MS-Word Tips for Teachers

The Little Things That Make a Big Difference

By: Eric Durrand 

Microsoft Word is the most popular word processor on the planet. It’s used by PC and Mac users alike, and has become the standard in most offices and schools. Whether you want to write a paper, prepare reading materials for class, or design a quiz or a test – you are likely to be using Microsoft Word. It’s important, therefore, to know how to utilize this powerful tool to suit your needs.

If you’re like most users, for instance, you’ve been using the mouse to navigate between the many commands in the various menus and toolbars. There are, however, many shortcuts that can save you time and speed up your work: Ctrl+C, for instance, copies the highlighted text into memory, and Ctrl+V pastes it back into the document where you want it. Ctrl+X cuts the highlighted segment, and Ctrl+Z undoes the last action. Ctrl+A selects all the text in the active window, and Ctrl+W closes the current document window.

 Word can also make your documents livelier by integrating colored designs and graphics. Under Insert -> Picture -> Clip Art you can access a great number of clip arts designed by Microsoft and suitable for many purposes. Just type in a keyword in the search bar, and browse through the results. To incorporate a clip art into your document just click it, and then drag and resize it to your liking. If you want to add a drawing of your own making, just go to Insert -> Picture -> New Drawing, and use the special drawing toolbar to create shapes, color them, and add text tags.

 Microsoft’s Office Online web site is a great resource for teachers who want quick and effective results. Search for additional clip arts, photos, and templates, and easily customize them to your needs. A search for the keyword QUIZ in the templates section, for example, brought up several ready made templates including a multiple-choice test, an essay test, and a general test template. Other templates include a school-year calendar, absence form, classroom supply list, and more.

 You can also design a template of your own, to be used later on. Simply design it as an ordinary document, then go to File -> Save As, and then below under Save as Type select Document Template. If you save it in the suggested Templates folder, you will be able to create a new document based on that template, simply by selecting File -> New, and selecting the proper template from your template collection.

 Microsoft Word has many useful features for teachers, from an Equation creator, to graphs and flowcharts, to built-in research tools. A teacher who does not learn this basic tool is giving himself a serious handicap in producing classroom materials. To learn more about Word and how it can help teachers do more, see Word Workshop for Teachers, or any of the many guides to Microsoft Word available in your nearest bookstore.