Keyboarding / Essay Writing

WEEK 2
NANCY TRICE COMPUTER AND WRITING COACH

Microsoft Words Opening Screen

Quick Access Toolbar Ribbon Scroll button Document Title Minimize, Restore down / Maximize, Close

View Ruler Blank document (Blinking cursor will indicate insertion point) Scroll Box

Status Bar

Zoom slider

Scroll button Previous page Select Object Next page

Changing Document Views

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Open the Introduction paragraph you wrote last week. Click the View tab to activate it. Notice that Word has 5 main options for viewing:
Print Layout is the most common view. It displays the document as it will look when printed and enables you to use the ribbon to create and edit your document Full Screen Reading view is made for reading documents on the screen. You can customize this view. Web Layout view show how the document would look as a web page. Outline view displays the document as an outline and show an outline tab with commands for creating and editing outlines Draft view lets you view the document as a draft. Headers, footers and other elements do not appear.

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Note that you have these same options on the bottom right of the task bar.

The Ruler
Next look at the Show group, if it is not checked, check Ruler. 2. The ruler appears to show you margins and how your document would look on a standard 8 x 11 piece of paper. 3. The horizontal ruler also displays indents and tabs. 4. It is your options whether to display the ruler or not.
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Using Zoom
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Click the View tab. Click the One Page button. The entire page is shown on the screen Click the Two Pages button. Two pages are shown on the screen Click the Zoom button. The Zoom dialog box appears. Click 200% and click OK Click the Zoom Out button on the zoom slider at the bottom right of the screen.

Using the Scroll Bar

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Open your Introduction paragraph in MS Word Press CRTL Enter to create a 2nd page. Type your name on this page. Click the scroll down button to scroll down one row at a time. Click the next page button to move to the next page Click the previous page button to move to the previous page. Scroll Button
Previous Page

Using Keystrokes to Navigate a Document

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Open your introduction paragraph. On the keyboard, press the Right arrow to move one character to the right. Press the Left arrow key to move one character to the left. Press the Down arrow key to move down one line. Press the End key to move to the end of the line. Press the Page Down key to move down one screen. Press the Home key to move to the beginning of the page.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigating a Document

Shortcut Key Left Arrow Right Arrow Up Arrow Down Arrow End CTRL End Home CTRL Home Page Up Page Down CTRL Page Down CTRL Page Up CTRL Enter To Move One character to the left One character to the right Up one line Down one line End of a line End of the document Beginning of a line Beginning of the document Up one screen Down one screen Down one page Up one page Create a new page

Selecting, Replacing and Deleting Text

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Use your Introduction paragraph for this exercise Press CTRL A to select the entire paragraph. Click in white space to deselect. Scroll to the bottom of the paragraph. Position the insertion point in any word in the last paragraph. Triple-click the mouse. The entire paragraph is selected. Click in a blank part of the page, such as the margin, to deselect the paragraph. Press the CTRL key and click the first word in the last sentence in your paragraph. The sentence is selected. Press Backspace to delete the sentence. Click the Undo button in the Quick Access Toolbar to undo this action.

Selecting Text with the Mouse

To Select Do This

Any amount of text

Word Line Multiple lines Sentence Paragraph Entire Document

Click and drag across the text

Double-click the word Click in the left margin with the mouse pointer Drag in the left margin Hold CTRL and click anywhere in the sentence Double-click in the left margin or tripleclick in the paragraph Triple-click in the left margin or CTRL A

What You Need to Know in Order to Write a Test Essay

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Know how the essay is scored Know mistakes to avoid Know the parts of the essay Know the steps to write the essay Know how to start the essay Know how to make an outline Know how to write the first paragraph Know how to write the middle three paragraphs Know how to write the fifth paragraph Know how to write other essays

