KID KEYS - Knowledge Adventureimages.knowledgeadventure.com/school/teachermaterials/6272860.pdf · 1 Kid Keys KID KEYS ™ TABLE OF CONTENTS ... explore the keyboard to learn key

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1 Kid Keys

KID KEYS™TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 PROGRAM OVERVIEW CHART

3 WELCOME TO THE KID KEYS TEACHER’S GUIDE

UNIT 1 – EXPLORING THE KEYSTONE KEYBOARD

5 Activity 1: Key Wizard

10 Activity 2: Crazy Matchmaker

16 Activity 3: Alphabet Books

20 Activity 4: Letter Investigators

UNIT 2 – KEYSTONE’S CASTLE

23 Activity 1: Exploring Keystone’s Castle

27 Activity 2: Castle Mysteries

31 Activity 3: Secret Letters

36 Activity 4: Castle Tunes

UNIT 3 – MAGIC MIRROR

39 Activity 1: Helping Keystone

47 Activity 2: Magic Mirror Rhymes

51 Activity 3: Invitations Only

GENERAL BLACKLINE MASTERS

55 Keyboard

56 Blank Keyboard

57 Home Row Hand Position

58 Icon Glossary

60 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Reproduction of these pages by the classroom teacher for use in the classroom is permissible.

Reproduction of any part of this book for an entire school or school system or for commercial use is strictly prohibited.


Kid Keys is a trademark of Knowledge Adventure, Inc. and its licensors. All Rights Reserved.

All trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.


2 Kid Keys

KID KEYS™THE MAGICAL TYPING TUTOR

SSkill Development:

✓ Introduces keyboarding skills

✓ Builds letter phonic and word recog-

nition skills

✓ Introduces mouse skills

AActivity Components:

Keystone Keyboard – allows students to

explore the keyboard to learn key

positions and letter names

Dragon Tunes – uses music to teach stu-

dents to type combinations of letters

Magic Mirror – incorporates letter recogni-

tion and typing skills

Mouse Chase – develops mouse skills

Castle Keys – allows students to type com-

plete sentences, with punctuation

Title Screen:

Special Features:

• digitized speech, music, and sound

effects

• helping hands to show correct finger

position

• large easy-to-read type

• printable personalized certificates

• exciting animations


3 Kid Keys

WELCOME TO THE KID KEYS TEACHER’S GUIDE

This guide for teachers of children ages 4–8 is

designed to introduce students to keyboard ori-

entation and reading readiness skills important

to their fluent use of the computer.

Kid Keys gives children the opportunity to work

in a multimedia-rich learning environment that

includes graphics, music, sound effects, and

spoken reinforcements. Students are encour-

aged to explore and make choices, to express

themselves through writing, and to become flu-

ent in computer use. They will have the chance

to use their imagination in a land of castles and

monsters while learning these important skills.

KID KEYS UNITS

The Teacher’s Guide features three units:

Exploring the Keyboard, Keystone’s Castle, and

Magic Mirror. Each unit is designed to follow

along with the computer program and includes

blackline masters to support each activity.

These lessons are designed to help you bring

computers and keyboarding into your class-

room using a cross-curricular approach to read-

ing and writing. Student activities are provided

for use before, during, and after sessions at the

computer. It is assumed that students will work

at the computer in small groups or with a part-

ner. Students explore the magic of keyboarding

with the help of Keystone the dragon and the

castle friends.

The KKeystone Keyboard teaches students

beginning keyboarding skills such as key posi-

tions and letter names. It allows students the

opportunity to familiarize themselves with the

layout of the keyboard and to practice letter


4 Kid Keys

and word recognition at their own pace.

Student activities include writing and typing

Keystone’s likes and dislikes, writing him a letter,

matching words to pictures, making compar-

isons, alphabetizing, and exploring the key-

board.

DDragon Tunes gives children a chance to asso-

ciate a sound with a letter location. Students

can experiment by creating their own songs, as

well as play the alphabet game against the

clock. They can also print certificates stating their

time. Students are asked to make predictions,

solve mysteries, and create their own musical

tunes in Dragon Tunes.

Magic Mirror introduces students to the home

row position and incorporates typing skills previ-

ously learned. Students are given the opportuni-

ty to write funny rhymes and to invite some of

Keystone’s friends to a party. After students

have set the castle friends free, they can print

certificates for display in the classroom.

Curriculum areas covered by the Kid Keys

lessons include art, music, reading, and creative

writing. These activities stress cooperative learn-

ing, interaction among the students, and key-

boarding accuracy over speed.

