Copyright 2005—Andrew Willems—property of Trinity-St.
Luke’s
5th Grade Computer Curriculum
Computer Applications Class
Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6
Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 Lesson 10 Lesson 11 Lesson 12
Lesson 13 Lesson 14 Lesson 15 Lesson 16 Lesson 17 Lesson 18
Lesson 19 Lesson 20 Lesson 21 Lesson 22 Lesson 23
The purpose of this curriculum is to teach computer software
skills that students will need to use in core subjects at Trinity-St. Luke’s
In the Trinity-St. Luke’s Lutheran School Computer
Curriculum, keyboarding skills and tests are 1/3 of a student’s grade. Occasionally
an Internet activity from a particular subject is integrated into Computer
Applications Class. Also, Instructor Magazine’s Cyberhunts are use
approximately four times a year. They can be found at http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/cyberhunt.htm.
Finally, accompanying
quizzes and rubrics are not included on these lesson pages.
Please note that this computer curriculum follows the
Trinity-St. Luke’s Computer Proficiency Goals. The TSL Computer Proficiency
Goals were developed after paying for the rights to use and modify the St.
Matthew’s Elementary Computer Curriculum (ECC) from http://www.smls.org/ECC/index.html
Before entering the classroom,
the student’s attention will be drawn to the SIX computer use rules as posted
by the computer lab doors. They are listed here, as well:
Students will then be
assigned to a computer. When all assignments are made, the computers will be
turned on and students will be instructed to use the network username and password. When all
students have successfully logged
on, they will receive a message that their password has expired and they must type in a new password. Please choose a
password that is
longer than three characters, and is a mixture of letters, numbers, and
characters. Complicated passwords
are hard to break. Your password
will also expire approximately every 30 days to assist in avoiding your password being broken in
to. NEVER give your password
to anyone.
Students will then go to Network Neighborhood or My Network Places to
learn which computer is the server
and how to access their class
folder and personal folder.
You should NOT have access to anyone else’s folder but your own. All teachers and
administrators have access to any student folder. All student folders are backed up once a week, but if there is
important information you are working on, you will want to back it up on your
own in case of a server crash, or corrupted files.
Each student is responsible
for saving assignments to the server on time. Each student is responsible to
bring a two pocket folder to be used every day in computer applications class.
Turn your computer on, enter your network username, and enter your network password.
You will see the virus files being updated after you log on to the computer. NEVER close the screen until it tells you it is finished. It usually takes only a few seconds for that process to finish.
Follow along on the screen. What you see pictured is referred to as the Desktop. In the bottom left-hand corner of the monitor screen, you find a button labeled Start. This button will be used to find programs you will use at TSL, as well as to Shut Down the computer. On the Desktop are different pictures called icons.
Please follow along on the screen to find the following items: Desktop; Recycle Bin; My Computer; Network Neighborhood or My Network Places, and UltraKey. There may be some other icons on the Desktop, but do not be concerned with those at this time. The locations of these will very depending on if you are using a Windows 98 or a Windows XP computer.
Be able to right-click, left-click, and double-click on icons with the mouse.
Open the My Computer icon by double-clicking on it. If at any times you are having trouble, please ask the teacher for assistance. Please follow along with the class as you are instructed.
Maximize, Minimize, Restore Down, and then Close the My Computer window.
Open My
Computer and know that the C-drive is called the Hard Drive, the A-drive is called the Floppy Drive, and the D-drive is called the
In the bottom right-hand corner of the monitor screen is an icon next to the time. If that virus software icon is ever in gray, and not color, please let your teacher know. Also, if you have any problems with your computer, let your teacher know.
Double-click on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop or start menu. Internet Explorer is the browser we use currently at TSL. A browser is a program for gaining access to the Internet.
You will notice that Google is the home page. That means the Google search engine appears when you open Internet Explorer.
The address bar is labeled with the word “Address”. Left-click on the address bar once and you will see that the address http://www.google.com is now selected with blue. When it is selected, start typing the following address: www.tslwels.org . You will need to follow along with your teacher to get to the web page link for the 5th Grade Computer Curriculum. A link is on a web page so you can go to view more information. You had to click on a few links in order to get to the web page titled “5th Grade Computer Curriculum”.
