6th Grade Lessons
Activities for the Lab!
By: Diane Lowery
These lessons are generally in order from beginning of the year to the end of the year, but lessons can be mixed up to fit your class needs. All the links for games and activities can also be found on the 6th Grade Technology Website.
****Internet Websites for 6th Graders: Check out the 6th Grade Technology Website. Spend some time exploring these websites, you can alway pick and choose what games/activities they do during the lab. I mix in educational websites/games once in a while. ****
***Start with typing instruction at the beginning of the year. Make sure students get in 20 minutes typing practice at least once a week!*** The Goal for 6th Graders is 30 WMP by the end of the year.
Computer Lab Rules/Setting up a folder (1 Session)
Explain computer lab rules, assign students to a computer. Click on Student to Log in. Tell students they are going to make a folder where they can save their work for the year.
Here are the step to creating a new folder
1. Double click on My Documents (folder) 
2. Double click on 6th Grade (folder) 
3. On the left sidebar click on Make a New Folder 
4. A folder will appear 
5. Rename the folder your first and last name and you are done! (You can always click on a folder and choose "Rename" from the left sidebar)
Typing Log and Typing Pre-Test (1 Session)
-Have students go to the 6th Grade Technology Website and download the Typing Log (under Technology Activities). Save this document to their new folder, then click OPEN. -Ask them to fill in the information at the top (name, grade, teacher), and save it.
***To save (3 ways)***
1. Click on the Office Button 
then click SAVE 2. Click the Save Button at the top 
3. On the Keyboard press and hold Control (Ctrl) then push S.
-Time to take the Typing Pretest. Have students click on the Typing Links, and scroll to the bottom to click on 
. Click on Start. They have to type the entire paragraph (which will take them a while). When they have finished, have them record their WPM score on their typing log.
Those who finish early can go to one of the websites under Educational Websites.
Typing Lessons (on going)Discuss proper typing posture
1. Sit up tall
2. Arms slightly bent at elbows (no "chicken elbows" or "Zombie Arms")
3. Wrists straight
4. Finders Curved over home keys
5. Eyes straight ahead
Home Keys - practice finding home keys by searching for the little bumps on F and J. Practice using the correct posture they just learned. **Hint** the edges of the table get pretty sharp, to avoid students complaining at this, have them push their keyboard up to their monitor, this will straigthen their arms thus avoiding the edge of the table digging into their arms.
Pracice finding Home Keys without looking.
Demonstrate PAWS Lesson 1.
-Click on Lessons
-Click on Lesson 1
-Watch the Video Lesson
-Click on Review Skills and begin!
-When it says Do you want to go on to Lesson 2? Push N for No
-Click on Lesson Report
-Record the Average Line Speed score on Typing Log
-Push the Windows Key on the keyboard, click on My Documents, Double click on 3rd grade folder, double click on their folder, double click to open their typing log. Record score, save, then click on PAWS at the bottom of their screen and go on to Lesson 2. This is the process for typing for the rest of the year.
Have student complete Lesson 1 with their hands covered.
Introduce TUX Math (1 Session) (this can be something they do after they finish an assignment)
Show students a keyboard and point out that today they will need to use the Number Pad to play a math game. Explain that their number lock needs to be on before they play the game. Have them practice turning on and off the NUM lock. Show students how to start and close TUX Math, have them practice this 2-3 times. Show students how to play TUX Math, go to Math Command Training Academy and click on the top "Numbers" to start, then go through each level. The will need to type in the number (or answer) then push ENTER. Have students go to their seats and practice TUX Math.
Internet Safety (1 Session)
Internet Research/Citations (1-2 Sessions)Discuss how to create citations using the citation maker under Research. Have students download Citation Assignment and practice creating citations for each question.
Name Tags (1 Session)
Have students open up Microsoft Word, insert a text box that is 4X3 Inches (They will need to show the ruler by going the View Tab and checking the Ruler). Type their first and last name, center it, change to font size 36, bold and change the color. Then insert a picture of their favorite animal. Print out and use as needed.
Challenge - Format the textbox background!
Vocabulary Name Tag (1 Session)
Same directions as before, but take a vocabulary word, illustrate it, and define the word. See example:
Using Pictures from the Internet (1-2 Sessions)
Use www.pics4learning.com for this activity. This website offers copyright-friendly images that are specifically donated for teachers and students to use.
When using pictures in any report here are the main steps:
1. Copy the picture
2. Paste the picture into your document
3. Format the Picture
4. Copy the URL/Citation for the picture from the website
5. Paste the website on or underneath a picture using a textbox.
1. Copy the Picture:
Demonstrate how to get to this site from the 6th Grade Technology Website, and pick a topic, then a picture. Show how to copy this picture by right clicking on the picture then choosing copy.
