This keyboard can be used to familiarize students with electronic devices that they will be using at school.
What? shower curtain liner, permanent marker, fly swatter
Why? letter recognition, names, sight words, sounds
When? Large group, small group, learning center, partner practice
How? There are two ways you can make this.
1. Cut the shower curtain liner in half and tape it horizontally to a wall. Place the attached pattern on a document camera and project on the shower curtain. Trace around the keys and letters with a permanent marker as shown.
2. Make a template for the keys. Starting in the middle of the shower curtain make 11 squares horizontally for the first row. Continue drawing off the rest of the keyboard. Write the letters and command keys as indicated. (I made mine on our kitchen island and it was easy to draw that way.)
Hint! Use one color to outline the keys and a different color to write the letters.
Cut the shape of a mitten out of the fly swatter.
*Place the giant keyboard on the floor or on a bulletin board and let the children use it to practice identifying letters.
*Call out a sound and have children tap the letter that makes that sound.
*Have children type out names, sight words, or spelling words.
*For a partner activity, have one child hold a word and check while their partner types it.
Personal Device
Pocket folders are on sale now, so with a little bit glue and a keyboard pattern can make a “personal device” for each student that they will be able to use all year long.
Why? names, sight words, letter recognition, vocabulary words
When? large group, small group, learning center, independent practice
How? Glue the keyboard pattern to the right inside pocket of the folder as shown. Let children decorate the outside with markers. Write names, sight words, letters, and other information you want the children to practice on index cards. Place in the left pocket. Children choose a card and put it on the top of their “screen.” After they type the information they save it in the pocket on the right.
*Ask children to write the letter or word after they’ve typed it.