Once there, your teacher will read with you the introductory paragraph, as well as the copyright information. Then click on the link to Lesson One and Lesson Two. These links take you to another place on the page so you do not have to scroll up and down the page and waste time.
Please review Lessons One, Two and Three. Next class time there will be a Quiz on these three lessons.
Finally, please add this web page to your Favorites. Left-click on the menu bar item called Favorites, and then while the menu appears, go down and left-click on Add to Favorites. When a new dialogue box appears, just click the OK button. We will worry about Organizing Favorites in a later lesson.
Take the “Open Computer” Quiz at the beginning of the class period. You will correct it and go through the answers to review again what you got wrong.
You will be introduced to the UltraKey keyboarding program at this time. Please follow along on the screen with your class as your teacher guides you through the program. Please remember you have a Network password, and an UltraKey password. Please follow password instructions in Lesson One for creating an UltraKey password.
As mentioned previously in this curriculum, 1/3 of your grade is based on keyboarding skill, speed and proficiency. You will devote many class periods to practicing this skill. You will find it beneficial to be a good keyboarder so that you can finish assignments on time for this class and other classes in your years to come at TSL.
First, we will pass around the class some old computers with the covers off so we can talk about and examine the parts.
Next we will read the web pages and go through hand outs based on “The Kids Domain” web site © 2000 found at http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer/lesson.html. This web site, and the accompanying activities and worksheets are free for educational use. In fifth grade, we will use lessons one and two. You will fill out the worksheets and there will be quizzes on each of the lessons. The remaining nine lessons are there for you to peruse at your leisure.
You are also welcome to go to http://www.nald.ca/connect/search_res.asp?q=71&s=subject
for 20 lessons on computer use. The site is called CONNECT. It is
Go to the desktop and right-click on it. Choose Properties from the bottom of the short cut menu that appears. Select the Screen Saver tab on the top of the Display Properties box that appears. Scroll through some of the different choices. You can click on the Settings button to change the way a screen saver appears. You can also choose the Preview button so you can see what the screen saver looks like in real size. When you have chosen one you like, left-click Apply and then left-click OK. Please do not set the screen saver to come on after less than three minutes. It just becomes annoying, and you will force others to go and change it.
You may select almost any picture from the Internet to be your Background. Go to the homepage (Google), and click the link called “Images”. Search for a picture of a Tiger. When you see one you like, left-click on it. You will then see your chosen image at the top left-hand side of the web page. Next, left-click on the image again to enlarge it. After it loads, right-click on the picture and choose Set As Background from the short cut menu. Then minimize the window with the image on it, and you will see the image as your background. If the image is blurry, chose another one. You may also right-click on the background, choose Properties, and then the Desktop tab. Change the Position from Stretch, to Tile, or Center to see if it looks better.
Open the Paint program. It is found in the Start Menu under Programs and then under Accessories.
Please follow along on the screen with your class as your teacher guides you through the program.
Please follow along on the screen to find the following items: Zoom the Image size, Pencil, Brush, Rectangle, Line, Rectangle, Eraser, Free-Form Select tool. Please stay with the class, even if you are just reviewing some of these things.
You now have 10 minutes to draw any picture that gives Glory to God. Then Save the file in your network folder on the server. Save it as, your first name and then background (i.e. Billy background). If at any times you are having trouble, please ask the teacher for assistance.
Finally, go to File on the Menu Bar and chose either Set as Background (centered) or Set as Background (tiled). Then minimize the Paint program and see the picture you have created as your Desktop background.
You will draw and paint a picture with an autumn theme. When you have drawn your picture that gives Glory to God, you will then save it to your network folder. Then you will also save it to your computer so that others can choose your excellent picture as a background for their desktop.
