Lesson idea: a 10-minute touch typing starter

Subjects: Computing, digital skills, English
Age: from about 10
Time: 10 minutes
Equipment: A device with a keyboard for everyone – or one device and a projector

Create a free account (only you need one).
Create a tournament: mode Standard, word list “English – Top 200”, 60 seconds, 3 hours. Keep “Everyone types the same text” and “Allow guests without an account” ticked. Teaching German? Use “German – Umlauts and ß”.
Optional: print the keyboard chart and the typing journal.

Time	Phase	What happens	Grouping
1 min	Starter	Ask the class: who types with all ten fingers? Where are the number and symbol keys? Let two or three students show it.	Whole class
2 min	Home position	Show or hand out the keyboard chart: index fingers on F and J (feel the bumps), the other fingers next to them, thumbs on the space bar. The right little finger covers ; ' and Enter.	Whole class
1 min	Warm-up	One round of 30 seconds with the word list “English – Top 200”, not scored: looking at the keys is fine, the right finger matters.	Individual
5 min	Contest	Everyone joins the tournament with a nickname. Each round lasts one minute, the best round counts. Without devices for everyone: party mode on the projector.	Individual or groups
1 min	Review	Show the table or the podium. Praise accuracy too: typing cleanly makes you faster in the long run. Students note their result in the typing journal.	Whole class

Students scan the QR code, enter a nickname and play as guests – no account, no email address. The table shows each person’s best round.

Up to 8 people type the same text one after another, with a podium at the end. Larger classes play in groups; the group winners race the final.

How to use it