Each activity introduces and reinforces impor-

tant skills and is based on the following

research-based assumptions of how young

children best learn keyboarding skills:

• Young children, because of limited fine

motor coordination and left/right transfer

abilities, learn keyboarding skills best with

an exploratory, alphabetic sequence

approach rather than the traditional

QWERTY configurations and hand positions.

• Young children progress better when accu-

racy is stressed first, with timekeeping self-

selected or introduced after repeated

exploration and practice.

• Young children learn most effectively when

there is a letter/sound audio response that

reinforces key selection and letter recogni-

tion.

• Young children learn to associate letter and

keyboard position most successfully when

there is an image or picture link to the key

or letter to be learned.

• Young children progress most easily from

self-driven exploration to prompts, moving

from prompts of single letters to letter com-

binations, illustrated words, and finally

prompted words in context. The goal is to

reach a keyboarding rate of 10 words per

minute with reasonable accuracy.

• Young children respond positively to activi-

ties and learning in arts-integrated environ-

ments that include visual and musical ele-

ments for exploration and manipulation.

PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY

KKey Wizard is a cooperative learning activity

that involves students in entering their own

words and letters on the Keystone Keyboard. As

Key Wizards, students work with partners to

brainstorm words for foods and activities

Keystone likes and dislikes. They type these

words at the keyboard as a team. To complete

the activity, students will write letters to Keystone

introducing themselves.

Before the Computer

• Bring the students together in a group at the

board. Help them brainstorm Key Wizard

words for Keystone. Leave the words on the

board.

• Distribute copies of the Key Wizard activity

sheets on pages 7–8. Have the students

work with a partner to make up their own

list of words for Keystone.

• Pass out copies of the paper keyboard on

page 55. Ask students to practice keying the

alphabet and their words at their desks.

Encourage students to take turns typing and

reading the words and letters on their lists.

At the Computer

• Use the Keystone Keyboard in level 1. One

student acts as the typist (Key Wizard) while

the other is the reader.

• Ask both students to take turns typing the

alphabet. The reader says the letter name.

The Key Wizard presses the spoken letter.


5 Kid Keys

UNIT 1 KEY WIZARD — ACTIVITY 1

BACKGROUND

Kid Keys involves students in beginning keyboarding skills and letter recognition

important to emerging computer use and creative writing. Research tells us that chil-

dren’s keyboarding skills progress faster when accuracy is stressed over speed. The

Key Wizard activity gives students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the

layout of the keyboard and practice letter and word recognition at their own pace.

OBJECTIVES

To become familiar with the layout of the keyboard

To learn keyboard letter locations

To type their own words on the Keystone Keyboard


6 Kid Keys

• After they feel comfortable with the alpha-

bet, ask the student reader to speak the

words from their brainstorming list. The Key

Wizard types the first letter of each word on

the Keystone Keyboard.

AAfter the Computer

• Hand out copies of the Letter to Keystone

activity sheet on page 9. Ask the students to

work together to write a short letter to

Keystone telling him about their likes and

dislikes. Encourage the students to use

words from their brainstorming list.

• Give students an opportunity to share their

letters with the class. Collect all the letters

and put them in a “Letters to Keystone”

booklet for the entire class to read.


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

KEY WIZARD

What do you think are some of Keystone’s favorite foods?

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

What foods does Keystone not like to eat?

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________


7 Kid Keys


8 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

KEY WIZARD (continued)

What does Keystone like to do for fun?

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

What does Keystone not like to do for fun?

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________


LETTER TO KEYSTONE

Dear Keystone:

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Your friends,

___________________

___________________


9 Kid Keys


10 Kid Keys


Keystone’s Find game involves the students in

identifying letters, words, and pictures on the

Keystone Keyboard. The students work with

partners both on and off the computer to prac-

tice their keyboarding skills. They later identify

and match some of the same keyboard words

on the CCrazy Matchmaker activity pages. Finally,

the students use the target vocabulary in a cre-

ative writing activity to complete the exercise.

Before the Computer

• Hand out copies of the paper keyboard on

p. 55. Ask the students to play the Keystone

Find game at their desks. One student will

be Keystone while the other student is the

Key Wizard. For example, the Keystone

player asks the Key Wizard to “find the T.”

The Key Wizard types the letter T on the

paper keyboard. After several letters have

been given and found, ask the students to

switch roles.

• After students have each spoken and locat-

ed letters, ask the first Keystone to prompt

the Key Wizard with animal words. The Key

Wizard will find and type the first letter of the

word spoken. For example, if the first student

says “Find the bear,” the Key Wizard types

the letter B for the first letter of that word.