You have no more than 20 minutes to draw your picture. Please take your time and incorporate as many different tools in your picture as possible. Please do not get up and look around at other student’s pictures. There will be time for that during the next class period. When you are done, Save your drawing to your network folder with your name and then autumn (i.e. Billy autumn).
Then go to File and Save As, and save your picture to c:\windows\web\wallpaper (XP) or to c:\windows (98). This will allow you to choose your new autumn picture as your background. Tell the teacher when all of these tasks are accomplished so you can receive a grade.
Please remember on a TSL Windows XP machine, your settings are not specific to each person, but to anyone who uses the computer. So the next time you come to the computer the background may be different. Please do not spend time every day changing your background after you log-in.
You may do the same with any image from the Internet. Just right-click and image and chose Save Picture As from the short cut menu. Save it to the same location mentioned two paragraphs above.
Go to the Start button, Programs, and choose Microsoft Word. It may be located in a program folder called Microsoft Office. Windows XP users will also find it located on the left side of the Start Menu.
Please follow along on the screen with your class as your teacher guides you through the program.
Please follow along on the screen to find the following items: Insertion point, scroll bars, mouse pointer changes, Title bar, Menu bar, Standard tool bar, Formatting tool bar, Drawing tool bar, different buttons, and the rulers. If at any times you are having trouble, please ask the teacher for assistance.
Please review the buttons in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Take notice that when the window is Restored Down, that you can put the mouse pointer in the bottom right hand corner, by the gray dots arranged in a triangle, and you can than left-click and drag to resize the window. This will be useful when you want to see a web page at the same time as a Word Processing document.
Finally, be familiar with the status bar and what it could tell you. Notice also the default setting for the type of Font and the Font Size.
Use the rest of the class time to review for the Quiz you will have next class period.
Take the “Open Computer” Quiz at the beginning of the class period. You will correct it and go through the answers to review again what you got wrong.
Once Microsoft Word is open (Word), change the Font Size to 18 point, and the Font to Arial. Please be informed that Microsoft Office 2003 (XP machines) has more Font choices then Office 97 (98 machines).
Type your name and press the Enter key on the keyboard. Next, type your name in all capital letters by pushing down the Caps Lock key first. Notice the keyboard light that goes on to notify you the Caps Lock key is pressed. DO NOT use Caps Lock to capitalize one letter. Use the Shift key at the same time. If you make a mistake, use the backspace key (arrow above Enter) to delete it.
Take the mouse and left-click the insertion point anywhere in the text you typed. Begin typing again. Notice how the previous text moves away to allow the new text to be inserted. Left-click the mouse in the text, then left-click and drag to select some text. While the text is selected, start typing. Notice the previous text is automatically deleted and replaced by your new text.
Notice while you type, the information in the status bar changes. If Word believes you spelled a word wrong, it is underlined in red. If Word believes you are using bad grammar, it underlines it in green. Misspell a word on purpose. Now right-click on the misspelled word and choose the proper option from the short cut menu.
Now put the insertion point at the end of your text. Press the Enter key three times. Go up and left-click the Show/Hide character button. It is located to the left of the Zoom box (percent). The Show/Hide character button shows you nonprinting characters that are helpful to see when formatting documents. Finally, type a really long sentence and notice how the Word Wrap feature works to make the words automatically go to the next line.
Use the rest of the class time to review for the Quiz you will have next class period. Do not save this work.
Take the “Open Computer” Quiz at the beginning of the class period. You will correct it and go through the answers to review again what you got wrong.
Launch the Browser. Review the Browser and the Home Page used at TSL. Find the Title bar, Menu bar, Standard Buttons bar, and Address bar.
In the Address bar, type in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) www.altavista.com . Search for the word “basketball”. Notice how many pages of sites were found (211,000,000). Keep searches as narrow as possible. What we really meant to search for was “basketball games”. Notice there are fewer hits for a narrower search (80,700,000). Now search for “Milwaukee Bucks basketball games” (1,400,000). We will cover more on Internet searches later in Lesson Nineteen.
