B. Foundations of Language · Spelling, Grammar and PunctuationKeyboarding with Automaticity, Fonts and Checkers
D2.2 D2.6 A1.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals- I can type with all my fingers without looking at the keys, using the home row.
- I can track my typing speed and accuracy and set a goal.
- I can choose fonts and sizes that make my writing easy to read and fit its purpose.
- I can use spell-checkers and grammar-checkers wisely, and I know they can make mistakes.
Words to know
keyboarding
Typing on a keyboard.
touch-typing
Typing without looking at the keys, with each finger in charge of certain keys.
home row
The middle row of letter keys where your fingers rest: A S D F and J K L ;
font
The style of the letters on a screen or page.
grammar-checker
A computer tool that underlines words or sentences that might have grammar or punctuation mistakes.
accuracy
How many things you get right, without mistakes.
Remember from Grade 4
In Grade 4 you began touch-typing. You learned to sit tall, find the bumps on F and J, rest your fingers on the home row and use the right finger for each key. You learned that spell-check can't catch everything.
In Grade 5, the curriculum asks you to begin to keyboard with automaticity. That means your fingers start to find the keys by themselves, so you can think about what you're writing. You will also choose fonts and use spell- and grammar-checkers wisely.
Building automaticity
Automaticity comes from lots of short practice, not one long session. Ten minutes a day, four or five days a week, works better than one hour on Saturday.
- Keep your eyes on the screen, not your hands.
- Return your fingers to the home row after every reach.
- Use your thumb for the space bar and your little finger (pinky) for Shift and Enter.
- Go for accuracy first. Speed comes later. Fixing mistakes takes more time than typing carefully.
Measuring speed and accuracy
Speed is measured in words per minute (wpm). Typing programs count every 5 characters (letters, spaces and punctuation) as one word.
Accuracy is the percent of keys you typed correctly. If you typed 100 characters and 5 were wrong, your accuracy is 95%.
Don't compare yourself with others. What matters is your own improvement.
Worked exampleLet's work out typing speed
In 2 minutes, Noah typed 150 characters (including spaces). What is his speed in words per minute?
- One typing word = 5 characters. 150 ÷ 5 = 30 words.
- He typed for 2 minutes. 30 ÷ 2 = 15 words per minute.
Choosing fonts
A font is a style of letters. Word-processing programs have hundreds! Choose fonts to help your reader:
- For long writing (reports, stories), use a plain, easy-to-read font at about 11 or 12 point size.
- Use bigger sizes for titles and headings so readers can see how the piece is organized.
- Fancy or curly fonts are fun for a title or an invitation, but hard to read in a whole paragraph.
- Use only two or three fonts in one piece. Too many makes it look messy.
- Bold and italics are for a few important words, not whole pages.
| Writing task | Good font choice | Why |
|---|
| Science report | Plain font, size 12; headings size 14 and bold | Easy to read; headings show the sections |
| Poster for a bake sale | Big, bold title; plain font for details | Readers see it from far away |
| Birthday invitation | A fun font for the title only | Shows the mood but details stay readable |
| Slides for a presentation | Large plain font (about 24 or bigger) | The audience reads from across the room |
Spell-checkers and grammar-checkers: helpers, not bosses
A spell-checker underlines words it doesn't recognize. A grammar-checker underlines sentences that might have mistakes. They are useful, but they make mistakes too:
- They miss wrong words that are real words: I'll meat you at the rink has no spelling error, but meat should be meet.
- They flag correct words they don't know, like names (Mississauga, Kanata, Nunavut) and words from other languages.
- Some are set to American spelling and mark colour or centre as wrong. In Canada, colour and centre are correct!
- A grammar-checker's suggestion can change your meaning. Read it carefully before you click.
Rule: you are the editor. Read every suggestion and decide.
Worked exampleLet's check the checker
The spell- and grammar-checker underlined three words in this sentence: Our class visited the Mohawk Chapel in Brantford and saw it's beautiful colours. Which suggestions should you accept?
- Brantford is underlined because it's a place name. It's spelled correctly, so ignore it.
- colours is underlined because the checker uses American spelling. colours is the Canadian spelling, so ignore it.
- it's is underlined as a possible mistake. Do the un-squish test: it is beautiful colours doesn't make sense. It should be its (belonging to it). Accept the change.
Our class visited the Mohawk Chapel in Brantford and saw its beautiful colours. Only one change was needed.
The checker flagged three words, but only one needed changing. You are the editor: read every suggestion and decide.Set your checker to Canadian English
Many programs let you set the language to English (Canada). Ask a grown-up to help you check the setting, so the checker accepts colour, neighbour and centre.
Just for funThe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog uses every letter of the alphabet. Typists have practised with that sentence for more than 100 years, so that fox has been jumping for a very long time!
Hands-on activityTyping practice and a font makeover
You need: a computer or tablet with a keyboard, and a word-processing program. A grown-up can help you find a free typing practice website or app.