When students switch roles, ask the

Keystone student to prompt the Key Wizard

with people words like queen, clown, etc.

UNIT 1 CRAZY MATCHMAKER — ACTIVITY 2

BACKGROUND

Kid Keys involves young students in learning letter and keyboard positions by associ-

ating a picture image with the key/letter to be learned. The Crazy Matchmaker and

Crazy Comparison activities give students the opportunity to practice letter and word

recognition in conjunction with key location.

OBJECTIVES

To be able to match letter and word associations


At the Computer

• Use the Keystone Keyboard in the find

mode, levels 1, 2, and 3, to play Keystone’s

Find game. Students should play in each

level long enough to be familiar with the

animals and people in the program. Ask

students to print and display any certificates

they earn when they finish a level. Make

certain students take turns typing.

After the Computer

• Distribute copies of the Crazy Matchmaker:

People and Crazy Matchmaker: Animals

activity sheets on pages 12–13. Ask students

to cut out the words on the bottom of the

page and paste them under the correct

picture.

• After students have completed the Crazy

Matchmaker activity, bring them together at

the board. Distribute copies of the Crazy

Comparisons activity sheets on pages 14–15.

Discuss what the word comparisons means.

Help the students create the first few crazy

comparisons on the board. Read all the

comparison sentences with the children. Ask

students to use words from the Crazy

Matchmaker pages to fill in the rest of the

crazy comparisons.

• Ask the students to draw a picture of their

favorite crazy comparison and write a sen-

tence about it at the bottom of the page.

Give each group an opportunity to share

their drawings and favorite comparisons

with the class.


11 Kid Keys


12 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

CRAZY MATCHMAKER: PEOPLE

Help Keystone match these words to the pictures. Cut out the words belowand paste them under the correct picture.

king queen umpire zombie

clown jester girl mummy


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

CRAZY MATCHMAKER: ANIMALS

Help Keystone match these words to the pictures. Cut out the words belowand paste them under the correct picture.

snake owl horse cow

frog lion duck bear


13 Kid Keys


14 Kid Keys


15 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

CRAZY COMPARISONS

1. The bear has a nose like a ____________________.

2. The duck has wings like a ____________________.

3. The cow has ears like a ____________________.

4. The lion has eyes like a ____________________.

5. The cat has a face like a ____________________.

Now make up some real crazy comparisons. Example: What if the clown had a face like a duck?

1. What if a clown had legs like a ____________________?

2. What if a zombie had a nose like a ____________________?

3. What if the umpire had ____________________ like a cow?

4. What if a _____________ had _____________ like a _____________?

5. What if a _____________ had _____________ like a _____________?


NName_____________________________

CRAZY COMPARISONS (continued)

Draw Keystone a picture of your favorite Crazy Comparison and write your sentence at the bottom.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________


16 Kid Keys


17 Kid Keys


AAlphabet Books gives the students an opportu-

nity to help Keystone clean up the playroom.

The students put Keystone’s Alphabet Books in

order on the bookshelf and help him with his

chore.

Before the Computer

• Distribute copies of the Alphabet Books

activity sheet on pages 17–18. Ask students

to work with a partner to identify each pic-

ture. Ask them to write the first letter for this

picture word.

At the Computer

• Ask students to take the Alphabet Books

activity sheet to the computer. Use the

Keystone Keyboard in level 1and type

the alphabet to find the pictures asso-

ciated with each key. Have students take

turns typing until they see each picture on

the Alphabet Books.

• Tell students they will need to type the same

letter three times to see all the pictures

associated with each key and verify the let-

ters they wrote for the book pictures.

After the Computer

• Distribute copies of the Keystone’s Bookshelf

activity sheet on page 19. Ask students to

cut out the pictures and paste them onto

Keystone’s bookshelf in alphabetical order.

• Ask students to compare their bookshelves

with those of other groups when they have

finished. Is the order the same or different?

UNIT 1 ALPHABET BOOKS — ACTIVITY 3

BACKGROUND

Kid Keys teaches young children keyboarding skills through an alphabet sequence

approach rather than the traditional QWERTY configuration. Alphabet Books is an

activity that gives children an opportunity to practice keyboarding in alphabetical

order.

OBJECTIVES


To practice the alphabet sequence


NName_____________________________

ALPHABET BOOKS

Help Keystone identify and put these pictures in alphabetical order. Youmay use the Keystone Keyboard in level 1 to help you identify some of thepictures. Cut and paste them onto the bookshelf.


