Language arts composition isn’t just practiced in black marble notebooks anymore. As digital programs become stronger and more dynamic in the school system, it is more crucial than ever for elementary students to practice composing well-written sentences and paragraphs in digital form.
When students are able to type with efficiency and accuracy, they will also be able to produce clear, well-written pieces without having to stop and search for letters on the keyboard. The “hunt and peck” method of typing slows children down and can become more noticeably problematic as the child gets older and language arts programs require more complex writing assignments.
The Keyboarding Without Tears® curriculum is designed to help children’s keyboarding skills become automatic, so that they can produce sentences and paragraphs without having to stop and think about the mechanics of typing. This gives the child the freedom to focus on creating well-written compositions.
Begin with the Basics
To build foundational keyboarding skills, Keys for Me offers hands-on pre-keyboarding activities to develop fine motor skills with typing practice. Keys for Me familiarizes young children with the computer, keyboard, and mouse so that they are properly oriented and poised for future success in typing longer compositions as they advance through elementary school.
Building on the Basics
In order to be able to produce successful language arts compositions, such as opinion writing pieces, the child must first be able to master the basics. Keyboarding Without Tears lays down a strong digital foundation before advancing children to paragraph typing. Our kindergarten level activities include honing finger dexterity, proper posture at the keyboard, and developing the hand-eye coordination it takes to be a successful typist. Once they have achieved success with these skills, they are ready to move on.
Set the Pace
Students begin with learning to type letters and words, work their way up to sentences, and progress to typing longer paragraphs as typing becomes more automatic. Built-in assessments make it easy to gauge whether or not the child is ready to move on to more advance skill building activities. Keyboarding Without Tears includes the flexibility for each child in a classroom to work at their own pace, ensuring that they master the mechanics of keyboarding before moving on to typed compositions.
With continued practice, children will work their way to becoming fluent, speedy keyboarders. By the end of our fifth grade program, students will have mastered typing speed and accuracy and will move on to typing paragraphs on a range of cross-curricular subjects such as history and music.