Unit 3: Word Processing Skills

Lesson 1: Getting to Know Word Processing

Contents
Engage 1
Introduction 1
Objectives 2

Explore 3

Explain and Elaborate 5

Introduction to Word Processing 5
Word Processing Skills 6
Standard Features of Word Processors 7
Full-Featured Word Processors 8

Extend 10
Activity 1 10
Activity 2 12

Evaluate 13

Wrap Up 16

Bibliography 17
Unit 3.1: Getting to Know Word Processing

Engage

Introduction

Fig. 1. Visual presentation using Microsoft Word

Computer skills are important for today’s generation. Whatever field you may be in, knowing
the basics of using word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and the like is very useful.
For students, it is necessary to learn these skills to create assignments and projects. For

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Unit 3.1: Getting to Know Word Processing

employees, having such skills can help them lessen the time spent on their workload
without compromising the quality of their product.

Among these, using word processing is probably the most essential skill to master. This
skill is considered to be the most common since almost all fields require such
knowledge. It has made work more effective and efficient with its wide range of
functions.

What is the importance of having different computer skills for students like you? Which
computer skills do you think one person should know? How do you think having such
skills, especially in word processing, can help you in the future?

Objectives

In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Understand what word processing is.

● Appreciate the importance of having word processing skills.
● Identify the basic features of a word processor.

DepEd Competency

Know the common functions of productivity tools that can be used for academic outputs
such as papers and reports. (additional competency for enrichment and recall)

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Explore

15 minutes

As a student, you have probably used a word processor program to do a school task before.
This is because most schools now incorporate technology with school activities. Most
schools believe that this will help students to be ready for their chosen careers in the future
since technology is advancing more and more as time goes on.

Write a short essay with 100-200 words in the box below. Discuss why having knowledge of
computers is important for students like you. Do you agree with the schools for using
technology in classroom activities? The guide questions will help you organize the flow of
your discussion. (You may also browse other resources for additional information and
insights before writing. A link to a video is provided below to explain why computers are
essential for everyone.)

YouTube
Ohio Computer Academy, “Why Computer Knowledge Is
Important” YouTube (YouTube, June 08 2019),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkLmFPvDQvM, last
accessed on May 01 2020.

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Guide Questions

1. What computer skills are essential for people to possess? Enumerate some.

2. How is it important to have such skills? How can it help people?

3. Where can you use or apply those skills in and knowledge of computers?

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Explain and Elaborate

Introduction to Word Processing

A word processor is a type of software that enables users to create, edit, and format text
using various tools. In addition to text, users can also add objects like pictures and graphic
organizers to make the overall document look more presentable. Users can then store and
print the document with the help of some functions and commands within the program.

Also, software and applications can be installed on your personal computers, mobile
phones, or similar devices. The word processor may also be available over the internet
through cloud-based platforms. Some of the popular word processor programs are
Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple iWork Pages, and WPS Writer. Microsoft Word is one
of the most commonly used among the said programs.

How familiar are you with word processing? Do

you know any word processor software? Have you
tried using one?

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Fig. 2. Microsoft Word blank document

Word Processing Skills

Most schools nowadays integrate computer skills with their classroom activities. Students
are most likely to use word processor programs to complete school tasks. Students are
expected to learn and master their skills in word processing to use this at the workplace in
the future.

What skills have you developed in using a word

processor before?

Being familiar with the features of a word processor program would help develop such
skills. The features that word processor software usually have, according to Webopedia, are
discussed in the next section.

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Standard Features of Word Processors

Some functions and commands may vary when using different word processor programs,
but most of them have the following features:

Insert - This allows users to insert text and other objects such as pictures and graphic
organizers in the document.

Delete - This allows users to erase text, objects, or even pages in the document.

Cut - This allows users to remove a section of text or an object from one place in a
document and use it later.

Copy - This allows users to duplicate a section of text or an object from one place in a
document and use it later.

Paste - This allows users to insert the text or object they remove or duplicate to somewhere
else in the document.

Page Size and Margins - This allows users to choose or even customize their preferred
page sizes and margins for the document.

Search and Replace - This allows users to search for a particular word or phrase within the
document. They can also replace a group of characters with another everywhere that it
appears within the document.

Word Wrap - This feature automatically moves to the next line without pressing Enter when
the users have already filled one line of the document with text.

Print - This allows users to send the document to a specific printer to produce a hard copy.

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File Management - This feature provides file management capabilities that allow users to
create, delete, move, store, and search for specific files.

