Kindergarten

Introduction to Computing; Basic Keyboarding Skills; Basic Program Operation; Identifying the Components of a Computer; Using a Keyboard and Mouse; Basic Care and Appropriate Behavior Around Computers.

By the end of Kindergarten, all students should be able to identify the components of a computer and have a basic understanding of program operation. They should be ready for more advanced versions of these skills that will be introduced in first grade. All students should be able to care for the computer and ensure that it is used properly at all times.

First Grade

Continued Development of Basic Computer Skills; Emphasis on Creating Various Types of Documents; Using a Variety of Applications to Illustrate These Documents; Acquisition of More Advanced Keyboarding Skills

By the end of the first grade, students will be comfortable working with a variety of software, including the Internet,and will be able to create a variety of documents. Keyboarding skills should be advancing at this point and students should be able to work independently on many of the applications that they have been introduced to. These skills should prepare them for second grade, where they will apply these skills to more advanced applications.

Second Grade

In second grade, students will continue to improve on the skills learned in previous grades. These skills include logging into the network, navigating the operating system, double-clicking, and file access. Students will start to save to different locations, and they will be introduced to more advanced skills in word processing. They will also become more advanced users of the Internet.

By the end of second grade, a student should feel comfortable navigating several different programs, identifying their purpose and creating documents or graphics within these programs. They should be able to open, close, save, copy and delete files from local drive and from the network. While most of this will occur within a word processing program, students should be ready to transfer these skills to other programs.

Third Grade

The primary focus of third grade is to improve typing skills and develop a high level of comfort within a word processing program. Internet usage will also increase, and students will be expected to navigate websites with ease.Other skills may be touched upon, but typing skills should be heavily focused on.

By the end of third grade, all students should be able to type a minimum of 10 words per minute with 80% accuracy. This will be tested in the last month of school. In addition, all students should be comfortable creating documents with intermediate level formatting, including font style changes, alignment changes and bulleting or numbering. These skills should set a foundation for all future typed reports and assignments.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade students will be taught to use search engines such as Yahooligans®, Alta Vista®, and Google® to locate information. Special attention will be placed on how to find reliable and valid information in addition to properly citing sources. Students will be taught Fair Use of information and how to avoid plagiarism. Students will utilize their skills from Word while creating documents such as brochures and websites with the Microsoft Publisher Wizard tool.

By the end of fourth grade, students should be able to effectively use the Internet for research. A student should be a sophisticated search engine user and understand that web sites may handle and display information in different ways.Proper citations should also be used in any work that the students does. The fourth grade student should also be able to create publications and websites using the available templates and wizards in Microsoft Publisher. Finally, the student should be able to organize research and ideas using concept-mapping software.

Fifth Grade

In fifth grade, students will begin to organize their research into a presentation for the whole class. PowerPoint usage will include the ability to create a multi-slide presentation. Students will also be able to create basic charts and graphs and simple math formulas in Microsoft Excel. Students will be expected to create their own presentations using the technology skills they have learned so far.

By the end of fifth grade, the student should be comfortable presenting information, created on a computer, to their peers. These presentations should include Microsoft PowerPoint slides or other documents that help illustrate the information being presented. Students should also understand the concept of a spreadsheet and should be able to perform basic calculations with it.

Sixth Grade

In sixth grade, multimedia skills are emphasized. This includes, but is not limited to, digital cameras, video cameras,video editing, etc. The students will also be reviewing word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and publishing skills learned in earlier grades. The sixth grade student will become skilled at exchanging data between programs, i.e. merging an Excel chart into a Word document. Keyboarding skills will also continue to improve. Review of Internet usage, determining validity of information, plagiarism, and copyright infringement will also be an aspect of this grade level.

By the end of sixth grade, the student should be familiar with and comfortable using most office productivity applications, as well as the PC operating systems. Students will be able to operate multimedia equipment, including digital cameras, scanners and associated software on the computer. Students will also understand appropriate behavior when using the Internet, including the issues around plagiarism and piracy.