2. Paste the picture into your document:
Open up word and right click, choose Paste. Your picture will appear on the docuemnt.
3. Format the picture:
Double click the picture (which will open up the formatting tools) and choose Text Wrapping - Behind Text. This allows students to move the picture around the page freely.
4. Copy the URL/Citation for the picture from the website
Go back to the website where you got your picture, in pic4learning.com they include a bibliography for each picture, all you need to do is copy that bibliography by highlighting it, right click on it, and choose copy.
5. Paste the website on or underneath a picture using a textbox
Go back to your document, insert a text box, and right click INSIDE the text box and paste the citation. I enocourage students to make the citation font size very small so as not to distract the picture, the move the textbox underneath or on top of the picture (whichever looks better)
Example:
Check out the Research Websites for more information on how to cite pictures from ANY website.
Animal Picture Activity (How to cite pictures off of Google) (2 Sessions) Discuss how important it is when you are doing a report or project and you include a picture that is not your own, that you give credit to the person who made/took the picture. This is called a Citation. Today the students will learn how to copy and paste pictures from the Internet into a Microsoft Word document, and create a citation for that picture.
Demonstrate:
-Go to Google - type in first animal then the word picture (ex. Ant pictures, or Ant pic)
-Find a picture of an ant you like and right click on the picture
-Choose copy
-Go to your word document, right click anywhere on the page, and choose paste
-Format the image by double clicking on the picture and choosing from the menu text wrapping - behing text (this allows your to move the picture around the page) 
Have students try finding a picture and adding it to Microsoft Office
Demonstrate:
-Now we have to add a citation, but we need a place to put the citation... in a text box.
-Click on insert- text box and move the text box underneath the picture.
Have students go to their computers and add a text box
Demonstrate:
-What a picture citation is: "Website URL". Date accessed.
-Go back to website where you got your picture and right click on the URL and choose copy
-Go to Microsoft Word and click INSIDE the text box, then right click and choose paste. Then type today's date.
Have students go to their computers and try this.
Now have students continue this with the other animals for practice.
A- Ant
B- Bat
C - Cat
D - Dog
E - Elephant
F- Fox
I - Iguana
Example:
Facts about Winter (Citing Sources Activity) (1-2 Sessions) Activity: Facts about Winter (see example) – students will search for 3 quotes about Winter from 3 different Winter Informational Websites, copy and paste information, from that website and place inside quotation marks, then they will cite that website.
Demonstrate:
1. Start a new word document – In the styles menu, click No Spacing
2. Title it Facts about Winter – Font needs to be Arial, size 18, and centered.
3. Save the document to “My Documents – 4th Grade – your folder”
4. Open up the Internet – in the Google Search Bar – Type in Winter
5. Click on a Winter Website – Highlight and Copy a quote about Thanksgiving, then paste it in your document
6. Explain since we are copying exact wording from a website, we need to show it by placing it inside quotation marks.
7. Cite the source by copying the website address, then typing in today’s date right after.
Example
Formatting Activity (Martin Luther King Jr) (1 Session) Pass out this handout to students. Have them type and format the article about Martin Luther King Jr.
Venn Diagram for Black History Month (1 Session)Using instructions on Venn Diagram from above, have students create a venn diagram over two famous African American people from this website.
Example:
Paint Portraits (1-2 Session) Students use the Paint Program to draw a self portrait of themselves. This portrait will be used as a picture in a PowerPoint Project later.
When they are done, have them save their pictures to their folders.
PowerPoint Introduction: All About Me! (3-4 Sessions)
Valentine's Day Activity (1 session) Have students download and fill in the valentine's day card.
ValCardAdvanced.doc Print out to take home.
Excel Charts and Graphs Activity (2-3 Sessions)
Baseball Card (2-3 Sessions) Students will create a baseball card of themselves that show statistics from their math baseball game. Students will use PowerPoint to create a baseball card with their picture.
1. First have students set up an Excel Spreadsheet.
Have students open excel, type in a title, in Cell A4 Type: Inning. In Cell B4 Type: Run
2. Play
math baseball from funbrain. I have them play 5 innings (with scrap paper to work out the problems) I choose a topic and the difficulty and we stay on that for the entire 5 innings. I give them 3 minutes to score as many runs as they can for each inning. If they strike out, then they wait till the next inning begins. After each inning, have them record their score.
3. Find the Average of their Runs, click in an empty cell and in the formula box type:
=AVERAGE(B5+B6+B7+B8+B9) then hit enter. This will give the average of thier score.
Either take a picture of each students or have them use their pictures they drew of themselves in paint for the baseball card. Have them include their name, picture, batting average, name of team, and any other inforamtion they might want to include about themselves. Apply a background and print out (it will print in the middle of a page size 3X4 Inches. Cut and keep!
