Creating an English Paper Template

OPENING A NEW TEMPLATE

·        Open Word by clicking on the icon on the desktop

·        In File menu choose New

·        In New box click on Blank Document.

·        In View menu choose print layout.

MARGINS

The setting for papers is one inch on top, bottom. and sides.

·        Under File menu choose Page Setup.

·        Click on Margins tab and type 1" in each of the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right boxes.

·        Click on Layout tab. Be sure the settings in the From Edge area are both 0.5" since this is the distance between the Header, which will appear with page numbers on every page, and the top edge of the page.

·        Click on OK

LINE SPACING

Papers are to be double spaced throughout. The default setting for Microsoft Word is single spacing. Change the setting to prepare your template.

·                    Place the insertion point at the first line of your document.

·                    Choose Paragraph in the Format Menu.  The Paragraph Dialog Box will open.

·                    Chose Double from the Line Spacing: drop down list.

·                    Click OK.

FONT

Font is the term used to describe the shape of the type used in typing. Use a standard typeface in 12 point size similar to that found in typewriters. Courier and Times New Roman are good examples.

This is 12 point Times New Roman font.

This is 12 point Courier font.

·        Choose Font from the Format Menu. The Font Dialog Box will appear.

·        Use the up and down arrows to scroll through the list of Fonts and Sizes.

·        Click on Courier and 12 or Times New Roman and 12.

PAGINATION

Beginning with the first page, English papers carry a right justified heading one half inch from the top of the page with your last name in upper and lower case followed by the page number in Arabic numerals.

·        Choose Header and Footer from the View Menu. The text will dim and the cursor will appear in the header space. The Header and Footer Toolbar will also appear.

·        Click the Switch Between Header and Footer Button which is the fourth button from the right, until you are in the header space.

·        Click the  Insert Page Number Button which has a number sign on an icon page with a folded corner in the Header and Footer Toolbar. The number 1 will appear at the left margin.

·        The cursor will appear just to the right of the number 1 at the left margin. Move the cursor to the left of the number 1.

·        Press the space bar three times to move the number 1 three spaces to the right.

·        Press the Left Arrow Key to move the cursor to the left margin.

·        Type your last name. The cursor will be at the last letter of your last name.

·        Press the Left Arrow Key to move the cursor to the beginning of your name.

·        Click the Align Right button in the Formatting Toolbar and page number 1 will shift to the right margin.

·        Click close in Header Footer Toolbar.

TITLE PAGE

English papers do not have a formal title page. Your name, your teacher's name, the course name and the date are grouped at the upper left corner of the first page.

·        Move the cursor to the top line of the first page.

·        Double spaced at the left margin, type in upper and lower case, your full name, first name first, on the top line, the teacher's name on the second line, the course name on the third line.

·        On the fourth line, from the Insert menu choose Date and Time. From the Date and Time dialogue box check Update automatically and from Available formats choose the format  TIME \@ "d MMMM, yyyy" 17 October, 2008. Click on OK.

·        Double space and center "The title goes here" in upper and lower case.

INDENTION

The first line of every paragraph in the paper should be indented on half inch.

·        Place cursor at the end of "The Title Goes Here" and double space.

·        Select Align Left from Formatting toolbar

·        Choose Paragraph from the Format Menu. The Paragraph Dialog Box will appear.

·        In the Special drop down list select First line.

·        In the By drop down list select 0.5".

·        Click on OK.

·        Type: The text starts here.

SAVING THE TEMPLATE

You want to save the Template in your personal folder not in the My Documents folder. If you save the Template in your personal folder you may access it from any computer on the school district network. If you save it in the My Documents folder, you will only be able to access it from the computer on which it was created. You may also save it to a floppy disk.

·        From the File Menu select Save.

·        In the Save Dialogue Box, use the drop down submenu in the Save in window to select your login number on 'sjc_fs1\Homeshr\users'(H:).

·        In the File name box type English Paper Template.

·        Click on the Save button.

USING THE TEMPLATE

You will now have a template in your folder that you may use whenever you type a paper at school. To open a formatted document

·        Open Microsoft Word..

·        From the File menu select open.

·        Select Users.

·        Open the Users folder.

·        Locate and open your personal folder.

·        In the Files of type window use the drop down menu to select All files.

·        Select your English Paper Template and open it.

·         In File menu select Save As and name your new document.

·         Click on Save.

·         In Window menu select English Paper Template and close it.

·         Start typing your new document.