18 Kid Keys


19 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

ALPHABET BOOKS (continued)


NName_____________________________

KEYSTONE’S BOOKSHELF


20 Kid Keys


21 Kid Keys


LLetter Investigators is an activity that will send

students on a letter hunt guessing, investigating,

and finding answers. The students work with

partners to investigate what happens on the

Keystone Keyboard when they type their

favorite letters. Bring the students back together

to complete the activity by letting the students

share their results.

Before the Computer

• Bring the students together in a group at the

board. Ask students to share their favorite

numbers. Write them on the board. Ask the

students why a number is their favorite. Ask

individual students to tell you their favorite

letters. Why are these letters special?

• Distribute copies of the Letter Investigators

activity sheet on page 22. Have the students

work with a partner to fill the first column

with a list of their favorite letters. Next to

each letter, have them draw or write what

they think will jump out from behind the let-

ters they type on the Keystone Keyboard.

At the Computer

• Ask the students to take their Letter Investi-

gator pages to the Keystone Keyboard. Use

the Keystone Keyboard in level 1. Ask the

students to type their letters on the key-

board to find out what word or character

pops out from the key. Monsters don’t

count, so encourage students to press the

key again if Libby, Alfred, Violet, or Monty

appears.

• In the last column, ask the students to write

or draw what they saw.

UNIT 1 LETTER INVESTIGATORS — ACTIVITY 4

BACKGROUND

An image or a picture link association with the keys on the keyboard helps students

remember letter locations. Letter Investigators will help the students associate the let-

ters on the Keystone Keyboard with a picture.

OBJECTIVES

To associate a picture with key position

To practice letter and word recognition

After the Computer


answers with another group.

• Bring the students back together at the

board. Ask the students which letters they

listed as their favorites.

• Keep a tally of how many students picked

each letter. Ask students to identify which

letter on the board is the most popular.

Count how many votes there are for that

letter. Ask the students which letter has the

fewest votes. Ask students how many more

votes there are for the most popular letter

than for the least popular letter.


22 Kid Keys


23 Kid Keys

UNIT 1 LETTER INVESTIGATORS — ACTIVITY 4

NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

LETTER INVESTIGATORS

Favorite Letter This Might Pop Out This Did Pop Out

1. ______ __________________ ________________

2. ______ __________________ ________________

3. ______ __________________ ________________

4. ______ __________________ ________________

5. ______ __________________ ________________


23 Kid Keys

UNIT 2 EXPLORING KEYSTONE’S CASTLE — ACTIVITY 1

BACKGROUND

Exploring Keystone’s castle gives students the opportunity to practice their keyboard-

ing skills and use their imagination in a creative writing activity. Students guess what

they might see in a castle. They explore Keystone’s castle through use of the key-

board to find out what is really inside.

OBJECTIVES

To hypothesize about what objects would be found in a specific place

To name and write words for objects in the castle

To classify objects by certain criteria

To locate and type particular letters on the keyboard


Students use their problem-solving and key-

boarding skills to predict and locate items in

Keystone’s castle. Students may need extra time

for this activity because they need to type each

key at least three times on the Keystone

Keyboard to see all of the characters in

Keystone’s castle. When they have predicted

and located their castle objects, students will

have the opportunity to create their own castle.

BBefore the Computer

• Bring students together at the board. Act as

recorder as they brainstorm what kinds of

objects and characters they might find in

Keystone’s castle. Ask students to find a

partner and encourage them to continue to

think of castle objects together.

• Distribute copies of Exploring Keystone’s

Castle activity sheet on page 25. Each team

creates its own list for question one.

At the Computer

• Ask students to bring the Exploring

Keystone’s Castle activity sheet with them to

the computer. Ask students to look at the

castle interior and the Keystone Keyboard.

Encourage them to explore the castle’s key-

board carefully, typing the alphabet more

than once. What objects or characters pop

out? Which things appear on their list? What

items can be added to the other two lists on

the activity sheet?


24 Kid Keys

AAfter the Computer

• Bring students back together at the board.

Help students brainstorm a list of things they

would like to keep in a castle of their very

own. Write their ideas on the board.

• Distribute copies of Building Keystone’s

Castle activity sheet on page 26. Ask stu-

dents to draw a picture of their castle and

write about what they would keep in it.


drawings and writings. Ask them to help you

make a Dream Castle display in the class-

room.


25 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

EXPLORING KEYSTONE’S CASTLE

What do you think you might find in Keystone’s castle?

_____________________________ ______________________________

_____________________________ ______________________________

_____________________________ ______________________________

What did you see in Keystone’s castle that was not on your list?

