Word Processing

These are ideas on ways to use word processing with your classes. They're broken down by grade level, but keep in mind that most ideas are easily adaptable from one grade level to the next. I use Word because that's what's available in my lab, but these ideas should work in any word processing program.

Kindergarten

Use Word to draw lines of various length. Discuss which ones are longer or shorter.

Use drawing tools in Word to draw circles, squares or other shapes. Discuss which ones would hold the most, or which ones are taller, or which ones would weigh more.

Have students use drawing tools in Word to make various shapes and repeat the names of them.

Have students use drawing tools in Word to put shapes together to make pictures (a square for a house, a triangle for the roof, a rectangle for the door, etc.).

Use drawing tools in Word to have students make visual representations of things you call out. For example, say, "Draw a circle. Now draw a square beside the circle," or, "Draw a square. Now draw a triangle inside the square."

Use Word to make a template with a pattern of objects. Leave something missing in the pattern and have students insert the appropriate object. Have students extend the pattern you have started.

Let students create a chart in Word. Each student should add two or three pictures to show what happens in their family during different celebrations. For instance, a Menorah for a Jewish family in December; a Christmas tree for a Christian family in December; or a Kwanzaa symbol. Lead a discussion with this chart as the focal point. Talk about the differences and similarities between each family's celebrations.

Make several templates in Word, KidPix, or Kidspiration by simply filling the screen with objects (like circles). Have the students try to estimate how many circles are in the whole screen. Guide them to count the circles in one section and then guess how many there are in all. (Be careful to keep objects the same size when creating the templates.)

Use Word (clips online) to find pictures of rocks. Save these into a template. Let students sort the pictures according to the attributes described, or in order from largest to smallest.

First Grade

Create a template in Word that has five to ten sentences. Leave all letters lower case and don't put punctuation at the end of sentences. Have students edit to correct the capitalization and punctuation errors.

Have students write autobiographies in Word. Make a template of things for them to include, i.e.:
My name is _____.
I have _____ brothers and ____ sisters.
My favorite cartoon is ______.
Be sure to include all required elements. Have them read their stories to each other and make corrections together (pair students for this part).

Set up a template in Word or other program with columns so that students can record observations. Have them type a list of the things that are attracted to a magnet. Have them type a list of things that are repelled by a magnet. Have them make predictions in one column, observations in another column, and facts learned in a third column. Note: Be sure not to get magnets near the computers when doing these experiments!

Have students make punctuation books. Create a template with sentences that are missing punctuation (commas, periods, apostrophes). Have students insert the correct punctuation, print the pages, and staple or bind booklets. Or, have students create pages with different punctuation marks, including definitions and examples.

Second Grade

Create a template in Word or other word processing software. Include problems that leave blanks for the appropriate answer. Have students fill in the blanks, deciding whether the answer is equal to, greater than, or less than.

Have students make templates in Word, Excel, or other program. They should include columns for predictions and for outcomes. Have them print these forms and use them when analyzing data and comparing predictions with results.

Have students use their science books and other resources to make a poster in Word or other program of terms to use when communicating observations.

Have students make posters in Word with roles for team members and responsibilities of each role.

Have students make posters in Word or other program with basic tools they will use and what each tool does.

Have students make posters in Word with rules to follow when working with living things.

Third Grade

Have students take a piece of writing they completed at the beginning of the year. Tell them to type this work into Word or other word processing document. Have them go through the writing and identify mistakes and make corrections. Have them extend the writing and add to it. Tell them to use resources as needed. Have them compare their previous work with the present document and note changes made so they can see their growth and development. (Note: If a student has moved in during the year, have an extra story ready for him/her to use for this activity.)

Have students create documents in Word or other word processing software with several problems that leave unknown variables. Have students switch computers and fill in the correct answers on another student's document.

Have students use Word to create forms for record-keeping and observations. They should include places for dates and times, names of persons making observations, and results. Print the forms and use them when conducting investigations.

Have students use Word to create safety posters with rules to follow when conducting experiments.

Have students type specific procedures in Word when conducting experiments.

Have students create bibliographies/reference pages in Word with basic information of sources used to find facts.

Have students use Word to write riddles about the attributes seen in rocks.

Have students use Word to create brochures about rocks and minerals in the area. Trade these brochures with other third grade classes in other schools throughout the state.

Have students create reports in Word. The reports should be about organisms that do not live in Georgia. Students should give basic facts about these organisms, their needs and features. They should explain why these organisms would not survive in Georgia. (For example, seals require cool to cold salt water to survive. They could not live in Georgia because we don't have salt water throughout the state, and because the surf temperature at our beaches is too high.)

Have students make posters in Word or other program to advertise recycling or reasons to not pollute.

Fourth Grade

Create a template in Word with columns for personal experience, foreshadowing, setting, themes, etc. Have students use this template to find examples of each in any given story.

Create a template in Word or other word processing software with columns for each of the required elements. Pair students and give each pair a piece of informational text and have them analyze it, pulling out examples of each element and typing them into the template.
Required elements: Common textual features (e.g., paragraphs, topic sentences, concluding sentences, glossary); cmmon graphic features (e.g., charts, maps, diagrams, illustrations); common organizational structures (e.g., chronological order, cause and effect); cause from effect in context; main ideas and supporting details; perceptive and well-developed connections; fact from opinion or fiction.

