The big ideaA finger reaches up or down, taps, and comes home before the next letter.
How it works
Think of the keyboard as a building with three floors and a lift. Home is the middle floor, with the top row above and the bottom row below.
A finger rides up or down, taps, and rides back to the middle. The lift goes straight up or straight down.
The golden rule: only the finger that reaches should move. The other fingers stay home and keep the place.
Words that mix the home, top and bottom rows use all three floors.
Fox, one key at a time.
Example 1: Type fox
f is on the home row, so the left pointer stays home.
o is on the top row, so the right ring finger reaches up and comes home.
x is on the bottom row, so the left ring finger steps down and comes home.
Home, up, down.
Fox: F, O, X.
Example 2: Type jump
j is on the home row, where the right pointer rests.
u is up: the pointer reaches up and comes home to j.
m is down: the pointer reaches down and comes home again.
p is up: the right pinky reaches up from the semicolon.
Jump: J, U, M, P.
Example 3: Type quick
q, u and i are on the top row: three reaches up.
c is on the bottom row: a reach down.
k is on the home row: the right middle finger stays home.
Up, up, up, down, home.
Quick: Q, U, I, C, K.
Example 4: Type brown
b is on the bottom row: down.
r, o and w are on the top row: up, up, up.
n is on the bottom row: down.
Down, up, up, up, down, and the whole hand never lifts.
Brown: B, R, O, W, N.
Words to know
reach
A finger's trip up or down from home to a key and back.
golden rule
Only the finger that reaches should move.
home row
The middle floor, where every finger starts and comes back to.
Watch out
Do not lift your whole hand: only the finger that reaches moves.
Always go home after a reach, before the next letter.
The lift never zigzags: it goes straight up or straight down.
Try it
In the word fox, which letter needs a reach up?
In the word jump, which letters reach up?
When one finger reaches, what do the other fingers do?
Which word stays home: dad or dog?
How many letters does Pop's sentence use?
Answers: 1. o · 2. u and p · 3. They stay home · 4. dad · 5. All twenty-six
Try at homeAt a keyboard with a grown-up, type: the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. It uses every letter of the alphabet. Ask the grown-up to watch that only the reaching finger moves and every finger comes home.
For grown-upsAsk your child to type Pop's sentence in two parts, the quick brown fox and then jumps over the lazy dog, and watch that only the reaching finger moves; slow and right is the goal.
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