#443. Quacking Mice

other, level: Elementary
Posted Tue May 19 21:53:06 PDT 1998 by Lydia Laird (llaird@galena-park.isd.tenet.edu).
Green Valley Elementary, Galena Park ISD, Houston, Tx, USA
Materials Required: Mouse, computer, students hand and a sense of humor.
Activity Time: 15 minutes for lesson, 30 minutes practice.
Concepts Taught: Mouse Skills

Many of you might know that I teach in a computer lab.
Now that the TAAS test is over, I am able to have
nontesters in the lab. The Kinder & 1st grade students
have NEVER been in a computer lab until 2 weeks ago!
For some it was the first time they had ever touched
a mouse! What a sight! LOL
I had to come up with some ideas quickly on how to teach
mouse skills to these young children. I came up with a
couple of ideas that I thought y'all might like to use.
I hope this makes sense without seeing what I mean.

Explain that the mouse is used to point to a picture (Icon
or button) and to tell the computer what to do. Show the
mouse buttons and the pointer on the screen.
Hand Position: Have the students hold up the hand that
they write with. Place the other hand in front of your
chest, palm up. Lay the writing hand on top of the other
hand in front of you. Show the students that it makes a
duck's bill.
Double Clicking: Show how to lift only the pointer finger,
slightly. Not up high! Don't move all of the fingers like
a duck's bill. Explain that sometimes you are going to have
to click two times quickly. Ask if anyone has seen the
Little Ceaser's Pizza commercial. Have them say
"Pizza, Pizza" two times quickly like the commercial's
Ceaser. Show them how to slightly lift the pointer finger
and then press down gently twice, while whispering
"Pizza, Pizza". You click twice to start a program.
Single Click: Explain that sometimes you will only need to
click once. We won't have Little Ceaser's Pizza this time,
we will go to Pizza Hut and have only one Pizza. Click only
once.
Moving the pointer: Show the bottom of the mouse to explain
about the ball. With their hand still in the duck bill
position, have them move hands around in a SLOW circle.
Explain that if you move too quickly you won't be able to
control the arrow (pointer) on the screen.
Click and drag: Make the duck bill again. Explain that
sometimes you are going to be able to move things on the
computer screen. Have them GENTLY press down the pointer
finger and keep it down. Now move slowly in a circle while
holding down the pointer finger. Have students move hands
in specific directions - toward the wall, corner, etc.
to show how to guide the arrow.

Most of the students were able to control the mouse the
first time, after about 5 minutes of instruction!
MUCH BETTER than some of my older students! Probably because
I assumed that they knew how to use a mouse, big mistake!

OH yeah! The mouse pad became a cage because they kept
putting the mouse on the table! LOL I would get excited
and call out that a mouse was out of it's cage! This made
it alot more fun than lecturing students about dirt and
lack of control!

I hope this helps others!