Partner students and have them write stories in Word or other word processing software. They should use their own words, spell-check, and include appropriate graphics. Allow them to use Yahooligans to search for information about the stories they choose, but remind them that copying and pasting is not allowed.

Assign a genre or topic for stories. Partner students and have them write stories in Word or other word processing software. They should use their own words, spell-check, and include appropriate graphics. Allow them to use Yahooligans to search for information about the stories they choose, but remind them that copying and pasting is not allowed. Give them a rubric (or make one together) to guide them through checking their stories for the required elements.

Have students choose one piece of writing done early in the year. Tell them to type this work into Word or other word processing document. Have them go through the writing and identify mistakes and make corrections. Have them extend the writing and add to it. Tell them to use resources as needed. Have them compare their previous work with the present document and note changes made so they can see their growth and development. (Note: If a student has moved in during the year, have an extra story ready for him/her to use for this activity.)

Create a template in Word with a story with a lot of mistakes. Have students correct the mistakes (capitalization, subject/verb agreement, etc.).

Create a rubric together using Word. The rubric should include all of the required elements. Through creating the rubric, students will know what is expected during verbal interactions while they participate in a verbal interaction. :)
a. Initiates new topics in addition to responding to adult- initiated topics.
b. Asks relevant questions.
c. Responds to questions with appropriate information.
d. Uses language cues to indicate different levels of certainty or hypothesizing (e.g., “What if. . .”; “Very likely. . .”; “I’m unsure whether. . .”).
e. Confirms understanding by paraphrasing the adult’s directions or suggestions.
f. Displays appropriate turn-taking behaviors.
g. Actively solicits another person’s comments or opinions.
h. Offers own opinion forcefully without domineering.
i. Responds appropriately to comments and questions.
j. Volunteers contributions and responds when directly solicited by teacher or discussion leader.
k. Gives reasons in support of opinions expressed.
l. Clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a response when asked to do so; asks classmates for similar expansions.

Have students create charts with columns in Word. The columns should have headings for "Reasons", "Obstacles", and "Accomplishments". Have each row labeled with the names of the explorers: John Cabot, Vasco Nunez Balboa, Juan Ponce de Leon, Christopher Columbus, Henry Hudson, Jacques Cartier. Students should fill in these charts with the required information for each explorer. They can use the Internet (Yahooligans) to find the information.

Have students create tables in Word. Columns should have these titles: large landowners, farmers, artisans, women, indentured servants, slaves, Native Americans. Have them fill in facts about each group of people (what they ate, how they traveled, where they lived, etc.).

Have students create posters in Word or other program. The posters should include a brief outline of the rights in the Bill of Rights. It should include a list of limits the Bill of Rights places on the power of government. It should also include reasons for the Bill of Rights' inclusion in the Constitution. Students can use the Internet (Yahooligans) and their textbooks to find information needed.

Have students add to the previously created tables in Word. One column should be titled "Problems with Environment" and the other should be labeled "Adaptations". Have students find information on the Internet about the problems the explorers encountered in their environments. Have the students find and record information about adaptations the explorers made in order to continue their journeys: John Cabot, Vasco Nunez Balboa, Juan Ponce de Leon, Christopher Columbus, Henry Hudson, Jacques Cartier).

Have students create tables in Word with columns for "Group of People", "Barriers", "Adaptations", and "Successes". Students should find information in textbooks and on the Internet (Yahooligans) with facts about each group of people, the barriers they faced when settling or when fighting, and adaptations they had to make. Finally, students should list whether the group of people had a complete success or whether they still encountered problems.

Have students create posters in Word or other program. The posters should include a list of the natural rights from the Declaration of Independence, as well as sentences to describe the meanings of these rights. The posters should include a title with "We the people" and a sentence about who that title refers to. The posters should include a diagram or list of facts about the federal system of government. Students should use the Internet (Yahooligans) and their textbooks to find information to include in the Posters.

Have students create brochures in Word or other program about positive character traits (honesty, patriotism, courage, trustworthiness). They should include an example of each trait as exhibited by someone from the United States' history. For example, George Washington and "I cannot tell a lie."

Have students create tables in Word to show columns of producers (plants), consumers (plant eaters and animal eaters), and decomposers (fungi, beetles, etc.). They should work in small groups to list as many things in each column as they can.

Have students write stories in Word about what would happen to some organisms if others disappeared (give examples for them to use).

Have students use KidPix and Word to create pictures of and written facts about their own imagined adaptive species. They should include descriptions of the species' use of camouflage, hibernation, ways it protects itself, etc. They should also include descriptions of preferable habitats, eating habits, shelters, etc.

Have students write stories in Word according to the standard's examples. "Write a story about an organism that goes on vacation to another region. Explain what that organism would have to pack in its suitcase to survive."

Fifth Grade

Have students write stories in Word about what would happen to some organisms if others disappeared (give examples for them to use).

Home Email Wacona Elementary School

Last updated May 24, 2007.

Home Email Wacona Elementary School

Last updated May 24, 2007.