Teacher Guide

How To Type is a complete touch typing curriculum in 7 lessons for US QWERTY keyboards.

This is a guide to help you plan instruction for classrooms and computer labs. It is also useful for tutors and self-taught typists.

Curriculum Overview

Students can progress from home row basics to full keyboard coverage. All letters (1-4), punctuation (5), numbers (6), and symbols (7) are covered. The curriculum emphasizes accuracy and proper technique over speed and provides integrated keyboard illustrations showing correct finger placement.

Lesson	Topic	Exercises	Time Range	Suggested Sessions
1	Home Row: A S D F G H J K L ;	10	20-40 min	1
2	Top Row: Q W E R T Y U I O P	12	20-45 min	1-2
3	Bottom Row: Z X C V B N M , . /	13	25-55 min	1-2
4	Capital Letters: Shift key technique	13	30-70 min	1-2
5	Punctuation: . , ; : ' " ? !	15	30-65 min	1-2
6	Numbers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0	12	20-45 min	1-2
7	Symbols: $ & # * ( ) ! @ % ^ _ + [ ] { } < > ` \ ~ |	25	55-120 min	2-3
Total		100	3.5-7.5 hours	8-14 sessions

Time ranges vary widely and account for different skill levels: faster times are for experienced (but non-touch) typists and slower times are for complete beginners.

The schedules above are ballpark estimates and don't account for review sessions. Less experienced typists will benefit from repeating exercises between lessons, while students with more keyboard familiarity may be able to move faster. The calculator below lets you select the exercises you plan to cover, enter your students' typing speed, and get a time estimate for your session.

Lesson Time Calculator

Enter approximate typing speed to calculate time estimates for each exercise. You can check or uncheck exercises to plan a session.

Learning Objectives by Lesson

Each lesson covers a progression of specific skills. The lessons build on each other and are best introduced in order. It can be useful to review earlier lessons for practice.

Exercise Types

Lessons 1-3: Progressive Drills

The first three lessons build from single keys to full phrases using three exercise types:

• Key Introduction: exercises isolate new keys with focused repetition patterns (e.g., "jj kk jkj kjk")
• Consolidation: exercises mix previously learned keys together, integrating new keys with old ones
• Sentence Practice: exercises apply all learned keys in real words and phrases (full sentences begin in Lesson 3, when the period key is introduced)

Lessons 4-7: Paired Exercises

Paired exercises consist of two exercise types, to introduce new keys and then practice them in context:

Type	Purpose	Format
Technique Training (a)	Builds muscle memory through focused repetition of new keys	Short pattern drills (e.g., "uu rr uru rur ur ru")
Practice (b)	Applies skills to real writing	Sentences and paragraphs in the context of short stories

Ideally, students complete both exercises in the pair. The drill introduces new keys and builds familiarity and the practice reinforces it in context. Students who struggle with the drill can repeat it until they can type it comfortably. The drill Shuffle option can be used to rearrange the drill patterns for a fresh exercise, as often as desired.

For shorter class sessions, you could assign only the "b" or "a" exercises for homework and do the other exercises together in class.

About the Exercises

Accuracy before speed

The drills are designed to be typed slowly and accurately. The goal is to practice the correct finger movement and students may feel pressured to rush through a long exercise. Encourage them to focus on accuracy and assure them that speed will develop with practice.

Drills are kept short

The technique drills are short enough to complete in a couple of minutes. Students who need more practice can use the Shuffle button (bottom right of the exercise) to generate fresh patterns using the same keys, so they can repeat the drill without typing the same sequence again. The Reset button restores the original drill text.

Drills follow a progression

Technique drills start with isolated repetition of each new key, then gradually mix them together in increasingly complex patterns. The idea is to learn each key's finger movement individually before combining them.

Drills are paired with stories

The isolated drill builds the finger movement and the story exercise reinforces it in real writing. Stories also motivate students to keep typing, review previously learned keys and provide a break from pure drill repetition.

Drills (unshuffled) are not random

This means every student on a lesson sees the same text and you can project an exercise, discuss specific words or patterns, and know what students are typing. When students need to repeat a drill, Shuffle gives them fresh, random patterns so they're practicing the movement and not memorizing the sequence.

Pacing for 45-Minute Classes

Session	Content	Notes
1	L1 exercises 1-7	Home row foundation. Demonstrate hand position before starting.
2	L1 exercises 8-10, L2 exercises 1-2	Finish home row (H and G), begin top row.
3	L2 exercises 3-6	Top row: middle and ring fingers
4	L2 exercises 7-12	Top row: P and Q, Y and T, sentences
5	L3 exercises 1-6	Bottom row: index and middle fingers
6	L3 exercises 7-13	Bottom row: / and Z, N and B, sentences
7	L4 exercises 1-4	Capitals: home and top row
8	L4 exercises 5-7, L5 exercises 1-2	Capitals: bottom row. Begin punctuation review.
9	L5 exercises 3-5	Apostrophe, question mark, exclamation
10	L5 exercises 6-9	Hyphen, putting it together, return key, final practice
11	L6 (all)	Numbers. Shorter lesson, fits in one session.
12	L7 exercises 1-4	Symbols: $ & # * ( ) ! @
13	L7 exercises 5-7	Symbols: % ^ - = _ +
14	L7 exercises 8-13	Symbols: [ ] { } < > ` \ ~ |, final practice

Faster groups can compress sessions 1-2 into one and sessions 7-8 into one, bringing the total to about 12 sessions. If your class needs more time, Lesson 3 (bottom row) and Lesson 7 (symbols) are the longest, so consider adding a session after session 6 or splitting session 14.

