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Life in the Tech Lab K–6 Technology Education
First Grade · Word Processing

Learning Word Processing: Notes for Teachers and Parents

Six short projects that take students from their first typed words to a finished, formatted invitation.

  1. At a glance

    Grades
    Written for First Grade. Works for the end of Kindergarten and as a Second Grade review.
    Time
    Six projects of about 20 to 30 minutes each.
    You need
    A computer or Chromebook with Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
    Students will
    Type and fix sentences, then change size, bold, slant, underline, color, highlight, lists and centering.

  2. Technology skills in a real context

    These are the building blocks for everything students will write on a computer. Each project uses them for something real: a name poster, a packing list, an invitation. Students see right away that a word processor helps them make things people can read and use.

    These projects make a great warm-up before the Frog Life Cycle Booklet, where students use the same skills to write their own book.

  3. The six projects

    1. My Name in Lights
    Typing, the Enter key, selecting, size, bold and color.
    2. Fix the Silly Sentences
    Clicking to move the cursor, Backspace, Shift for capitals, spaces and end marks.
    3. Words That Look Like Their Meaning
    Selecting one word; size, bold, italic, underline, color and highlight.
    4. My Picnic Packing List
    Typing a list, bulleted lists, and strikethrough as a bonus.
    5. Highlighter Word Hunt
    Reading on screen, careful selecting, highlight colors, and Find as a bonus.
    6. You Are Invited!
    Centering, fonts and putting it all together.

  4. Teaching tips

    • Teach one rule first: select it, then change it. Almost every formatting job starts by selecting the words.
    • Show each new button once on a big screen, then let students try it right away.
    • Double-click selects one word. Students love this shortcut.
    • Undo (Ctrl and Z) fixes almost any mistake. Teach it on day one and students will be fearless.
    • Use Shift for capital letters. Chromebooks have no Caps Lock key, and Shift is a better habit anyway.
    • Each page has the jobs in a yellow box at the top, so students can work even without this website open.
    • The bonus jobs keep fast finishers busy while you help others.

  5. Answer keys

    Project 2
    The dog ran fast. / I like to eat pizza. / My cat likes to nap. / We went to the park. / Can you see the moon? / The fish swims in the pond.
    Project 5
    Color words (6): green, green, red, yellow, blue, orange. The story says frog 3 times.

  6. Google Docs or Word

    • The buttons are the same idea in both. In Word, they are on the Home tab.
    • Strikethrough: in Google Docs, Format, then Text. In Word, the abc button with a line through it on the Home tab.
    • Google Docs saves by itself. In Word, show students how to save their file with their name.
    • With Google Classroom, attach a project and choose Make a copy for each student.

  7. At home

    • Let your child type something real: the grocery list, a birthday invitation, or a thank-you note to a grandparent.
    • Sit beside your child for the first project, then let them try the next one on their own.
    • Celebrate the finished pages. Print one for the refrigerator!
Back to Learning Word Processing All First Grade projects

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