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Word Processing

3.2 - Creating

Intro

Word processing is one of aspect of 3.2 'Creating'. It is all about creating and editing text.

In Year 5, we delve into some specific word processing skills such as page setup and image wrapping as well as suggesting some keyboard shortcuts to help get the work done more efficiently.

Framework

3.2 - Creating

  • Combine a range of multimedia components to produce an appropriate outcome
  • Create, collect and combine a range of text, image, sound, animation and video for selected purposes.

Skill by Skill

  • Use page setup to set paper size, margins and orientation (portrait or landscape).
  • Change Layout using centering and aligning.
  • Use spell checking confidently.
  • Print more than one page to a sheet.
  • Use Wrapping to change the wrap effects of an image.
  • Use keyboard shortcut to find words on a page.
  • Explain choice of font size and style.
  • Select suitable fonts rather than using WordArt.
  • Use keyboard commands to edit a document e.g. Ctrl x, Ctrl c, Ctrl v

(EAS ICT Skills Framework)

 

Vocabulary

setup     portrait     landscape     centering     aligning     wrapping     shortcuts      

Activity 1

Class Newspaper

newspaper

Newspapers use a wide range of formats and effects to attract their readers. They break up pages into columns, images, headlines, captions and different sized text.

Writing newspaper articles is therefore an excellent way to learn a wider range of word processing formatting.

Prepare:

  • Teach an unit on newspaper articles, which ends with the composition of a newspaper article typed on a blank page with no special formatting.
  • Select a range of newspaper articles that show the layout features (i.e. headline, sub-heading, columns, captions, images etc.)

Activity Tasks:

  1. Open a new document on a word processor (Word 365 or Google Docs or Pages).
  2. Change the size of the margins using Page Setup. Also, show pupils how to choose between portrait and landscape.
  3. Use text boxes to create the newspaper banner (newspaper name, date, price). Note: In Google Docs you access text boxes through the Insert -> Drawing feature. Do not use WordArt for the heading. Have your pupils choose an appropriate font instead.
  4. Add a headline and sub-headline, changing font size as needed. Show them how to align the heading to the middle of the page.
  5. Model how to add columns below the headline. The pupils can then open their article work and copy and paste it into the columns.
  6. Once they have finished copying and pasting their written work (and checking their spelling with spellcheck), they should find a relevant image, either on their computer or copied and pasted from the web, and insert it into their layout. They should know how to do this, but you will need to show them how to change the wrap of the image so that they can move it around and place it where they wish.
  7. Add captions to the image, preferably with a text box. Use alignment to center it, and even better to center it vertically as well as horizontally.
  8. Print the article from a specified printer. Show them how to print two pages on to one A4 page so those with longer articles can fit their work onto one page.
Google Docs Formatting Tools (Yrs 5/6)

Copy link to share with pupils

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4YnX-wfLjQ

Share Video

Remember

  • The article should be written beforehand because this is not a language focused lesson. The emphasis is on introducing new digital skills which will be unfamiliar to most pupils.
  • Model these skills. Don't assume pupils will know how to do them - most will not.

Success Criteria

  • I can use page layout, columns and text boxes to format my work.
  • I can insert images and change wrapping to move them around.

Other Framework Elements

1.3 - Digital Rights

You can have a discussion about copyright of images online and how we should give credit

2.3 Storing and Sharing

Teaching your pupils to save the work in the right folder, with an appropriate filename, saves you so much time down the line! Remember to teach them to open as well as to save.

3.1 Planning, Sourcing and Searching

The pupils are likely to have planned the article before they wrote it.

3.3 Evaluating and Improving

Your usual peer-assessment and/or self-assessment.

Vocabulary

page setup     portrait     landscape     columns     align     text box     wrap image     

Variation Ideas

Another option would be to design a web page (still using Word 365 or Google Docs). This would demand many of the same skills needed in laying out a newspaper page.