Middle school students can find MS Word activities engaging.
Require students to use MS Word for research papers alone and chances are they will never want to use this powerful publishing software again. Instead, offer your students the opportunity to use MS Word for fun activities that play to their interests. This will foster an interest in Word that will sustain them through high school and beyond.
Ezine
Students learn best and most enthusiastically when the material is related to their own lives. Challenge students to create a school ezine -- an online magazine -- for publication on the school's website. Students can conduct surveys and use MS Word's graph function to display the data. Scan student artwork so that students can insert it into the ezine. Students can select their best writing for the ezine as well. This project offers students the opportunity to learn about many of MS Word's features, including columns, fonts and charts.
Test Creation
Give your middle-school students a test review and a lesson on using MS Word at the same time by asking them to create a test. Students will be elated with the responsibility for this task. Students can work in groups in the classroom to create questions. Each student can select 10 to 20 questions to use on her version of the test. Using MS Word, students can format the test questions so that they are laid out on the page clearly. Students will have the opportunity to learn about line numbers, indentations and spacing. You can either select one of the tests to administer to your class or use the tests to further review the subject matter.
Party Invitations
Middle schoolers love parties and enjoy planning for them. Challenge your class to create the coolest party invitations by using MS Word to layout the graphics and text. Discuss the type of information that is important to include on an invitation, as well as the importance of using make-believe information rather than personal information. Students will learn insert graphics, change font colors and create a custom-sized document.
SmartArt
The SmartArt feature on MS Word offers an ideal opportunity for middle-school students from all disciplines to create a project related to the subject matter they are studying. Students can use the program to make a visual representation of a sequence of historical events, show the relationships of characters in a novel or to demonstrate the hierarchy of life forms. Students will enjoy selecting eye-catching colors, fun fonts and adding other personal touches to their project.
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