Fifth Grade Keyboarding Applications

In the same school as the First Grade class posted earlier, I was in a Fifth Grade class that was tightly planned, with textbook based activities using Imagine It! readers (students used a microphone that was passed around as they read) and Drops in a Bucket math curriculum (students worked alone for 10-20 minutes, then with a partner for 5-10 minutes, then we discussed the answers as a class). 

Having completed all of the assignments and having ten minutes left before recess, I asked two of the students at the front of the room to hold up the Pre-Keys vinyl keyboard mat. I pointed out the division between left and right hand letters and asked the students if there was a list of United States, somewhere in the room. They directed me to the pull down maps that covered the white board. I uncovered the map of the United States and suggested to them that of all the States there is only one that can be typed with just the left hand. I sent three volunteer students over to the three computers at the side of the room to try and identify which state can be spelled with just left hand letters. 

I gave the class a clue that it started with a T. "Tennessee" one student shouted out. I gave the next clue, that it has "an X in it." The response was deafening: "Texas!" I confirmed that response and then selected three more volunteers to go to the computer center. 

"There is another state that can be typed with just the right hand letters," I told my captive audience. "It has only four letters and starts and ends with the same vowel." They were almost ahead of me completing the sentence. "Ohio!"

I praised them and then sent three more students to the computer center. "All of the other states require that we use both hands to type their names. But, there is one that can be spelled with just the letters from the home row. Which is the only vowel on the home row? ... That's right, A. This state name actually starts and ends with an A ... no, it's not Alabama, in fact, it doesn't even show up on this map showing 48 states. Yes, Alaska!"

We were then out of time as the bell rang to announce recess. If I had printed paper copies of the QWERTY Island Keys map, then we might have talked about how the top of the keyboard map is North, the bottom of the map (with the letter B near to the belly button) is South, the Tab Key is on the West and the Enter/Return key is to the East.

We might have also considered the letters to be in columns as well as in rows. More on that in the next post.