Tap, Tap, Type: Linking an Opinion to Its Reasons

Every Fourth Grader Should Learn to Type

1Our class writes almost everything on laptops now, from science reports to book reviews. However, many of us still type with only two fingers and hunt for each letter. In my opinion, our school should give fourth graders typing lessons once a week. Learning to type the right way would help us in more ways than one.

2First, typing lessons would help us finish our work faster. For instance, it took me almost a whole class period to type one page of my report about the moon. My cousin Linh learned to type last year, and she can type a page like that in about fifteen minutes. In order to type quickly, a student needs to know where each key is without looking down. Weekly lessons would give us time to practice that skill.

3In addition, typing lessons would help us write better. When typing is slow, it is easy to forget an idea before it reaches the screen. If our fingers could keep up with our thoughts, we would have more time to add details and fix mistakes. As a result, our stories and reports would be clearer and more interesting.

4Typing is also a skill we will use for the rest of our lives. For example, many grown-ups type emails and reports at work every day. Middle school students often type even more of their homework than we do. Lessons now would get us ready for what comes next.

5For all of these reasons, our school should add weekly typing lessons. In order to make room in our busy schedule, the lessons could take the place of ten minutes of free computer time on Fridays. Our teacher could use a typing program so that each student can practice at his or her own speed. A little practice each week would make a big difference.