A Sample Essay
What kind of animal do you think makes a good pet? Give examples. Use your experience, observation, and knowledge in your answer. There are many animals that make good pets. For me, a dog makes the best pet. Three reasons why dogs make good pets are that they are good companions, that they are easy to train, and that they are good protection. Dogs are good companions. They like to be with people, and they make people feel relaxed and happy. Dogs can help people feel less lonely or less stressed. For example, I feel less stressed when I play or even just sit with my dog. Sometimes the best part of my day is the time I spend with my dog. Dogs are easy to train. They can learn lots of tricks. Most dogs also learn very quickly. For example, I taught my dog to sit in only a few days. I also taught my dog to stay and to fetch. He seems to learn faster each time I teach him something. Dogs are good protection. They help protect people and property. Dogs also bark and give warnings when strangers are near. Some dogs will even attack to protect their owners. I feel safer in my home because I know my dog will bark if anything is wrong. These are some examples of why dogs are good protection. In summary, dogs make good pets. Dogs are good companions for many people. Dogs are easy and quick to train. Dogs are good protection for people and property. These are the reasons why dogs make good pets.

How an Essay Is Scored

The GED Essay scoring is simple: 1, 2, 3, or 4. A score of 1 is a failing score To earn a passing score, you must:
1. Answer the question. An essay off topic is not scored. 2. Use some organization (more is better) 3. Stay on topic (most or all of the time) 4. Write five paragraphs (mostly) 5. Write three - five sentences per paragraph (mostly)

Know Mistakes to Avoid

Can my essay have mistakes?

Avoid making mistakes that may cause you to fail.

The biggest GED essay mistakes that might cause you to fail are: Not answering the question Not having an organized answer Not writing enough sentences/paragraphs Using good sentence structure and proper grammar and making good word choices

The Parts of the Essay

Each paragraph of the essay has a purpose. Know them all: The first paragraph of the essay is supposed to give your opinion and give three reasons for the opinion. It tells the reader what you will be talking about in the next three paragraphs. The second, third, and fourth paragraphs each discuss one reason that supports your opinion. The fifth paragraph restates what you said in the first paragraph. It may also include a little information from your second, third, and fourth paragraphs. The purpose of this paragraph is to summarize your essayto tell the reader that you are finished.

The Steps for Writing an Essay

Just like good cooks follow a recipe, good essay

writers follow the steps for essay writing. Read the essay question more than once to understand it. Make an outline of how you will answer the question using the following:
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Decide on how you will answer the question. Choose at least three reasons to explain your answer. Jot down examples / illustrations to explain each of your three reasons.

How to Start Your Essay

The GED question is an opinion question. Choose an answer based on your opinion. Explain why you chose that answer. Give examples.

Choose an opinion essay question to practice with.

Read the question and think of how it can be easily answered. Avoid the pronoun you in your essay. Use we, I, they, us, people, a person, someone, anyone. Choose one of these words and then continue to use it throughout your essay.

For Example
What kind of animal do you think makes a good pet? Give examples. Use your experience, observation, and knowledge in your answer. Cats, dogs, birds, and fish are all good choices. There are lots of things you can say about why each of these would make a good pet. Choose one animal. Think of the things that make it a good pet. Fish:

Easy to take care of Clean Dont smell, Dont make noise, Dont cost a lot of money Smart, Fun to play with, Good company, Good protection, Learn tricks easily

Dog:

Dont waste time trying to pick the best thing to write about. There are no wrong answers to an opinion essay unless you dont answer the question. Some students fail the essay question because they get stuck wondering what to write about.

How to Outline the Essay

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Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is the main idea / point of your essay In your case the thesis statement will have 3 parts (the 3 things you are going to write about). If necessary the thesis statement can be more than one sentence. It will be the last sentence in your introductory paragraph

II. The 1st point you will discuss III. 2nd discussion point

IV. 3rd discussion point

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Conclusion which will restate the thesis

Introductory Paragraph
Begin with a general statement that indicates your topic; i.e. Many animals make good pets. 2. Then elaborate on this general statement; i.e. For me, dogs make the best pets. 3. Conclude the paragraph with the three points you will discuss: Three reasons why dogs make good pets are that they are good companions, that they are easy to train, and that they are good protection.
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Your Turn
Select a topic from the list provided.

Create an outline for your essay.

Write an introductory paragraph.