Lesson Plan  Computer Use: Microsoft Office Word
Computer Use refers to the tasks, basic and complex, performed on a computer at work, at home and for community participation. Knowing how to use a computer in our family, work and community can provide us with essential skills that can enrich our lives and create ease in our daily responsibilities. Acquiring computer skills can help us compete in a world that is moving away from paper based resources and embracing computer technology. Your learner has identified some learning goals around Computer Use skills. This lesson plan is designed to introduce your learner to the basics of creating a document in Microsoft Office Word that can transfer to completing tasks in the areas of work, family and community.
Essential Skills practiced in this lesson
    Reading Oral Communication Working With Others Computer Use
Learning Objectives
 To learn the basics of using word processors such as Microsoft Office
Essential Skills
Computer Use
Sample Lesson Plan
Date: _________________ Learners Name: ______________________________ Tutors Name: ________________________________________________ Time: ___________ Materials:   Microsoft Office Word Step by Step activity sheet Essential Skills and Saskatchewan Literacy Benchmarks (document on our website)
http://www.readsaskatoon.com/aboutliteracy.htm Activity Sample Question
5 Minutes
Warm up:  Conversation about week
10 Minutes
Review and Overview:  Discuss learners goals again and write them down in a place both of you can refer to often Discuss why typing is an important skill that we use in work, family and community Read through the instructions for the activity sheet What are some things that can help to grow skill and confidence in using computers? How does becoming familiar with a word processor like Microsoft Office
15 Minutes
Lesson Part A Learning skill to be presented:    Computer Use Reading Oral Communication
Learning Objective: To learn the basics of using word processors such as
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Essential Skills
Computer Use
Microsoft Office. Learning Exercises:  Microsoft Office Word Step by Step activity sheet
grow confidence in using computers?
10 Minutes
Break
15 Minutes
Lesson Part B Learning skill to be presented:     Computer Use Reading Working With Others Oral Communication
Ask the learner how they will be able to use the information presented in this lesson. What can we do to continue building typing and word processing skills?
Learning Objective: To learn the basics of using word processors such as Microsoft Office. Learning Exercise: Refer to the activity sheet included in lesson  Continue building typing and word processing skills by using Microsoft Office Word Step by Step activity sheet
5 Minutes
Summary and Homework:  Review work covered in lesson, relate it back to goals, and plan for what learner would like to achieve for next lesson and give homework if learner would like homework. Make sure the homework is based on the skill they would like to build Document this completed task in the Portfolio Items List that was included in the folder you and your learner received at your first meeting
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Essential Skills
Computer Use
Microsoft Word Step by Step
Beginning to type documents in Microsoft Word can be challenging when you first sit down at the computer to do so and there is no one sitting beside you to answer your questions. Follow these steps to begin writing a document in Microsoft Office Word. 1. Turn on the computer. 2. Using the mouse, move the cursor to the bottom left hand corner of your screen. 3. Place the cursor on the Windows icon and left click. 4. This will show you a menu of options, move the cursor to the bottom option called All Programs and click here. 5. This will give you list of programs on your right to select from that are listed alphabetically. Scroll down the list until you see Microsoft Office and click on it. 6. This will give you a list of Microsoft Office programs, scroll down the list until you find Microsoft Word and click on it. 7. This will give you a new blank screen which is a page in Microsoft Word and now you are almost ready to start typing. 8. Look at the top of the screen, you will see 7 words listed: Home Insert Page Layout References Mailings Review View
9. For typing your document you need to click on the Home button, you will know you have selected the Home button because it will be highlighted a lighter shade. 10. Under these words listed, you will see a rectangular box with the name of a Font style and an arrow pointing down to the right of the style. If you click on the arrow you can change the style of Font that you use, try different fonts to decide which one you like best. The standard font is called Times New Roman and the standard size is 12. 11. Starting a document: To start a document where you will see a blank page on which you can start typing, go to the top left hand corner of the screen and click on the Windows icon. This will give you a drop down menu and the first icon is of a blank page that says New.
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Essential Skills
Computer Use
Click on this icon to open a new page and then click on the Windows icon again so that you can save your document.
The fourth icon will be Save As and you need to select this one. Then, a window will pop up with a blue highlighted box where you can create your own title.
The computer will automatically insert the first sentence you have typed in your document as your title and you should change the title to something that will make it easy for you to locate.
Make sure you save it to a location such as Documents or Desktop. At the top left hand corner of your screen there is a tiny icon of a computer disk which is a quick save button and you can periodically click that while you are typing to ensure that your work is saved as you go along.
12.
To practice typing, refer to these lesson plans: o o Lesson Plan  Writing: Reminders, Requests and Informative Notes Lesson Plan  Writing: Language Experience Story
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