Keyboarding · Lesson Plan
Keyboarding Lesson 4: Period Key
Lesson 4 of six. Students add n, w, and the period key, with the course’s first real push on typing conditioning and pace — the same drill line typed twice, once slowly and once faster.
For Teachers
Lesson at a glance
- Topic
- Keyboarding
- Grade Level
- Grades 5–12
- Resource Type
- Lesson + Worksheet
- Estimated Time
- 20–30 minutes
- Format
- Guided practice + drill worksheet
- Materials
- Keyboards, finger chart, paper to cover hands, drill worksheets
What Students Learn
Learning objectives
- Review the home row and all letters learned in Lessons 1–3
- Reach down with the right first finger to type n
- Reach up with the left third finger to type w
- Reach down with the right third finger to type the period, and space twice after it at the end of a sentence
- Type the same drill line a first time slowly and a second time faster, striking each key quickly
Materials
What you’ll need
- Printable Lesson 4 practice worksheet
- Computer keyboards (one per student)
- A printable keyboard finger chart
- Paper to cover students’ hands during drills (optional, for touch-typing discipline)
Key Terms
Vocabulary
- Conditioning
- Repeated practice of the same keys and motions to build speed and consistency over time.
For Teachers
Lesson plan
Estimated time: one 20–30 minute class period.
Prerequisite: Introduction to Keyboarding (Lesson 1).
Lesson sequence
- Review (5 min). Review typing position and the home row plus every letter learned in Lessons 1–3.
- Introduce n, w, and the period (5 min). Have students locate the new keys: right first finger reaches down to n; left third finger reaches up to w; right third finger reaches down to the period. Note that a sentence is followed by the period and two spaces.
- Conditioning drill (10–15 min). Introduce the two-pass drill method used for the rest of the course: type each line a first time slowly and evenly, striking each key quickly and precisely, then type the same line a second time at a faster pace. This lesson is the first to make speed — not just accuracy — part of the practice.
- Full worksheet (5–10 min). Complete the printable worksheet, which reviews every letter learned so far plus n, w, and the period.
Assessment
Watch that the second, faster pass through each drill line stays accurate — if accuracy drops sharply on the faster pass, have the student slow back down.
Extension
Have students write and type one full short sentence ending in a period, using only letters learned through Lesson 4.
This lesson is for educational purposes only. Practice at the pace that works for your class — accuracy first, speed later.
Discussion
Discussion questions
- Why type the same line slowly first and then faster, instead of just going for speed right away?
- How many spaces follow a period at the end of a sentence in this lesson’s convention?
- What is the difference between typing fast and typing well?
Printable Worksheet
Keyboarding Lesson 4 — Worksheet
A practice drill worksheet for the n and w keys and the period, with a slow-then-fast conditioning drill.
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