Now go back to Google. We want to add to our Favorites and make a folder. First Search for “weather maps”. Left-click on a link and find a map you want to use. Then go to Favorites and left-click Add to Favorites. When the dialogue box comes up, choose New Folder and call it “Weather Maps”. Then click OK and on the next dialogue box chose the Create in button and left-click once on the folder called “Weather Maps” so that it opens. When you left-click the OK button, you have added a web page to your Favorites so you can quickly get back to it later.
Your assignment is to add three web pages to your “Weather Maps” folder and add another folder titled your name (i.e. Billy Williams). Any web sites you add to Favorites are found only on the computer you save them to. So if you are doing homework, you may want to copy and past the URL into the document so you can refer to it later on a different computer. Or, your teacher may make you write it down on another piece of paper or a note card for reference later.
Review Browser, Home Page, and all of the tool bars on the top of the Browser window.
Go to each of the following search engines: AltaVista, Google, Ask Jeeves, All the Web, and Vivisimo Add each one to your Favorites in a folder called “Search Engines”.
Notice how each search engine is different from the other.
Search for any poem by Emily Dickinson. You may use any of the search engines above. Write down the URL on an index card. Go to File on the Menu bar and choose Print. Familiarize yourself with the print dialogue box. Use the Print Preview feature to see what page you need to print. Print only the poem! DO NOT print the entire web site. It is a waste of paper! Save the index card and your poem in your computer folder for the next class period.
Open a new Word document. Type your Emily Dickinson poem, using the center feature for the title and author. You may have your printed poem to type off of, or you may type in the URL and have a browser and a Word window open at the same time. When you are done, save it to your network folder as your name and then Dickinson (i.e. Billy Dickinson). Using this poem you have typed, we will review in class some buttons on the Word tool bars, as well as how to change font colors, and use the highlight tool.
Please follow along on the screen with your class as your teacher guides you through the program.
When we are done, save the changes to your poem.
Open a new Word document. Change the Font Size to 16 point and the Font to Arial. Go the Menu bar and choose Format and then choose Paragraph. Change the Line spacing to 1.5 lines. You will be typing a Christmas letter to your Grandparents. When your letter is done, we will also use Tools, Letters and Mailings, Envelopes and Labels to print an envelope with your Grandparent’s address and your return address on it. Please bring your Grandparent’s address and a stamp to school. TSL will provide the envelope.
In your letter, make sure you have a date in the upper right-hand corner, your greeting ends with a comma, and your closing has a comma after it with a few lines of space to write your name after you print your letter out. Please review proper information to be in an address as well.
This is a review day. You should be able to review the following items: Computer Use Rules, icons, desktop, drive names, moving and resizing a window, save to the network folder, keyboard posture, tool bars in Word and the browser, various buttons and their functions, searching, adding and organizing favorites.
Use the rest of the class time to review for the Quiz you will have next class period.
Take the “Open Computer” Quiz at the beginning of the class period. You will correct it and go through the answers to review again what you got wrong.
You have been give three paragraphs of a Literature story. Type them as they are given to you. When you are done, you will go back and make any corrections. It is quicker and a more efficient use of time to make corrections at the end, especially if the text you are typing is not your own.
First correct any spelling and grammar mistakes that you find. Remember, Word may not find them all for you. You will still have to know rules of spelling and grammar. Choose a proper title and add it to the top. Center it with a different, larger sized font. Please use the Tab button to indent each paragraph. Make all of the typed text Line spacing 1.5 lines and the Font size 16 and the Font Palatino.
When you are done, save it to your network folder for a grade.
You will need to bring your Social Studies book with you today. We will use some more advanced word processing techniques for the next couple of lessons.
Open your Social Studies text book to page 96. There you see the title, “Native Americans of the Plains”. Type those words as the title of your new Word document. Then, leave the insertion point where it is and go to the Menu bar and Insert a Break. The Break we want to add is called a Continuous Section Break. Choose the correct circle, and then left-click OK. If you do not have the Show/Hide characters button clicked on, please do so now. Otherwise you can see no difference on your page as you type.
