Session 8: Create & Format Documents (Part 1)
At a glance: pupils select text quickly, change font, size and style, align titles and paragraphs, rescue mistakes with Ctrl + Z, and save a formatted "A Greener School" notice. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, pupils can:
- Name the Ribbon, the canvas (page), margins and the cursor in a word processor.
- Select a word, a paragraph or the whole document, and apply font family, size, Bold, Italic and Underline.
- Choose the right alignment (Left, Center, Right, Justify) and press Enter only for new paragraphs.
- Use Ctrl + Z to undo a mistake and save a document with a clear BIH file name.
Before the session
- Check which word processor each PC has: Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer or Google Docs (needs internet). Note any differences on the board.
- Google Docs needs a Google account. Pupils under 13 must use a school-managed account (Google Workspace for Education); otherwise use the desktop app. Google Docs users download the file as .docx into BIH_Practice > Notes (page 5, step 5).
- Check every PC still has Documents > BIH_Practice > Notes from Sessions 4–5. Create it where it is missing.
- Load the Format a Real Document 3D lab on the projector PC and test it.
- Put a ready-typed copy of the raw text on USB so slow typists can start formatting on time.
Running order
| Time | Activity | Workbook | What the mentor does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 min | Typewriter vs word processor; the layout | Page 1 | Tell the typewriter story. Point out Ribbon, canvas, margins and cursor on the projector. |
| 10–20 min | Fonts, sizes and styles | Page 2 | Show the font cluster. Repeat the rule: highlight first, then click. |
| 20–30 min | Alignment and the Enter key rule | Page 3 | Show word wrap and the four alignments on one paragraph. |
| 30–40 min | Fast selection and Undo | Page 4 | Demonstrate the four selections. Stage the "essay disappeared" panic and fix it with Ctrl + Z. |
| 40–55 min | Format a Real Document 3D lab | — | Demonstrate the first mission, then pairs continue. |
| 55–75 min | Hands-on lab: "A Greener School" | Page 5 | Stop anyone formatting before typing is finished. Check the save location and name. |
| 75–85 min | Review and verification | Page 6 | Pupils work alone, then mark together. |
| 85–90 min | Self-assessment and sign-off | Page 6 | Sign off pupils who meet the evidence below. |
Key ideas and how to explain them
- Typewriter vs word processor: one mistake used to mean a new sheet. Now you can edit and format as often as you like before printing anything.
- Highlight first: the computer only changes what you have selected. Selected text turns blue.
- Bold, Italic, Underline: Ctrl + B for titles and headings, Ctrl + I for book titles, quotes or subtitles, Ctrl + U for important warning terms.
- Sizes: titles 18–20 pt bold; subheadings 13–14 pt; body 11–12 pt. Teachers spot size 18 essays immediately.
- Alignment: Left for essays, Center for titles and cover pages, Right for dates and signatures, Justify for newspapers and textbooks.
- Word wrap: the computer drops to the next line by itself. Enter means "new paragraph", nothing else.
- Undo, the magic wand: Ctrl + Z is a time machine; Ctrl + Y re-applies. First response to any accident: hands off the keyboard, Ctrl + Z.
The 3D lab
Use Format a Real Document. On the projector, demonstrate Click the title "a greener school" on the page to select it, pointing out the light-blue highlight. Pairs then do Make the title bold and bigger (size 20 or more) and Centre the title (Ctrl + E). That is today's scope; the bullets, headings, spell-check and print missions belong to Session 9, so let early finishers try them but do not teach them yet. The 3D lab asks for size 20 or more and the workbook lab 18 pt; accept either, as page 2 gives titles 18–20 pt.
Common mistakes and quick fixes
| Pupils often… | Try this |
|---|---|
| Click B or a size before selecting anything | "Highlight first!" Select, check it is blue, then click. |
| Press Enter at the end of every line | Show the pilcrow (¶) button, or delete the extra Enters and watch word wrap. |
| Type over a highlighted paragraph and panic | Hands off, Ctrl + Z, as on the page 4 panic button. |
| Find that Ctrl + E does not centre in Google Docs | Point to the note under the page 3 table: Google Docs adds Shift (Ctrl + Shift + L, E, R, J). Or use the toolbar buttons. |
| Save to the wrong place or as "Document1" | Walk through File > Save As > Documents > BIH_Practice > Notes and check the name together. |
| Find LibreOffice saves as .odt, not .docx | As step 5 on page 5 says, choose Word format (.docx) in the file type box in Save As. |
When things go wrong
- No internet: Word and LibreOffice Writer work offline; only Google Docs needs a connection. Move Google Docs pupils to a PC with Word or LibreOffice Writer for today.
- Not enough PCs: pairs: one types the raw text, the other does the formatting steps, then swap for the save. Both names can go in the file name.
- A PC freezes or the power goes: teach Ctrl + S as soon as the raw text is typed, and again after each formatting step. If work is lost, give them the ready-typed text from USB so they can go straight to formatting.
Answer key
1. Match the Formatting Tool
- B: makes letters heavy, thick and dark (Bold).
- I: makes letters slanted for quotes or subtitles (Italic).
- Ctrl + E: centres text in the middle of the page.
- Ctrl + Z: reverses your last accidental mistake (Undo).
- 12 pt: standard readable font size for school essay body text.
2. Written Review Questions
- Because of word wrap: the word processor moves to the next line automatically when the sentence reaches the right margin. Enter is only for starting a new paragraph.
- Double-click the word.
- Center.
Support and stretch
- Needs more support: give them the raw text from USB so they only format. Work through one line at a time: select, check it is blue, then format.
- Finished early: Right-align a date line under the subtitle (as for a formal letter), try Justify on the paragraph and compare, or move on to the Session 9 missions in the 3D lab.
Evidence for sign-off
The pupil shows their saved Greener_School file in BIH_Practice > Notes with: an 18 pt, bold, centred title; a 12 pt italic, centred subtitle; a 12 pt left-aligned body with no extra Enters inside the paragraph. They can also demonstrate double-click selection and rescue a deletion with Ctrl + Z in front of you.
Safety and wellbeing
Keep this file: pupils need it again in Session 9, so do not let anyone delete or overwrite another pupil's file on a shared PC. Ask before deleting anything. The text uses no personal details beyond a first name in the file name, which is all that is needed.