- Do 10 minutes of touch-typing practice. Write down your speed (wpm) and accuracy (%).
- Open a new document. Type 3 or 4 sentences about your favourite season, without looking at the keys.
- Give it a title. Make the title bigger and bold. Keep the sentences in a plain font, size 12.
- Run the spell- and grammar-checker. For each underlined word, decide: accept or ignore? Tell a grown-up why.
- Save it with a clear file name, like favourite-season-yourname.
- Repeat the typing practice for a week and compare your first and last scores.
Your turn
1Which keys are the home row keys?
Left hand: A S D F. Right hand: J K L ;
2Why do the F and J keys have small bumps?
So you can find the home row by feel, without looking at the keyboard.
3Ella typed 200 characters in 4 minutes. What is her speed in wpm?
200 ÷ 5 = 40 words. 40 ÷ 4 = 10 wpm.
4You typed 50 characters and 2 were wrong. What is your accuracy?
48 out of 50 were right. 48 ÷ 50 = 0.96, so 96% accuracy.
5Which font choice is best for a long science report: a curly decorative font at size 9, or a plain font at size 12? Why?
A plain font at size 12. It's easy to read for many paragraphs. Small, curly letters are hard to read.
6The spell-checker underlined Saskatoon. Should you change it?
No, if it's spelled correctly. It's a city name the checker doesn't know.
7Why didn't the spell-checker catch the mistake in We road our bikes to the park?
road is a real word, so the spell-checker thinks it's fine. The right word is rode (the past of ride).
More practice: warm-up
1Which finger presses the space bar?
2Where should your eyes be when you touch-type?
On the screen (or the page you're copying), not on the keys.
A style of letters on a screen or page.
4True or false: a spell-checker catches every mistake.
False. It misses real words used wrongly, like there for their.
5Which is more important at first: speed or accuracy?
Accuracy. Speed grows with practice.
More practice: on your own
1Your checker marks neighbour as wrong and suggests neighbor. What should you do and why?
**Keep neighbour**. It's the Canadian spelling. The checker is probably set to American English. You can change the language setting to English (Canada).
2Is it better to practise typing for one hour once a week, or 10 minutes a day? Why?
10 minutes a day. Short, frequent practice helps your fingers learn the keys until they become automatic.
3You are making slides for a class presentation. What font size makes sense: 10 or 28? Why?
28 (or bigger). People in the back of the room need to read it from far away.
4A grammar-checker changes The dog wagged its tail to The dog wagged it's tail. Should you accept it?
No. it's means it is. The dog wagged it is tail makes no sense. its (belonging to it) is correct.
5Last week Omar typed 12 wpm. This week he types 15 wpm. How much did he improve? Is it more than, less than or exactly a quarter?
15 − 12 = 3 wpm better. A quarter of 12 is 3, so he improved by exactly a quarter.
Challenge
1In 3 minutes, Ava typed 225 characters with 9 mistakes. Find her speed in wpm and her accuracy.
Speed: 225 ÷ 5 = 45 words; 45 ÷ 3 = 15 wpm. Accuracy: 225 − 9 = 216 correct. 216 ÷ 225 = 0.96, so 96%.
2Find and fix the two mistakes a spell-checker would miss: I herd that are team won the game.
herd → heard (a herd is a group of animals). are → our (belonging to us). I heard that our team won the game.
3Plan the fonts for a one-page report on Canada's provinces and territories: what would you use for the title, the headings and the paragraphs? Explain.
Example: Title: large (about 20) and bold so it stands out. Headings (one per region): about 14, bold, so readers can find sections. Paragraphs: a plain, easy-to-read font at 12. Use the same plain font family throughout so it looks tidy. Any plan that puts readability first and uses size to show importance is correct.
Quiz
1. Which keys have bumps to help you find the home row?
2. Typing programs count one word as how many characters?
3. Which font choice is best for paragraphs in a report?
4. Which mistake will a spell-checker probably miss?
5. Your checker says colour is wrong. What's true?
6. What should you focus on first when learning to touch-type?
Big idea (D2.2, D2.6): The Grade 5 curriculum asks students to begin to keyboard with automaticity, to apply word-processing skills, including selecting appropriate fonts, and to edit digital texts using spell- and grammar-checkers. The aim is that typing gets out of the way so your child can focus on ideas. Reflecting on progress connects to Strand A (A1.2).
How to help at home:
- Find a free, ad-free typing practice program and aim for about 10 minutes a day. Short and regular beats long and rare.
- If possible, set your word processor's language to English (Canada).
- When your child types homework, ask them to explain why they accepted or ignored each checker suggestion.
Common difficulties:
- Hunting and pecking. It feels faster at first, so children slip back into it. A cloth over the hands for a few minutes can help them trust their fingers.
- Trusting the checker blindly. Practise with sentences that contain real-word errors (there/their, rode/road).
- Fancy fonts everywhere. Talk about the reader: "Could Grandpa read this whole page easily?"
- Always supervise online practice and check that sites are safe and age-appropriate.