Computer Skills Curriculum
Word Processing Lesson Plan

Title: What's Wrong with this Tale?

Other Curriculum Objectives that can be addressed by this lesson plan
English Language Arts: 2.1, 2.2, 4.1; Computer Skills: 2.1; Information Skills 1.4, 1.5; Social Studies (Gr. 5) 7.2

Grade: 5

Competency 2.1: Use a word processing program to copy and move text.

Measure 2.1.1: Given a word processed story with paragraphs out of sequence, use move commands or techniques to correctly arrange the story.

Materials Needed: Books with folk tales from U.S., Canada, and Latin America; computers with word processing program; What's Wrong with this Tale? Template (included, optional activity).

Time: Three, forty- five minute sessions.

Terms : word processing, copy, move, edit, save

Glossary

Activities

Pre-Activities:

    With the Media Professional:

  • Identify appropriate materials and a time for children to come to the library to choose books.
  • Ask the media professional to give an overview of folk tales and their importance in cultures.

    Teacher Preparation:

  • Divide class into cooperative learning groups of three to four students.
  • Prepare a data diskette with a summary of a folk tale and move paragraphs out of sequence.
  • Prepare a sufficient number of diskettes for student use in the lab.

Activity:

  1. Have children get into their assigned groups.
  2. Tell students that they will be studying folk tales from Latin America, Canada, and the United States.
  3. Give students time to identify the country they will use to choose their folk tale, based on available media and classroom resources.
  4. Take children to the library and have them choose their books.
  5. Give students an opportunity to read their tales in class and to write on the computer a group summary of their tales. Save and print the summary.
  6. Provide an opportunity for children to share their folk tales with others.
  7. Direct student groups to scramble their summaries by moving sentences or paragraphs out of sequence, print, and save under a different file name (Mixed-Up Tale).
  8. Exchange files of the scrambled summaries. Have students load (Mixed-Up Tale) from another group and use copy and move functions to put the tale in order. Then, have them print the story and compare to the original.

Extensions:

  • Identify another class and exchange folk tale summaries via telecomputing.
  • Have students change the ending of the folk tale and share with peers.
  • Compare similarities and differences between American folk tales and those of Latin America or Canada.

Measure

Using a word processing program, have students load a copy of a folk tale that is out of sequence (or use Goldilocks and the Three Bears, provided on diskette). Instruct students to use move commands or techniques to correctly arrange the story. Monitor students and provide additional instruction and practice for those having difficulty. (Students should have the opportunity to review the correct sequence of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.)