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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
UNIT 1 KEY WIZARD — ACTIVITY 1
NNames ____________________________
__________________________________
KEY WIZARD
What do you think are some of Keystone’s favorite foods?
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
What foods does Keystone not like to eat?
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
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7 Kid Keys
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8 Kid Keys
UNIT 1 KEY WIZARD — ACTIVITY 1
NNames ____________________________
__________________________________
KEY WIZARD (continued)
What does Keystone like to do for fun?
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
What does Keystone not like to do for fun?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
UNIT 1 KEY WIZARD — ACTIVITY 1
LETTER TO KEYSTONE
Dear Keystone:
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Your friends,
___________________
___________________
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9 Kid Keys
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10 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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
To learn keyboard letter locations
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.
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12 Kid Keys
UNIT 1 CRAZY MATCHMAKER — ACTIVITY 2
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
UNIT 1 CRAZY MATCHMAKER — ACTIVITY 2
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
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UNIT 1 CRAZY MATCHMAKER — ACTIVITY 2
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 _____________?
UNIT 1 CRAZY MATCHMAKER — ACTIVITY 2
NName_____________________________
CRAZY COMPARISONS (continued)
Draw Keystone a picture of your favorite Crazy Comparison and write your sentence at the bottom.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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17 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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 learn keyboard letter locations
To practice the alphabet sequence
UNIT 1 ALPHABET BOOKS — ACTIVITY 3
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.
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19 Kid Keys
UNIT 1 ALPHABET BOOKS — ACTIVITY 3
NName_____________________________
ALPHABET BOOKS (continued)
UNIT 1 ALPHABET BOOKS — ACTIVITY 3
NName_____________________________
KEYSTONE’S BOOKSHELF
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21 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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
• Give students an opportunity to share their
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.
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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. ______ __________________ ________________
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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
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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?
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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.
• Give students an opportunity to share their
drawings and writings. Ask them to help you
make a Dream Castle display in the class-
room.
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25 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 EXPLORING KEYSTONE’S CASTLE — ACTIVITY 1
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?
_____________________________ ______________________________
_____________________________ ______________________________
_____________________________ ______________________________
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26 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 EXPLORING KEYSTONE’S CASTLE — ACTIVITY 1
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.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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27 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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.
BBefore the Computer
• 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
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28 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 CASTLE MYSTERIES — ACTIVITY 2
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
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29 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 CASTLE MYSTERIES — ACTIVITY 2
NNames ____________________________
__________________________________
OUR MYSTERY OBJECTS
PLANNING SHEET
1. ___________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________
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30 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 CASTLE MYSTERIES — ACTIVITY 2
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?_______________________________________________________
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31 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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.
BBefore the Computer
• 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
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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?
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33 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 SECRET LETTERS — ACTIVITY 3
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.
What letter am I? ______________
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.
What letter am I? ______________
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34 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 SECRET LETTERS — ACTIVITY 3
NNames ____________________________
__________________________________
SECRET LETTERS
PLANNING SHEET
Letter _______________
Instructions ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Letter _______________
Instructions ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Letter _______________
Instructions ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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35 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 SECRET LETTERS — ACTIVITY 3
NNames ____________________________
__________________________________
CAN YOU FIND ME?
1. _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
The secret letter is ___________
2. _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
The secret letter is ___________
3. _____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
The secret letter is ___________
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36 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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.
BBefore the Computer
• 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
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37 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 CASTLE TUNES — ACTIVITY 4
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. ______________________________________________________________
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38 Kid Keys
UNIT 2 CASTLE TUNES — ACTIVITY 4
NNames ____________________________
__________________________________
DRAGON SONGBOOK TUNES
HHere are the songs we like!
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
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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
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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.
BBefore the Computer
• 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.
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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.
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41 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 HELPING KEYSTONE — ACTIVITY 1
NName_____________________________
HELPING KEYSTONE
Example: FLY
First word: OUT
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42 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 HELPING KEYSTONE — ACTIVITY 1
NName_____________________________
HELPING KEYSTONE (CONTINUED)
Second word: THE
Third word: WINDOW
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43 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 HELPING KEYSTONE — ACTIVITY 1
NName_____________________________
HELPING KEYSTONE II
First word: ____________________
Second word: ____________________
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44 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 HELPING KEYSTONE — ACTIVITY 1
NName_____________________________
HELPING KEYSTONE II (CONTINUED)
Third word: ____________________
Fourth word: ____________________
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45 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 HELPING KEYSTONE — ACTIVITY 1
HIDDEN KEYBOARD
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46 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 HELPING KEYSTONE — ACTIVITY 1
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 _________
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47 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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.
BBefore the Computer
• 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
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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.
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49 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 MAGIC MIRROR RHYMES — ACTIVITY 2
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.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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50 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 MAGIC MIRROR RHYMES — ACTIVITY 2
NName_____________________________
MY MAGIC MIRROR RHYME
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
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51 Kid Keys
PRESENTING THE ACTIVITY
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.
BBefore the Computer
• 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
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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.
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53 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 INVITATIONS ONLY — ACTIVITY 3
NNames ____________________________
__________________________________
INVITATIONS ONLY
Which of Keystone’s friends will you invite to the party?
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
The dragon code will be:
____________ ______________ ______________ ______________
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54 Kid Keys
UNIT 3 INVITATIONS ONLY — ACTIVITY 3
YOU’RE INVITED!
To: _________________________________________________
Party for: ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________
Time: _______________________________________________
Place: ______________________________________________
Your Dragon Code is:
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
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55 Kid Keys
GENERAL BLACKLINE MASTERS
KEYBOARD
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56 Kid Keys
GENERAL BLACKLINE MASTERS
BLANK KEYBOARD
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57 Kid Keys
GENERAL BLACKLINE MASTERS
HOME ROW HAND POSITION
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58 Kid Keys
GENERAL BLACKLINE MASTERS
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
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59 Kid Keys
GENERAL BLACKLINE MASTERS
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
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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).