_____________________________ ______________________________

_____________________________ ______________________________

_____________________________ ______________________________

What did you see in Keystone’s castle that you probably wouldn’t find inanother castle?

_____________________________ ______________________________

_____________________________ ______________________________

_____________________________ ______________________________


26 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

BUILDING KEYSTONE’S CASTLE

You are going to build a new castle. What would you keep in your castle? Draw a picture of your castle.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________


27 Kid Keys


In Castle Mysteries, students learn and practice

letter/key locations on the keyboard by solving

problems and creating new mysteries for other

students to solve.


• Bring students together at the board. Explain

that many objects, animals, and characters

are hidden in Keystone’s Magic Keyboard.

• Play the Who Am I? mystery game and ask

students who lives in a castle, what animals

roar, what animals eat flies, and who enter-

tains at a circus? Give them an opportunity

to suggest some mysteries and clues.

• Distribute copies of the Castle Mysteries

activity sheet on page 28. Ask students to

work in pairs as they look at the clues and

write down their guesses before going to

the computer.

At the Computer

• Ask students to use the Keystone Keyboard

level 1 to verify if their original guesses were

right. Put a star by correct answers.

• Hand out copies of the Mystery Objects

activity sheet on page 29. Explain that now

the students will make Castle Mysteries for

others to solve. While still at the computer,

ask them to list five objects that pop out of

the keyboard which they would like to turn

into mysteries.

After the Computer

• Ask students to write clues for their five mys-

tery objects on copies of the Who Am I?

activity sheet on page 30.

• Ask students to exchange their mysteries

with another group. Have pairs select two of

their mysteries which they think are the

hardest and present them to the class.

UNIT 2 CASTLE MYSTERIES — ACTIVITY 2

BACKGROUND

Castle Mysteries gives students the opportunity to become familiar with keyboard,

letter, and word/object locations. Students work in pairs to identify mystery objects by

following Keystone’s clues and go on to create new castle mysteries for their friends.

OBJECTIVES

To learn letter/key/object locations

To find solutions to problems by forming guesses from clues

To develop new mysteries for others to solve


28 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

CASTLE MYSTERIES

Example:I am part of your body you use to smell a flower with.

__________________________________________________

1. I am married to the king and live in a castle.

__________________________________________________

2. I will roar if you make me mad.

__________________________________________________

3. I sit on a lily pad and catch flies with my tongue.

__________________________________________________

4. I work at the circus and wear a funny costume.

__________________________________________________

5. My arms and legs have strings attached.

__________________________________________________

Nose


29 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

OUR MYSTERY OBJECTS

PLANNING SHEET

1. ___________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________


30 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

WHO AM I?

Write five clues to give to a friend.

1. ______________________________________________________________

Who am I? ______________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

Who am I?_______________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

Who am I?_______________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________

Who am I?_______________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

Who am I?_______________________________________________________


31 Kid Keys


The Secret Letters activity teaches children the

importance of following directions. Students are

given the chance to find Keystone’s secret let-

ters by following detailed written instructions.

After they have found all of Keystone’s letters,

the students work with partners to choose new

letters and write directions for other students to

follow.


• Bring students together at the board. Talk

about how directions can help us find

something. Ask students why directions are

important. Ask students how they would tell

a visitor to find the office or the nearest

door to the playground. What step-by-step

directions would they give to help someone

make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

Write some instructions the students suggest

on the board.

• Ask students to work with partners. Distribute

copies of the What’s The Letter? activity

sheet on page 33.

At the Computer

• Ask students to take their What’s the Letter?

activity sheet to the computer and follow

the directions to locate the secret keys on

the Keystone Keyboard.

UNIT 2 SECRET LETTERS — ACTIVITY 3

BACKGROUND

Students are given an opportunity to become familiar with keyboard letter locations

in the Secret Letters activity. By following written instructions to locate keys on the key-

board, students learn to associate a key in relation to other keys and practice right-

hand/left-hand directionality.

OBJECTIVES

To follow written directions

To write directions for others to follow

To locate keys in relation to other keys on the keyboard

To practice right- and left-hand directionality


32 Kid Keys

AAfter the Computer

• Distribute copies of the Secret Letters activity

sheet on page 34. Ask students to choose

their own secret letters. Using their paper

keyboards on page 55, students write

instructions for locating the secret letters.

Encourage students to try to find the letters

using their own directions.

• Once students are certain of their instruc-

tions on the planning sheet, ask them to

write their final set of directions for each

secret letter on a copy of the Can You Find

Me? activity sheet on page 35.

• Students exchange their activity sheets with

another group, and try to follow the direc-

tions and find the secret letters on their

paper keyboards.