Shorter Course Option

If class time is limited, cover Lessons 1-4 in class (all letters and capitals). Lesson 4 also serves as a review of all letter keys, so students who complete it have a solid foundation. They can complete Lessons 5-7 (punctuation, numbers, symbols) independently at home.

Expected Benchmarks

Accuracy is the primary measure of readiness to move on. We recommend 95%+ accuracy on each exercise before progressing. Students who consistently score below this should repeat the exercise. The technique drills are designed for repetition.

Speed varies widely by age, prior experience, and lesson complexity. Expect it to drop when new keys are introduced. This is normal. Continued practice with correct technique helps speed recover over time.

Assessment

For grading, we suggest focusing on completion and improvement rather than absolute speed. Students start at very different levels based on prior experience, motor skills, and other factors.

Suggestions:

• Completion: Did the student finish all exercises in the lesson?
• Accuracy: Is the student consistently at 95%+? If accuracy drops below 95%, have them repeat the technique drill for that section before moving on. The drills are designed to be repeated as needed to build muscle memory.
• Improvement: Compare each student's accuracy and speed at the start and end of the course. The exercises themselves report WPM and accuracy, so improvement is visible over time.

Grading on speed alone can penalize students who are learning to type for the first time and reward those who already had some typing ability.

Classroom Tips

• Emphasize accuracy over speed. If a student's accuracy drops below 95%, have them repeat the technique drill until they can type it comfortably. The drills are designed for this.
• Encourage students to keep their eyes on the screen rather than the keyboard. Each lesson page has a Show Keyboard button (bottom of the screen) that slides up a color-coded keyboard diagram highlighting the keys for the current exercise and which finger types them. The panel can be resized by dragging its top edge. Beginners can keep it open; more confident students can hide it.
• Short sessions work well. 20-30 minutes of focused typing practice per session is a good target.
• A quick posture check at the start of each session can be helpful.
• Fast finishers can use Practice Mode for additional challenge while others catch up.
• Hunt-and-peck typists may feel slower at first with correct technique. This is expected. They're relearning a skill from scratch.
• The lessons are designed for self-paced learning, which helps in mixed-ability classes. Faster students can repeat exercises for higher accuracy or move ahead while others catch up.

Suggested Session Structure

For a 40-45 minute class period:

• 5 min - Warm-up: repeat a previous short exercise
• 25-30 min - New material: work through the exercises for the current session
• 5 min - Review and stretch
• 5 min - Buffer for catch-up or extra practice

Standards & Digital Literacy

This 7 lesson course covers all keys on a standard keyboard with correct touch typing technique, which supports standards requiring keyboard proficiency.

After the Course

Students who complete all 7 lessons can type every character on a standard keyboard with correct technique. Speed improves with continued practice. How quickly depends on age, practice frequency, and prior experience.

For ongoing practice:

• Use Practice Mode for regular typing practice with real quotes and passages
• Revisit earlier exercises periodically to see how much easier they feel
• Encourage students to use touch typing in all their computer work, not just during practice sessions

Curriculum Versions

In March 2026, the lessons were updated with stories, keyboard illustrations, and restructured exercises. The original (v1) versions remain available at the URLs below, so you can access or link to them if you need them.

Current (2026)	Version 1 (2025)
1. Home Row	Version 1
2. Top Row	Version 1
3. Bottom Row	Version 1
4. Capital Letters	Version 1
5. Punctuation	Version 1
6. Numbers	Version 1
7. Symbols	Version 1

What changed

• Short mini-stories are woven into the exercises
• Exercises now include color-coded keyboard diagrams highlighting the target keys and which finger types them
• A Show Keyboard button at the bottom of each lesson toggles a resizable keyboard panel that students can keep visible while typing
• Exercises are restructured into paired drills, with technique training followed by contextual practice for each new skill
• Drills are shorter, with a Shuffle button that generates fresh variations for additional practice as needed

Exercise mapping: v1 to current

Lesson	v1 (2025)	Current	Key differences
1. Home Row	10 exercises	10 exercises	Same structure, same keys. Simple words added to drills.
2. Top Row	12 exercises	12 exercises	Same structure, same keys. Narrative phrases added to drills.
3. Bottom Row	11 exercises	13 exercises	Same keys, same order. New sentence practice added at 3.5, final exercise split into two parts.
4. Capitals	3 exercises	13 exercises	Reorganized into paired technique/practice drills by row and hand. Adds Caps Lock instruction.
5. Punctuation	7 exercises	15 exercises	Reorganized into paired technique/practice drills with a narrative. Adds Return and Backspace key exercises. Layout-specific variations for QWERTZ.
6. Numbers	6 exercises	12 exercises	Reorganized into paired technique/practice drills with a narrative, ordered by finger (index, middle, ring, pinky).
7. Symbols	6 exercises	25 exercises	Reorganized into paired technique/practice drills with a narrative. Adds minus and equals as dedicated exercises.

Lessons 1-3 map nearly 1:1 with the v1 versions. Same keys, same order.

• Lessons 1 and 2: Direct match, exercise for exercise.
• Lesson 3: A new sentence practice (3.5) is inserted after the middle finger exercises. Exercises after 3.5 are offset by one (v1 3.5 = new 3.6, v1 3.6 = new 3.7, etc.). Two new sentence practices are added at the end (All Letters A-Z Parts 1 and 2).

Lessons 4-7 are significantly restructured, with different ordering, more exercises, and paired technique/practice drills. The same keys are covered in Lessons 4, 5, and 6. Lesson 7 now fully completes keyboard symbol coverage.

The v1 versions remain available at their current URLs.