Font Specifications - This allows users to change fonts within the document. They can
select from bold, italics, and underline for text style. They can also choose or customize the
text size. Most word processors let users change the design of the text from the installed
typefaces in the program.

Windows - This allows users to multitask when working on several files by allowing them to
edit two or more documents simultaneously in separate windows.

Spell Checking - This feature identifies words that do not appear in a standard dictionary
used by the program.

Basic word processing skills are usually formed when you gain knowledge of the features
stated above. These knowledge can also be useful when working with other programs like
spreadsheets and presentations since these have many features in common.

Full-Featured Word Processors

Modern kinds of word processor programs contain additional functions and commands that
help make the document more presentable, such as the following:

Grammar Checking - This feature identifies sentences and punctuation marks that do not
meet the commonly recognized sets of grammar rules used by the program.

Footnotes and Cross-references - This allows users to easily cross-reference other sections
of the document by placing footnotes.

Automated Lists - This feature automatically creates bulleted or numbered lists in the
document.

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Graphics - This allows users to put illustrations like pictures, graphs, and charts by creating
or inserting them in the document.

Headers, Footers, and Page Numbering - This allows users to customize headers and
footers that will appear on every page of the document. The program also keeps track of
page numbers.

Layout - This allows users to customize margins, columns, and indentation within the
document.

Macros - This allows users to set and run a series of commands grouped as a single
command to help save time when dealing with repetitive tasks.

Merge - This allows users to create many files with the same format but with different data
by combining the text from one file with another.

Tables of Contents and Indexes - This allows users to create a table of contents and an
index in the document.

Thesaurus - This allows users to search for the synonyms of a word without leaving the
program itself.

Collaboration - This feature tracks changes to the document when there is more than one
person editing it through a word processor.

Internet Features - This allows users to put and format web links into their documents.

Translation and Speech - This feature has the ability to read text aloud, accept voice
commands, and even translate text from one language to another for some word
processors.

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Higher word processing skills are developed when you gain knowledge of the features from
the previous pages. Some programs may offer more advanced features than other
programs. That is why choosing the latest version of your desired word processor software
will significantly affect your work.

Do you think these additional features are useful

when using a word processor? Why? How are they
useful?

Extend

Activity 1

Give five classroom activities that you think will require the use of word processor software
to complete. Provide a short explanation of how important word processing skills in
accomplishing those tasks.

Classroom Activities Explanation

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Classroom Activities Explanation

Guide

As a student in the 21st century, having word processing skills is a must. Classroom
activities like making reports will be much easier when using a word processor
software than writing on paper.

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Activity 2

Open any word processor software of your choice. Select features that are not mentioned in
the discussion that you think will help students when doing school tasks. List down the five
features you chose and provide a short description of the function of each.

Features Function

Guide

There are many word processor programs available. These can be installed or
cloud-based. Some examples are Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple iWork Pages,
and WPS Writer.

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Evaluate

A. Answer the following completely in your own words.

1. What is a word processor?

2. List down three word processing skills that a student should learn and master.

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3. Aside from education, there are many other fields where having skills in word
processing is essential. Give at least one example of how having such skills will be
helpful in the following fields:

Fields Example

Business

Health

Tourism

B. Read each situation carefully. Identify

two features of a word processor
program that are needed to complete
the task given in each situation.

1. Keith was tasked by her teacher to create a simple yet informative poster about fake
news. She would like to design it to make it more presentable.

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2. Kath is applying for her dream company. She would like to create a comprehensive
resume.

3. Kim and his classmates are conducting a research study. They would like to create a
questionnaire to be given to their respondents.

4. Issa is one of the school’s journalists. She was tasked with writing about their annual
sports fest.

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5. Venice has worked for ABC Company for 10 years. She decided to send a formal
letter to her boss to request her promotion.

Wrap Up
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● A word processor is a type of software that enables users to create, edit, and format
text using various tools. Users can also insert different objects in the documents.

● There are many functions and commands a word processor can have. This usually
depends on what kind of program you have, whether it is installed or cloud-based.
Being familiar with these features will help you develop your word processing skills.

● Standard features of word processors include basic functions and commands that
most programs commonly have.

● Full-featured word processors include some of the more advanced functions and
commands a program can have.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Bibliography

Beal, Vangie. “word processing (word processor),” Webopedia. Accessed from

https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/word_processing.html, May 1, 2020.

Comat, Hella. “Word Processing Skills in the Classroom,” TechnoKids. September 19, 2011.
Accessed from
https://www.technokids.com/blog/technology-skills/word-processing-skills-classroom
/, May 1, 2020.

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