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6th Grade Keyboarding

         The keyboarding class is designed to learn or to review proper keyboarding technique in order to develop both speed and accuracy of keyboard input.

          This class is part of the "explore" rotation in 6th grade.  The students will rotate into this class sometime during their 6th grade year for 6 weeks.  Technique is the ONLY thing evaluated.  The technique grade is based on ten elements:

1.   Finger curve—keep your fingers curved and quiet; make tiny finger movements from one key to the next.  Drop your arms/hands to your sides.  Relax.  Move your hands up—look at the deep finger curve.  That kind of curve will make you both faster and more accurate.

2.   Wrists—should not rest on the keyboard or the desk.  The wrists should remain level and quiet.  (If I put a quarter on the back on your wrist, the quarter should remain in place while you are keyboarding.  If I put a 3x5 card over your wrists, the wrists should be nearly as level as the card itself.)

3.   Space bar—ONE thumb is used for the space bar.  Since most people are right handed, most people use their right thumb; but it is not required to use your dominant thumb.  The space bar is typed with a quick “down and in” motion of the thumb.  There should be no sound when using the space bar.  (If I can hear the space bar, you are using less-than-perfect technique.)

4.   Shift key—the shift key is used to type capital letters.  The hand opposite the letter you are typing is used for the shift key.  The shift key is held down with the pinky finger of the appropriate hand.  The other fingers stay on home row.  Think, “Shift, Type, Release” when learning the shift keys.  Eventually, the thought process switches to a quick two-step process (shift, type).

5.   Return key—the return key (ENTER key) is typed with the right pinky.  All other fingers should remain in place while the enter key is typed.  It is NOT a chance to drop the wrist to the keyboard or move the other fingers off the keyboard.  Just ENTER and continue typing.  There should be no sound when using the enter key.  (If I can hear the enter key, you are using less-than-perfect technique.)

6.   Posture—good typing posture has several elements.  The feet should be on the floor; flat is best, with one foot a little ahead of the other.  The hips are back in the chair (not the shoulders).  I should be able to put my hand easily between your shoulders (upper back) and the back of the chair.  The shoulders themselves are relaxed, not tense or “hunched.”  The arms should be hanging easily at the sides—not “chicken wings”; not scrunched in tight.  Just drop your hands at your sides, relax; then raise your hands and put the fingers on home row.  The shoulders, arm positions should be correct.

7.   Alphabet—toward the end of the rotation I check each student’s typing of the alphabet individually.  I check to be sure that each letter of the alphabet is typed with the correct finger.  While doing so, I also look carefully at each student's finger curve, shift key, space bar, return key, posture, and general typing fluency.  Each letter that is typed with the wrong finger lowers the grade for this element of technique a full letter grade. 

8.   Eyes—eyes are to stay on the copy at all times.  Don’t take eyes off the book to find a key, at the ends of lines, for capital letters, or for any other reason.  This is a class where you should type by TOUCH—so looking at the keyboard is not necessary.

9.   Eyes—eyes are such an important part of technique that this part of the grade counts double.

10. General work habits—the last part of the technique grade is based on a student’s general work ethic and effort.  Tardies and "break" passes out of the room during class time reduce this grade as well as time on task during the period.