Session 25: Keyboard Shortcuts & Working Faster

At a glance: pupils learn the 20 or so shortcuts that save the most time (editing, formatting, windows, browser, screenshots and moving through text), race with them in pairs, survive the No-Mouse Challenge and keep a shortcut card. · Time: 90 minutes (adjust the timings if your period is shorter) · Workbook pages: 6

Learning outcomes

By the end of the session, pupils can:

Press a shortcut correctly (hold the modifier key, tap the letter, let go) and use the editing and formatting shortcuts: copy, cut, paste, undo, redo, select all, save, print, find, bold, italic and underline.
Switch, snap, show the desktop and lock the computer with Alt + Tab and the Windows key, and use the browser shortcuts for tabs, the address bar and refresh.
Take a screenshot of part of the screen and paste it into a document, and move through and select text with only the keyboard.

Before the session

Print Page 4 (the shortcut card) for every pupil if you can, on card or thick paper. Scissors for cutting out.
Check every PC has a word processor and Chrome or Edge, and that BIH_Practice > Notes exists.
Try PrtSc on the projector PC and one pupil PC. On newer Windows 11 PCs it opens the Snipping Tool; on others it copies the whole screen. Know which yours do before pupils ask.
Check that Windows key + L works and that pupils know the PC's login (if the Hub accounts have no password, Win + L just shows the lock screen; that is fine).
The Browser Race needs the internet. If it is down, use the offline version in "When things go wrong".
Test the Shortcut Race lab on the projector PC. Keep the offline pack on USB.
Have a stopwatch (phone) for each pair, or put a big online or wall clock on the projector. Prepare a team points chart on the board.

Running order

Time	Activity	Workbook	What the mentor does
0–10 min	Typing warm-up	–	Pupils open the typing trainer (`/typing/`) and do their usual 10-minute warm-up. Note speeds for anyone close to the Silver target (25 wpm at 92%).
10–18 min	The short path through the market	Page 1	Race a pupil: you copy a sentence with the mouse and ribbon, they use Ctrl + C. Read Figure 25.1, then teach hold, tap, let go.
18–30 min	Editing, formatting and moving through text	Page 2	Quick recap of the old friends from Sessions 5 and 16, then demo Ctrl + arrow, Shift + arrow, Home, End and Ctrl + Backspace on the projector. Pupils do the Your turn.
30–35 min	Game: Mentor Says	–	Call out "Mentor says: undo!", "Mentor says: select all!", "Bold!" (no "Mentor says" = don't press). Pupils press the shortcut in a document. Last team standing gets 2 points.
35–47 min	Windows, browser and screenshots	Page 3	Demo Alt + Tab, Win + D, snapping two windows, Win + L, then Ctrl + T, W, Shift + T, L and F5. Show Win + Shift + S and test PrtSc together.
47–55 min	Shortcut Race 3D lab	Page 5	Show the first race on the projector, then pairs race and write their best time.
55–75 min	Three races on a real computer	Page 5	Pairs time each other. Race 3 is the No-Mouse Challenge: mice upside down. Award team points per finished race and a bonus for the fastest clean pair.
75–80 min	Show-and-tell and the shortcut card	Page 4	Two pairs show their snapped windows and pasted snip. Pupils cut out their card and tick what they can already do.
80–86 min	Review questions	Page 6	Pupils answer alone, then check with a partner.
86–90 min	Self-assessment and sign-off	Page 6	Sign off using the evidence below.

Key ideas and how to explain them

A shortcut is a short path: Kofi's aunt knows the short path between the stalls at Makola; shortcuts are the short path round the computer. Same result, less time, and your hands stay on the keyboard where your typing fingers already know the way.
Hold, tap, let go: the modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Windows key) changes what the next key does. Holding the letter down too long can repeat it; pressing the letter first does nothing. Use two hands for stretches like Ctrl + P.
Same letter, same job, almost everywhere: Ctrl + C copies in Word, Excel, Chrome and File Explorer. A few keys change with the programme: F5 refreshes a web page but starts the slide show in PowerPoint (Session 24).
The rescue shortcuts: Ctrl + Z (undo), Ctrl + Y (redo) and Ctrl + Shift + T (reopen a closed tab). Pupils who know these stop panicking.
Lock when you leave: Windows key + L keeps work open but stops anyone else using the PC. Make it a club habit from today.
Screenshots copy everything: Win + Shift + S snips part of the screen to the clipboard, then Ctrl + V pastes it. Check what is in a screenshot before sharing it.
Mac and Chromebook: on a Mac, Cmd does what Ctrl does (Cmd + C, Cmd + V, Cmd + T); Cmd + Tab switches apps and Cmd + Shift + 4 snips part of the screen. Chromebooks use Ctrl like Windows. Keep this brief; the Hub's PCs run Windows.

