = A = 93–100Good 3 points (2.6–3.5) = B = 85–92Average 2 points (1.6–2.5) = C = 78–84Poor 1 point (0.6–1.5) = D = 70–77

Rating Periods

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Position at keyboard .................................. Rating1. Sits in a comfortable, relaxed position directly in front of

keyboard ......................................................................

2. Keeps feet on floor for proper body balance ...............

3. Keeps elbows in relaxed, natural position at sides of body ...............................................................

4. Keeps wrists low and relaxed but off frame ofkeyboard ......................................................................

Keystroking ................................................. Rating1. Keeps fingers well curved and upright over home keys

2. Taps each key with proper finger ................................

3. Keeps hands and arms quiet; wrists low .....................

4. Makes quick-snap keystrokes with immediate key release .........................................................................

Space Bar .................................................... Rating1. Keeps right thumb curved and close to Space Bar .....

2. Taps Space Bar with a quick, down-and-in (toward palm) motion of thumb ...........................................................

3. Releases Space Bar instantly .....................................

4. Does not pause before or after spacing stroke ............

Return/Enter key ......................................... Rating1. Returns quickly whenever a hard return is required ....

2. Taps Return/Enter with right little finger, then returns finger to home key .......................................................

3. Keeps eyes on source copy during and following return

4. Starts new line without a pause ...................................

Total