Text Formatting Activities
Learning keyboarding can be super boring and tedious for students. This set of formatting activities aims to bring engagement and a sense of purpose to the practice of typing. This blog post shares the rationale behind doing mystery text formatting activities plus has a bonus freebie you don’t want to miss. Keep reading!
Click on this image to buy the Months set on TpT.
By
the time students finish all 12 months they will have practiced each of the
keyboard rows four times.
the time students finish all 12 months they will have practiced each of the
keyboard rows four times.
GET ALL OF THE TEXT FORMATTING ACTIVITIES
Advanced Text Formatting (special keys and characters)
Students
will also (hopefully) have a sense of pride over the final outcome and an understanding of the learning
objective.
will also (hopefully) have a sense of pride over the final outcome and an understanding of the learning
objective.
Each month has 2
sets of directions pages. The
first one is lowercase letters and the second one is uppercase letters. This is
to give you choice to match your student keyboards. When the students actually
type the
text, it should all be in lowercase to match the finished examples provided.
sets of directions pages. The
first one is lowercase letters and the second one is uppercase letters. This is
to give you choice to match your student keyboards. When the students actually
type the
text, it should all be in lowercase to match the finished examples provided.
Ways to add challenge:
- Have
students Highlight the text with the color instead of changing the font color. - Have
students add a line at the end that says what the shape is. - Have
students add a clip art image that represents the design. - Have
students type a reflection about how the activity went and what they might do
differently next time.
Ways to provide supports (make it easier):
- Provide
students with a second sheet of paper or a flat edge like a ruler so that they
can be looking at one line at a time. - Dictate
the directions one line at a time to students. - Demonstrate
each line as you go using a projector or screensharing software.
STANDARDS ADDRESSED
Strand: Innovative
Designer
Designer
Standard: 4.b.
select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers
design constraints and calculated risks.
select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers
design constraints and calculated risks.
I Can Statements:
I can stick with a problem until it is
solved
solved
I can use the materials around me to help
me solve a problem
me solve a problem
I can create an original work using a
digital tool
digital tool
Strand: Empowered
Learner
Learner
Standard: 1.d.
understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the
ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies and are
able to
transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.
understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the
ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies and are
able to
transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.
I Can Statements:
I can learn a new technology tool by
exploring it.
exploring it.
I can find any letter or number on a
keyboard.
keyboard.
Designs in the Months Set:
January: Snowman
February: Mitten
March: Kite
April: Umbrella
May: Flower
June: Tent
July: Beach Ball
August: Sun
September: Apple
October: Leaf
November: Acorn
December: Evergreen Tree
Free Bulletin Board Letters
In my Free Resource Library in the INSPIRE section, there is a PDF with bulletin board header letters that spell out MYSTERY TEXT FORMATTING that you can use in your classroom. Click on the image above to go there.
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One Response
Our internet was down, so I put my students onto Microsoft Word, and did January text formatting with them. They absolutely loved it! We will be doing this monthly. This activity is also great for creating bulletin boards. Thank you!