Word Processing II – JSS1 Computer Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

Word Processing II covers more ways to format and organise a document in a word processor. It includes font effects, line spacing, indents, tables, styles, columns, page numbers, a table of contents, find and replace, footnotes, mail merge, templates, symbols, Track Changes and document protection.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• apply font effects such as strikethrough, superscript, subscript, highlighting and drop caps
• change line spacing and set paragraph indents
• create a table, add content to it and change how it looks
• use built-in styles and create their own styles
• add columns, page numbers and a table of contents to a document
• use Find and Replace, footnotes and endnotes, templates, symbols and Track Changes

What are font styles and effects?

You can make your text look special with these effects:

• Strikethrough: puts a line through the text
• Superscript: makes small text above the line (like 1^st)
• Subscript: makes small text below the line (like H₂O)
• Highlighting: adds colour behind text (like a marker)
• Drop caps: makes the first letter of a paragraph very big

To use these effects:

1. Select your text.
2. Click “Format” in the menu.
3. Click “Font” or “Text Effects”.
4. Choose the effect you want.

How do you change line spacing?

Line spacing means the space between lines of text. You can make it:

• Single spacing (normal)
• 1.5 spacing (a little more space)
• Double spacing (twice as much space)
• Custom spacing (any amount you choose)

To change line spacing:

1. Select your text.
2. Click “Format” or “Paragraph” in the menu.
3. Find “Line Spacing”.
4. Choose the spacing you want.

What are paragraph indents?

Indents are spaces at the beginning or end of paragraphs:

• First line indent: only the first line moves in
• Hanging indent: the first line stays in place, but the rest moves in
• Left indent: the whole paragraph moves in from the left
• Right indent: the whole paragraph moves in from the right

To make indents:

1. Click in the paragraph you want to change.
2. Click “Format” or “Paragraph” in the menu.
3. Find “Indentation” settings.
4. Set the indents you want.

How do you work with tables?

Tables help organise information in rows and columns, like a grid.

Creating a table

1. Click where you want the table.
2. Click “Insert” in the menu.
3. Click “Table”.
4. Choose how many rows and columns you want.
5. Click “OK” or drag to create the table.

Adding content to tables

1. Click in a cell (box) in the table.
2. Type your information.
3. Press the Tab key to move to the next cell.
4. Keep typing and pressing Tab to fill the table.

Changing table appearance

You can make your table look better by:

• Adding colours to cells
• Changing border lines
• Making cells bigger or smaller
• Merging cells (joining them together)
• Splitting cells (dividing them into smaller cells)

To change how a table looks:

1. Select the table or cells you want to change.
2. Right-click and choose “Table Properties”.
3. Make your changes.
4. Click “OK”.

What are styles?

Styles are saved formatting settings that you can use again and again.

Using built-in styles

Word processors come with many ready-to-use styles:

1. Select your text.
2. Find the “Styles” section in the toolbar.
3. Click on a style you like.
4. Your text will change to match that style.

Creating your own styles

1. Format some text exactly how you want it.
2. Select the text.
3. Click “Styles” in the toolbar.
4. Click “New Style” or “Save Selection as New Style”.
5. Give your style a name.
6. Click “OK”.

Now you can use your style on other text.

How do you work with columns?

Columns make text flow like in a newspaper. To create columns:

1. Select the text you want in columns.
2. Click “Format” in the menu.
3. Click “Columns”.
4. Choose how many columns you want.
5. Click “OK”.

How do you add page numbers?

1. Click “Insert” in the menu.
2. Click “Page Numbers”.
3. Choose where you want the numbers (top or bottom).
4. Choose the style of numbers.
5. Click “OK”.

What is a table of contents?

A table of contents shows what is in your document and what page it is on. To make one:

1. Use heading styles for your titles and subtitles.
2. Click where you want the table of contents.
3. Click “Insert” in the menu.
4. Click “Table of Contents”.
5. Choose the style you want.
6. Click “OK”.

The word processor will create the table of contents for you.

How do you use Find and Replace?

Find and Replace helps you find words and change them.

Finding text

1. Click “Edit” in the menu.
2. Click “Find”.
3. Type the word you are looking for.
4. Click “Find Next”.

The word processor will find your word.

Replacing text

1. Click “Edit” in the menu.
2. Click “Replace”.
3. Type the word you want to find.
4. Type the new word you want to use instead.
5. Click “Replace” (to change one at a time) or “Replace All” (to change all at once).

What are footnotes and endnotes?

Footnotes and endnotes are notes that explain things in your document:

• Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page.
• Endnotes appear at the end of the document.

To add a footnote or endnote:

1. Click where you want the note marker.
2. Click “Insert” in the menu.
3. Click “Footnote” or “Endnote”.
4. Type your note.
5. Click back in the main document to continue.

What is mail merge?

Mail merge lets you create many similar documents with different information for each one. The basic steps are:

1. Create your main document with placeholders.
2. Create or connect to a data source with your information.
3. Insert the placeholders in your document.
4. Preview your results.
5. Complete the merge to create all documents.

What are templates?

Templates are ready-made documents you can use as starting points.

Using built-in templates

1. Click “File” in the menu.
2. Click “New”.
3. Look for templates (like letters, resumes or reports).
4. Click on the template you want.
5. Click “Create” or “Open”.

Creating your own templates

1. Create a document with the formatting you want.
2. Click “File” in the menu.
3. Click “Save As”.
4. Choose “Template” as the file type.
5. Name your template.
6. Click “Save”.

How do you insert symbols and special characters?

To add symbols like © or ± or letters from other languages:

1. Click where you want the symbol.
2. Click “Insert” in the menu.
3. Click “Symbol”.
4. Find the symbol you want.
5. Click “Insert”.

What is Track Changes?

Track Changes lets you see what changes people make to a document. To use it:

1. Click “Review” or “Tools” in the menu.
2. Click “Track Changes” to turn it on.
3. Make changes to the document.
4. The changes will be marked in a different colour.
5. You can accept or reject each change later.

How do you protect a document?

To protect your document from changes:

1. Click “Tools” or “Review” in the menu.
2. Click “Protect Document”.
3. Choose what kind of protection you want.
4. Create a password if needed.
5. Click “OK”.

Evaluation

1. Name three font effects and say what each one does.
2. What is the difference between a first line indent and a hanging indent?
3. List the steps for creating a table.
4. What is the difference between a footnote and an endnote?
5. What does “Replace All” do in Find and Replace?

Assignment

1. Write the steps for adding page numbers to a document.
2. Explain what a template is and list the steps for creating your own.
3. State the difference between merging cells and splitting cells in a table.