• Give students time to share their experi-

ences. Which directions were clear and

easy to follow? What other directions could

be used to find that letter?


33 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

WHAT’S THE LETTER?

Example: Start at the letter QQ. Count five keys to your right. What

letter am I? Y

1. Start at the letter H.

Count three letters to your left.

What letter am I? _______________

2. Start at the letter BB.

Count two letters to your right.

Count one letter up.

What letter am I? _______________

3. Start at the letter II.

Count down two letters.

Count three letters to your left.

What letter am I? ______________

4. Start at the letter PP.

Count four letters to your left.

Count one letter down.

Count three letters to your right.


5. Start at the letter WW.

Count one letter down.

Count four letters to your right.

Count one letter up.

Count two letters to your left.



34 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

SECRET LETTERS

PLANNING SHEET

Letter _______________

Instructions ______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Letter _______________

Instructions ______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Letter _______________

Instructions ______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________


35 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

CAN YOU FIND ME?

1. _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

The secret letter is ___________

2. _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________


3. _____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________



36 Kid Keys


Students work on and off the computer to prac-

tice keying their names and interesting words.

Students take on the role of songwriters and

turn words into tunes for a Dragon Songbook.


• Distribute copies of the Dragon Songbook

Plans activity sheet on page 37. Ask pairs of

students to write names of friends, garden

items, and items from space on the activity

sheet. Ask students to practice keying those

words on their paper keyboards (page 55)

at their desks.

At the Computer

• Ask students to type words from their list in

the Dragon Tunes level 1. Ask them to put a

star next to the tunes they like. By the end of

their time at the computer, students should

have identified 3–5 word songs they like.

After the Computer

• Distribute copies of the Dragon Songbook

Tunes activity sheet on page 38. Ask stu-

dents to write their final song choices for

their favorite tunes.

• Compile a Dragon Songbook with all the

children’s original song selections and place

it at the computer. Give each team a

chance to go to the computer and play

songs from the book.

• If time permits, let teams go to the computer

and play their favorite tune for the class.

UNIT 2 CASTLE TUNES — ACTIVITY 4

BACKGROUND

Research has shown that kids learn location and letter relationships through sound

as well as visual relationships. Participation in the Castle Tunes activity helps children

develop keyboarding skills through sound association.

OBJECTIVES

To develop key/sound associations that will enhance keyboarding skills

To construct lists of words in diverse categories

To create new songs by typing letters and words to make a Dragon Songbook


37 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

DRAGON SONGBOOK PLANS

Write the names of three friends.

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

Write three things you might find in a garden.

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________

Write three things you might find in space.

1. ______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________


38 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

DRAGON SONGBOOK TUNES

HHere are the songs we like!

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________


39 Kid Keys

UNIT 3 HELPING KEYSTONE — ACTIVITY 1

BACKGROUND

Helping Keystone gives students an opportunity to practice their typing skills and the

home row position. Because young children’s hands are not big enough to easily

reach all of the keys on the keyboard, the home row position is suggested but not

required.

OBJECTIVES

To practice key/letter locations and home row position

To choose, identify, and explain how to type words


Helping Keystone is an activity that involves stu-

dents in entering their own words and letters at

the keyboard. Students work to help Keystone

get out of the castle by showing him the words

he needs to type. Students highlight the right

keys for Keystone so he can read the message.


• Ask students to look at their copy of the

Home Row Hand Position page (page 57)

and put their fingers on the key letters you

call. Ask them to put their fingers on the let-

ters A S D F K J and L one at a time. Walk

around and check their hand positions.

• Distribute copies of the Helping Keystone

activity sheet on pages 41–42. On it is a

message that will tell Keystone how to get

out of the castle. Ask students to color the

keys for each word in the message.

Encourage students to practice keying

those words at their desks on their paper

keyboards (page 55).

At the Computer

• Ask students to take their Helping Keystone

activity page to the computer and type the

words for Keystone in the Dragon Tunes

explore mode.

After the Computer

• Distribute copies of the Helping Keystone II

activity sheet on pages 43–44. Ask students

to write their own words and make a new

escape message for Keystone. Request that

they exchange their activity sheets with a

partner and color the correct keys.


40 Kid Keys

• By now students should feel very comfort-

able with letter locations on the keyboard.

Distribute copies of the HHidden Keyboard

activity sheet on page 45 and encourage

students to fill in as many letters on the key-

board as they can without looking at the

real keyboard. Suggest that they type the

alphabet song to help them remember

where some of the keys are. To finish

putting a letter on each key, tell students to

use their Keyboard page (page 55).