Next we will put the Word document into two columns. The Columns button is on the Standard tool bar and looks like two columns of typing. Left-click the columns button and click and drag over two columns. When you release the mouse, you will see you have two columns only by looking at the ruler on the top of the Word document.
Begin typing all of the text starting with the blue sub-title, “The Big Picture”. All you are concerned about now is typing text. When you get to a new paragraph, type the Enter key followed by the Tab key to indent. Do not change the font or the font size at this time. Do not worry about different boldness and colors of the text either. When you have almost the entire Word page filled with text, then you can stop typing and format your page.
The format should be as follows: The title should be 22 point, centered, and choose your own legible font; the text should be 14 point, Arial font; proof read your typing to catch all spelling and grammar mistakes; then go with a classmate and use peer-editing as well to make sure all mistakes are caught.
Now search on the Internet for ONE appropriate picture to add to your two columns of text. Refer back to Lesson Six above for searching and using a picture from the Internet. Now right-click on your picture, and choose Copy from the short cut menu, and then right-click in your two columns where you want your picture. Don’t be too fussy with where the picture is because you can always move it. After you right-click, choose Paste from the short cut menu. If you are using Office 97 (Windows 98), you can just left-click on the picture and drag it to the proper place. Notice when you left-click on the picture, little squares called handles appear around the picture. Left-click and drag on these to resize your picture. It must fit between the column margins. If any part of the picture is in the shaded area of the rulers, it will not print correctly, especially the top, bottom, left, and right margins.
If you are using Office 2000 and higher (Windows XP), you will still be able to resize the picture with the handles. However, you will not be able to move it. You will need to right-click on the picture and choose Format Picture from the short cut menu. Then choose the tab Layout and choose Tight as the Wrapping style. After you click OK, you will see the handles change in shape and color. You can now left-click and drag to move the picture around.
Finally, use bold and different Font Colors to change the text to match the Social Studies book as closely as possible. Peer-editing can again catch many mistakes. When you are done, save it as Social Studies in your network folder so it can be graded.
Computer and technology advances have blurred the lines with which people have usually been able to distinguish right from wrong. Just because something is posted to a web page, or just because your computer has a CD-RW drive (CD burner) does not mean use of those materials is legally or morally correct. Most of this lesson deals with the word copyright and how it can be abused, or how it can lead you to think information on a web page is correct because it is copyrighted.
Copyright means the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, and sell the matter and form; as of a literary, musical, or artistic work (http://m-w.com). Just because it is on the World Wide Web (WWW), does not mean you can take that information and use it as if it was your own. People must pay for each copyrighted piece of information that they own. Books, sheet music, cartoons, CD’s—all are included under copyright protection. Many things available on the WWW can be used by you. However, many things on the web are not there for the taking.
“Pirated” CD’s and software are actually stolen. Its use has not been paid for. It is unlawful to copy videos, music, and written material unless you have permission to, or have paid to do it. Most computer software comes with permission to make one “back-up” copy. However, you can not give that “back-up” copy to your cousin so they can use the software without paying for it.
Any computer software bought for your computer is for use on only one computer. A “site license” can be bought so the software can be used on many computers (i.e. UltraKey at TSL). Unfortunately for our sinful nature, we are on our own honor to limit the number of machines on which software is used. A “license is not freedom to use the software on as many computers as you can. The larger corporations (Microsoft) have complicated software keys that allow the software to be installed on only one computer.
Stolen words and ideas are equally troubling for educational institutions. Plagiarism is trying to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: use (another's production) without crediting the source (http://m-w.com). That is why the two definitions I used in this lesson have a web source in parenthesis. This is not my idea, but someone else’s. At the top of this curriculum you also see reference to the fact that the idea for this curriculum came from someone else. Not only do I give credit to them, but I paid them for permission to use and modify their work.
Plagiarism can be applied to words or entire written documents. If you use someone else’s words or pictures, you must give them credit. It is never legal for you to use someone else’s words or pictures to make money. That is why copyrighted characters are not allowed in the Watertown Daily Times’ Design an Ad contest.
Words and computer products can be stolen like music, videos, and money. A Christian will examine what God has to say before doing anything.
