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      Choosing formatting tools

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can make formatting changes and undo mistakes.

      Key learning points

      1. Text styling tools make words stand out.
      2. Changes can be undone and redone.

      Keywords

      • Appropriate - a choice that fits the design

      • Undo - to go back one step

      • Redo - goes forward again if you have used undo

      Common misconception

      Undo will restart your document from the very beginning.

      Undo only removes the most recent change so you only need to go as far back as to where you made the mistake you want to correct.

      Teacher tip

      Pupils need access to the downloadable file template. Model to pupils how to find and open the resources, as this can differ between platforms.

      Equipment

      Pupils will need access to a device with word processing software. Examples in this lesson use Google Docs https://oak.link/google.docs

      Files needed for this lesson

      L5 Task A 427.33 KB (DOCX)

      L5 Task B 78.17 KB (DOCX)

      Download these files to use in the lesson.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

      Loading...

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      This font button puts a line under the font you have selected.

      Correct answer: underline
      underwater
      underfoot

      Q2.
      In a word processor, what do you usually see on the toolbar?

      painting choices
      Correct answer: font style choices
      letter choices

      Q3.
      What will happen when you select text?

      Correct answer: The background will change colour to show the text has been selected.
      The text will get underlined.
      The text will change colour.

      Q4.
      When we talk about a text's style, what do we mean?

      Correct answer: how the letters look
      how the letters sound
      how the letters feel

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      What can you change with this part of the toolbar?

      An image in a quiz
      text colour
      Correct answer: font size
      select different font

      Q2.
      What do you have to do before you can change text formatting?

      Correct answer: select the text
      change the colour
      use undo

      Q3.
      When we talk about formatting, what does an appropriate choice mean?

      The choice that is the largest.
      Correct answer: The choice that fits the idea.
      The choice that is underlined.

      Q4.
      What does the undo button do?

      Correct answer: It goes back one action.
      It goes forward one action.
      It deletes text.

      To help you plan your 1 computing lesson on: Choosing formatting tools, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...