• Finally, distribute copies of the Monster

Keyboarding activity sheet on page 46. Ask

students to type the sentence at the top of

the page in the Dragon Tunes explore

mode. This sentence has every letter of the

alphabet in it. Encourage them to type one

word at a time and play the tune back. Ask

students to rate each tune with a “+” for a

great tune and a “-” for a strange-sounding

tune.


41 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

HELPING KEYSTONE

Example: FLY

First word: OUT


42 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

HELPING KEYSTONE (CONTINUED)

Second word: THE

Third word: WINDOW


43 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

HELPING KEYSTONE II

First word: ____________________

Second word: ____________________


44 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

HELPING KEYSTONE II (CONTINUED)

Third word: ____________________

Fourth word: ____________________


45 Kid Keys


HIDDEN KEYBOARD


46 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

MONSTER KEYBOARDING

The quick yellow monster finally jumped over a zombie playing the xylo-phone.

+ great tune– sounds strange

The _________

quick _________

yellow _________

monster _________

finally _________

jumped _________

over _________

a _________

zombie _________

playing _________

the _________

xylophone _________


47 Kid Keys


Magic Mirror Rhymes gives students an oppor-

tunity to practice typing skills already learned

and to learn the home row position in a cre-

ative rhyming activity. Students learn about

rhyme and brainstorm pairs of words that

rhyme. Level three of the Magic Mirror module

asks students to type words to set the monsters

free. Some of these words rhyme. Encourage

students to connect words that rhyme and use

them to write a rhyming sentence. Complete

the activity by asking students to pick their

favorite rhyming sentence and illustrate it. Put all

of their rhymes and illustrations in a Magic

Mirror Rhyme book.


• Bring students together at the board. Discuss

what a rhyme is. Write words that rhyme on

the board and ask students which words

are rhyming partners. (These rhyming words

are used in Magic Mirror: bike, hike, pike,

boat, coat, goat, moat, king, ring, swing,

camp, damp, lamp, ramp, book, cook,

hook, bat, cat, sat, fat, hat).

• Distribute copies of the Magic Mirror

Rhymes activity sheet on page 49. Ask stu-

dents to work with a partner to complete

the rhymes in sentences 1–5.

At the Computer

• Ask students to take the Magic Mirror

Rhymes activity sheet with them to the com-

puter. After students play Magic Mirror level

three, ask them to write on their activity

sheet some of the words they typed to free

the castle friends.

UNIT 3 MAGIC MIRROR RHYMES — ACTIVITY 2

BACKGROUND

Level three of the Magic Mirror game challenges students to use their typing skills to

enter words. The Magic Mirror game and this rhyming activity build on students’

experiences with word families.

OBJECTIVES

To become familiar with the home row position

To develop a rhyming vocabulary and build on word families

To create a Magic Mirror Rhyme book


48 Kid Keys

• Ask students to print any thank-you notes

they received by setting the castle friends

free. Display students’ thank-you notes in

the classroom.

AAfter the Computer

• Bring students back together as a group.

Look at the last two parts of the Magic

Mirror Rhymes activity sheet. Write the

rhyming words the students found in Magic

Mirror on the board. Give students an

opportunity to write funny rhyming sen-

tences using these words.

• Distribute copies of the My Magic Mirror

Rhyme activity sheet on page 50. Ask stu-

dents to write down their favorite rhyming

sentence and draw a picture. Create a

Magic Mirror Rhyme book for the class with

students’ rhymes and drawings.


49 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

MAGIC MIRROR RHYMES

1. Cat rhymes with _____________

2. Boat rhymes with _____________

3. Sing rhymes with _____________

4. Hike rhymes with _____________

5. _____________ rhymes with _____________

What were some of the words you had to type to set the castle friendsfree? Draw lines to words that rhyme.

_________________________ __________________________

_________________________ __________________________

_________________________ __________________________

_________________________ __________________________

Make up funny rhyming sentences using those words.Example: The goat fell out of the boat when he put on a coat.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________


50 Kid Keys


NName_____________________________

MY MAGIC MIRROR RHYME

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________


51 Kid Keys


Invitations Only gives students an opportunity to

practice the home row position as they type the

“dragon code” to let the castle friends go free.

Students are encouraged to plan a party for

Keystone, the Princess, the Prince, the Jester,

and the Knight. They are asked to compile a list

of characters from the Keystone castle they

would like to invite and, finally, write an invita-

tion to a friend. Students are also asked to write

their own dragon code.


