Simply develop a same-size drawing of the computer keyboard the students will be using in class. Make the necessary number of copies on the ditto machine or have them printed. These keyboards can be laminated to make them more durable. The paper keyboards can also be stapled onto one side of a manila folder that can also hold all the student's typing papers. These keyboards are printed on 8 x 11 cardboard stock, laminated, and punched to fit into a three-ring binder.
Versions are available for most microcomputers.
When the students have been drilled on these keys, the space bar, carriage return, and shift keys can be introduced. Students can keep track of the keys as they learn them by coloring them in with a magic marker. Posters listing good typing habits can be displayed around the room to help remind these young beginners of proper posture and other rules. Another idea for a classroom display or one which decorates the media center computer lab is a large computer keyboard with the home keys color coded. Following this, the students are ready to go to actual typewriters.