Keyboarding - Story Grafting

Summary

Three story lines are included so students can compose a story which will become funny and mixed up by changing seats periodically and keeping monitors off so they don't know what the last person wrote. They will proofread and correct their copy.

Materials

Students will work at individual computers. It might be fun to play mood music in the background.

Background for Teachers

Students will need to be seated per a seating chart and move in a systematic order so that you can figure out who typed anything inappropriate. You will need to set behavior limits. Use your best theatrical reading voice.

Student Prior Knowledge

Students need to know all of the keys and proper technique. They need to have achieved reasonable skill in keyboarding. They also need to know how to use the word processor to make corrections.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Students will build skill in composing at the keyboard. 2. Students will practice making spelling and punctuation corrections.

Instructional Procedures

Students will type at their computers with the monitor turned off. They will be able to fix any errors later. The assignment will be a mix of dictation and composition. Students will move to a different computer for each section. This will need to be systematic so that the teacher can figure who typed each section in case of inappropriate material. Explicit instructions, and limits must be given. Students begin typing with monitors off as the teacher dictates, (1)" It was a dark & dreary night...." the students then compose the begining of the story, completing that sentence and several others. When the teacher calls time, they finish the sentence they are typing hit enter twice and move to the next computer. Because the monitor is off they have no idea what the previous student wrote. The teacher then dictates, "My senses were awakened by the sound of ..." and the students continue until time is called when they double space and move to the next computer. Further dictation could include: "As I turned the corner... Then I saw... All of the sudden... I realized that... It really was the strangest night..." When the time is up after the last dictation the students return to their own computer. They turn on the monitor and edit and correct the mistakes without changing the mismatched story. They give it a title put their name on it and print. They have an opportunity to share their stories with their group and choose the funniest one to share with the entire class. Other story ideas could include: (2) "Once upon a time there was... In a nearby ... Skipping thru the forest... One day ... An evil... After a while... Things got even worse when... All hope was lost but then... As luck would have it... And the moral to the story is..." Or another story could begin. (3) "Long long a ago in a galaxy far far away I was... A battle raged over... I grabbed a nearby map... My friends came to help.... The android robot droid... We took... Subsonic hyperdrive is great when... Alas we were captured while.. But we escaped by... We all wound up on... I was the hero when... The galaxy was once again safe from..."

Strategies for Diverse Learners

Student will be able to contribute to the story at their own level and speed. Some will write only a sentence others a large paragraph.

Extensions

Students could write their own story grafts for the class to try at another time.

Assessment Plan

Students will be assessed on the quality of the proof reading and corrections they make prior to turning in the story on their computer. Points could also be given for layout and a creative title. If skills are appropriate they could include boarders, graphics, and drop caps etc.