• Bring students together at the board. Help

students brainstorm a list of characters hid-

ing in the Keystone castle. Distribute copies

of the Invitations Only activity sheet on

page 53. Have students work with a partner.

Ask them to write on the activity sheet who

they would like to invite to the party.

At the Computer

• Ask students to play Magic Mirror, level

three. When they have finished the game,

ask them to write four words they had to

type to free the castle friends. This will be

their secret dragon code for the party.

After the Computer

• Distribute copies of the You’re Invited activity

sheet on page 54. Have students write a

party invitation to another group of students.

They need to include who the party is for,

UNIT 3 INVITATIONS ONLY — ACTIVITY 3

BACKGROUND

The Magic Mirror game focuses on the home row position. Students are encouraged

to learn the hand positions and practice their typing skills in Magic Mirror and the

Invitations Only activity. Students complete the program by having a party for

Keystone and the castle friends.

OBJECTIVES

To become familiar with the home row position

To construct a list of characters invited to the party

To create invitations


52 Kid Keys

the date, the time, and where the party will

be held. Finally, they need to include their

secret dragon code for their guests to get

into the party. Ask students to exchange

invitations with another group, and have

students type the secret dragon codes on

their Blank Keyboard (page 56).

• Finally, invite all students to have a popcorn

party. They have successfully freed the cas-

tle friends and Keystone from the castle. Ask

students to take turns playing tunes from

the Dragon Songbook they created.


53 Kid Keys


NNames ____________________________

__________________________________

INVITATIONS ONLY

Which of Keystone’s friends will you invite to the party?

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

The dragon code will be:

____________ ______________ ______________ ______________


54 Kid Keys


YOU’RE INVITED!

To: _________________________________________________

Party for: ____________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________

Time: _______________________________________________

Place: ______________________________________________

Your Dragon Code is:

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________


55 Kid Keys


KEYBOARD


56 Kid Keys


BLANK KEYBOARD


57 Kid Keys


HOME ROW HAND POSITION


58 Kid Keys


ICON GLOSSARY

ant apple

balloon bear

clown cow

drum duck

egg elephant

flower frog

ghost girl

heart horse

ice cream cone igloo

jellyfish jester

king kite

lamp lion

money mummy


59 Kid Keys


ICON GLOSSARY (continued)

nest nose

octopus owl

pretzel puppet

quarter queen

rainbow robot

skeleton snake

telephone television

umpire unicorn

vacuum volcano

whale worm

x-ray xylophone

yak yo-yo

zebra zombie


60 Kid Keys

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

MONSTER

Delaney, Michael Clark, illus. by Ned Delaney, The Marigold Monster (Dutton, 1983).

Dillon, Barbara, illustrations by Chris Conover, The Beast in the Bed (W. Morrow, 1981).

Flora, James, The Great Green Turkey Creek Monster (Macmillan Publishing Co., 1976).

Haywood, Carolyn, illus. by Victor Ambrus, The King’s Monster (Morrow, 1980).

Heide, Florence Perry, A Monster Is Coming! A Monster Is Coming! (Franklin Watts, 1981).

Mayer, Mercer, One Monster After Another (J.R. Sansevere Book, 1993).

Meddaugh, Susan, Too Many Monsters (Houghton Mifflin, 1982).

Sendak, Maurice, Where the Wild Things Are (Harper & Row Publishers, 1963).

Stock, Catherine, Halloween Monster (Bradbury Press, 1990).

Willoughby, Elaine Macmann, illus. by Lynn Munsinger, Boris and the Monsters (Houghton, Mifflin,

1980).

DRAGON

Bennett, Hal, Brave the Dragon (Leswing Communications, 1970).

Brandenberg, Franz, illus. by Aliki, Leo and Emily the Dragon (Greenwillow, 1984).

Christelow, Eileen, Henry and the Dragon (Clarion Books, 1984).

Coville, Bruce, Sarah and the Dragon (J.B. Lippincott, 1984).

de Paola, Tomie, The Knight and the Dragon (G.P. Putnam and Sons, 1980).

Dewey, Ariane, Dorin and the Dragon (Greenwillow, 1982).

Domanska, Janina, King Krakus and the Dragon (Greenwillow, 1979).

Holabird, Katherine, illus. by Helen Craig, Alexander and the Dragon (Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1988).

Kent, Jack, There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon (Whitman Golden Children’s Books, 1975).

Krahn, Fernando, The Secret in the Dungeon (Clarion Books, 1983).

Mayer, Mercer, Whinnie the Lovesick Dragon (Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986).

Wolcott, Patty, illus. by Bill Morrison, The Dragon and the Wild Fandango (Addison-Wesley, 1980).

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