Mouse & Keyboard

🖱️ Using the mouse

The mouse moves a pointer on the screen. Left-click to choose. Double-click to open. Right-click shows a menu of extra choices. Drag = hold the button and move.

⌨️ The keyboard

Keys type letters and numbers. The long bar is the Spacebar. Enter starts a new line or confirms. Backspace rubs out the letter before the cursor.

⇧ Shift and Caps

Hold Shift to type a CAPITAL letter or the symbol on top of a key. Caps Lock keeps all letters capital until you press it again. On a phone, tap the ⇧ arrow key once for one capital letter, or twice to keep capitals on.

✂️ Copy, cut, paste

Ctrl + C copies, Ctrl + X cuts (moves), Ctrl + V pastes. Ctrl + Z undoes a mistake. These shortcuts save you a lot of time — they work in school work too. On a phone: press and hold a word to select it, tap Copy, then press and hold where you want it and tap Paste.

👆 Touch screens

On a phone or tablet, your finger is the mouse. Tap to choose, press-and-hold for a menu, swipe to scroll. Same ideas, different tool.

Key points

• Let's learn to control the computer.
• The mouse moves a pointer. Left-click to choose, double-click to open.
• Right-click shows a menu with more choices.
• On the keyboard, Enter confirms and Backspace rubs out a letter.
• Hold Shift for a CAPITAL letter.
• Ctrl C copies, Ctrl V pastes, Ctrl Z undoes. Handy for homework!
• On a phone, your finger does the same jobs. Easy.

Try it for real: Mouse and keyboard practice

• Open any writing app (on a phone, the Notes or Messages app works). Type your name, then make it CAPITAL using Shift (the ⇧ key on a phone).
• Type a short sentence, then use Backspace to fix one letter.
• Copy your sentence (Ctrl+C) and paste it (Ctrl+V) on a new line. On a phone: press and hold, tap Copy, then Paste.