Stewardship means the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care (http://m-w.com). Anyone can put information on paper and on the Internet. Just look at this document I have written! You must cross reference information. That means when you read or see something, make sure it is correct. Evaluate it with other information pertaining to the subject. Check it for accuracy. And, remember, always credit some one else’s information you are using.
The following web sites will help you deal with the idea of Information Literacy. How to use information on the Internet, how to find it, how to evaluate its accuracy, and what certain Internet terms mean.
The first site is titled, “Grammar of the Internet”, by Alan November, a nationally renowned expert in using the Internet for education http://www.novemberlearning.com/Default.aspx?tabid=160. We will use “Grammar of the Internet” lessons one, two and four in the TSL fifth grade computer curriculum. Please feel free to familiarize yourself with the rest of the lessons, for they have excellent information which can be used in your life later, or your siblings and parents lives, too. They can learn from you!!
Please keep all handouts in your computer folder. We will take more than one day to examine these and answer the questions.
Secondly, http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf is a great explanation of what copyright is and how it applies to students at TSL using information.
A third web site is a deeper explanation and discussion of
cases presented in
Finally, a discussion about myths of copyright is included at http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html. Scroll down to the end of the article for the summary. Also note the DMCA Alert.
We will use the lesson at http://www.cyberbee.com/copyrpln.pdf to examine copyright issues more fully as they apply to you. Please keep the handouts given to you in your computer folder.
Use the rest of the class time to review for the Quiz you will have next class period.
Take the “Open Computer” Quiz at the beginning of the class period. You will correct it and go through the answers to review again what you got wrong.
Open Microsoft PowerPoint. Go to the Start button, Programs, and choose Microsoft PowerPoint. It may be located in a program folder called Microsoft Office. Windows XP users will also find it located on the left side of the Start Menu.
Please follow along on the screen with your class as your teacher guides you through the program.
Please follow along on the screen to find the following items: Title Slide, Blank Slide, Word Art, Increase and Decrease Font Size, Background, Insert Text Box, Format Text Box, Insert Picture, Drawing tools, and various other short cuts that are similar to Word.
Use the rest of the class time to review for the Quiz you will have next class period.
Take the “Open Computer” Quiz at the beginning of the class period. You will correct it and go through the answers to review again what you got wrong.
Take notice of the Post Card example that the teacher will show you in class. Your assignment will be to make a post card in PowerPoint. You will pretend to be at a favorite vacation destination. You will make two slides in PowerPoint to represent a post card.
The first side will have: 1) at least two pictures of your vacation destination, as well as; 2) some words telling where your location is. Refer to the examples for ideas.
The second slide needs to have the following: 3) Text box in 16 point font for writing (typing) your message; 4) a stamp in the upper left-hand corner; 5) a text box for the address to whom you are sending the post card; 6) a text box of explanation of the front of the post card.
You should use different 7) font sizes and fonts, 8) as well as background colors and finally, 9) at least one drawing tool bar object.
Save it to your network folder as “post card” for a grade.
You will choose a country to report on. You must choose
THREE web sites to use in researching information about your country. Save them to your Favorites list and remember
to write them down on a note card. One web site to use must be the CIA World Fact book (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/).
As you read through your web sites, write down information on note cards that
you might use in your report. Exact facts obviously need to be quoted word for
word (i.e. the population of
The title page of your report should be made as follows: title of report (larger font then 12 point), one picture of your country, and your name and the date the report is due—all centered, 12 point font, Times New Roman.
The content that needs to be included is summarized here: Historical background; People, Geography, Economy, and Transnational Issues.
Format: Margins all at 1”; Times New Roman Font, 12 point. and justified, 1.5 line spacing; No extra spacing between paragraphs; No title in the body…that’s what a title page is for; Spelling and Grammar checked.
All of these features are further explained with the accompanying rubric. Please hand in the rubric with the complete report. Save the report to your network folder as the name of your country.
Copyright 2005—Andrew Willems—property of Trinity-St.
Luke’s