The 3D lab

Shortcut Race has a 3D keyboard, a monitor showing the prompt, a stopwatch and a mouse. Pressing Start race gives 8 actions (copy, paste, undo, find, select all, save, switch windows, screenshot…); pupils click the practice area in the side panel and press the real shortcut there, and the keys light up on the 3D keyboard. Shortcuts that Windows or the browser keeps for itself (Alt + Tab, Win + Shift + S, Win + D, Ctrl + W, Ctrl + T…) cannot be caught by a web page, so for those pupils pick the keys from on-screen key buttons instead; tell them not to press Ctrl + W for real, as it closes the page. Wrong keys add 2 seconds, and stuck pupils see the keys light up gold after 5 seconds. The best time is saved on that computer. Its three missions are: (1) Finish a race in under 45 seconds; (2) Finish a whole race without touching the mouse (use the No-mouse round: Tab between buttons, Space to choose a key, Enter for Done); (3) Learn 3 new shortcuts in Learn mode and do each one. Demonstrate one race on the projector, then let pairs take turns and record their best time in the Page 5 table. Pupils need a real keyboard; on a phone only Learn mode works well. The lab is a warm-up: the Page 5 races on a real word processor and browser are the main mission.

Common mistakes and quick fixes

Pupils often…	Try this
Press both keys at exactly the same time, or the letter first	"Hold, tap, let go." Say it aloud while they do it slowly three times.
Press Ctrl + B with nothing selected and think it failed	Select the words first (or Ctrl + A), then press.
Paste the wrong thing	The clipboard only remembers the last thing copied. Copy again, then paste.
Close the whole browser with the X instead of the tab	Ctrl + W closes only the tab. If the browser closed, reopen it and press Ctrl + Shift + T.
Press Win + L and panic at the lock screen	Their work is safe. Press a key or click, then sign in as usual.
Snip, then cannot find the picture	It is on the clipboard: click in the document and press Ctrl + V. On Windows 11 it may also be in Pictures > Screenshots.
Hold Ctrl and an arrow and nothing jumps	Their cursor is not in the text. Click into the sentence first (the only mouse click allowed!).
Press F5 on a laptop and brightness/volume changes	On many laptops F5 needs Fn + F5. Check the laptop's keys.

When things go wrong

No internet: the Browser Race still works offline in a simple way: open new tabs, type in the address bar, close and reopen tabs, and use Ctrl + F on a page saved earlier or on the offline workbook itself. The Shortcut Race lab runs from the offline pack.
Not enough PCs: threes: one racer, one timer, one "mouse police" checking for mouse use; rotate each race. The Mentor Says game needs one PC per team, or pupils can mime the keys on a paper keyboard.
A PC freezes or the power goes: this is a good moment for Ctrl + S! If the power goes, run Mentor Says on paper: call the job, pupils write the shortcut, then swap and mark. Use the shortcut card as the answer sheet.

Answer key

Your turn (Page 2): Ctrl + Backspace deletes the whole word "kenkey" in one press (the cursor must be just after the word).

Your turn (Page 4): any two shortcuts with a sensible reason, for example Ctrl + S (saves work from power cuts) and Ctrl + Z (fixes mistakes fast).

Lab table (Page 5): times vary. Check the "Mouse used?" column honestly. In Race 1, the saved file Shortcut_Race_YourName should show the bold sentence plus 2 pasted copies (3 pastes, then 1 undo). In Race 3, the same file also has a pasted snip of the Kente page.

Which Shortcut Would You Use? (Page 6)

Reopen a closed tab: B, Ctrl + Shift + T.
Leave the PC safely: C, Windows key + L.
A picture of one part of the screen: A, Windows key + Shift + S.
Find "Volta" in a long document: B, Ctrl + F.
Jump between Word and Chrome: A, Alt + Tab.

Written Review Questions

Hold down the Ctrl key, tap the S key once while still holding Ctrl, then let go of both. The file saves. Look for: the order (hold first, then tap) and letting go.
Snap the browser to one half with Windows key + Left (or Right) and the document to the other half with Windows key + Right (or Left); Alt + Tab also switches between them. She could also copy (Ctrl + C) and paste (Ctrl + V) a short quote, and save her notes with Ctrl + S.

Support and stretch

Needs more support: start with just five shortcuts (Ctrl + C, V, Z, S and Alt + Tab). Let them use the printed card the whole session and tick each one as they manage it. Pair them with a patient partner for the races and let them race against their own time only.
Finished early: find three more shortcuts in Word or Chrome by hovering over ribbon buttons (the tooltip often shows the shortcut, such as Ctrl + E for centre in Word, or Ctrl + H for History in Chrome; in Word, Ctrl + H is Replace), add them to the back of the card, and teach one to the class. Or try the whole of Race 1 and Race 2 with no mouse at all.

Evidence for sign-off

The pupil shows the saved Shortcut_Race_YourName file with the bold sentence, the pasted copies and a pasted snip; completes the No-Mouse Challenge with their partner confirming no mouse use (a single click into the text is allowed); and demonstrates Alt + Tab, Windows key + L and Ctrl + Shift + T when asked. They get at least 4 of the 5 Page 6 choices right.

Safety and wellbeing

Screenshots copy everything on screen: before snipping or sharing, pupils check there are no names, messages, passwords or other people's work in the picture. Only snip the Kente page or their own document today. Make Windows key + L a habit whenever a pupil leaves their PC, and remind them that locking protects their work from pranks. Keep races friendly: race against the clock and your own best time, praise accuracy and helping a partner as much as speed, and never let a slower pupil be laughed at.