Instruction 4-3

Narratives | Expository Compositions | Word-Processing | Research Reports | Summary

Pre-Test		Post-Test
Q&A	The Magic School Bus Gets Programmed	Q&A

In the last two Instructions, we talked about what to write. In this Instruction, we'll talk about what to write on. Obviously, you can write on a sheet of paper with a pen or pencil. But handwriting can be hard to read. Or you could write on a typewriter. But typewriters are practically obsolete. The easiest way to write is on a computer. Your work will look better. Your teachers will have an easier time reading it. And they will probably give you a better grade.

Since you are reading this online, you obviously have access to a computer. And it probably has a word processing program. Since we don't know what kind of program you have, it would be silly for us to try and give you specific instructions. Besides, you probably already know how to use it. So we'll just remind you of the basic things most word processing programs can do.

What Word Processing Programs Can Do
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• make it easy for you to type your text (with margins, tabs, columns, numbers and bullets)
• make it easy for you to edit and correct your work
• let you save your documents
• let you open your documents
• cut or copy and paste
• add pictures and color
• correct your spelling
• help you with your grammar
• print out your documents

Do you work on a PC? One of the most popular word processing programs for the PC (Windows) is called MS Word. Or do you work on a Macintosh? There is a version of Word designed for Macs. But Macs usually come with either ClarisWorks or AppleWorks. No matter what program you use, here are some things to remember.

Helpful Hints

To open your word processing program, click once or twice on the icon on your screen. The icon is the image (little picture) on your desktop that's a shortcut to a program.

When you want to edit, or change something, Select (highlight) it first.

When you are typing, you don't have to hit Return or Enter at the end of each line. The text automatically scrolls down to the next line for you. The only time you hit Return or Enter is at the end of a paragraph.

Don't use the spacebar to indent. Set and use the Tab Key instead. Text that looks OK on the screen may print out ragged if you've used the spacebar.

There is information on your desktop that can help you. If you want to find out what a button on your toolbar does, hold the cursor over it for a few seconds.

Save everything every few minutes. If you don't, you could lose all your work!

The more you know about your computer, the easier it will be to use -- and the better your work will look.

For more advanced information, go to any of these Student, Parent and Teacher links:

Links for Students, Parents and Teachers

Now let's do Practice Exercise 4-3 (top)

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