Word processing – text formatting
Computer ScienceDigital ApplicationsAges 11–12
Use it with your class: students open it from a link or a QR code, with no account needed.
Next in Digital Applications
A sample document loads with the tools ready. Students click a paragraph to select it, then click formatting buttons (bold, italic, underline, font size, align left/center/right/justify, bulleted list, numbered list, indent) and watch the paragraph change instantly, with a short explanation of what each button does. Below, students can type a sentence and the tool checks punctuation-spacing rules (no space before a comma, exactly one space after) and can auto-fix it.
Lesson: Text formatting: character formatting, paragraph formatting, lists and punctuation spacing rules
What it shows
Word processors separate character formatting (bold, italic, underline, font size and color), which applies to selected characters, from paragraph formatting (alignment, indentation and lists), which applies to a whole paragraph. The sample documents show when each choice suits the purpose: centered headings, numbered lists for ordered steps, bullets for items of equal weight, right alignment for dates. The typing checker also tests spacing rules: no space before a comma or period, one space after, no double spaces, and a capital letter at the start.
How to use
Choose a Sample text and set the Base font size. Students click a paragraph, then try Bold, Align center, Justify, Numbered list or Indent paragraph and read the explanation that appears for each button. Turn on Show paragraph marks and spaces to show that indentation should come from formatting, not typed spaces. In the typing panel, press Load bad sentence, let students correct it by hand, then compare with Auto-fix.
Parameters you can change
- Sample text Class notice, Short poem, Step-by-step instructions
- Base font size 11–20 pt
- Show horizontal ruler
- Show paragraph marks and spaces
Questions to explore
- How does Justify differ from Align left, and when is each more suitable?
- Which sample text suits a numbered list best, and why not a bulleted list?
- Which spacing rules does the sentence from Load bad sentence break?
