This is a free scope and sequence for teaching keyboarding from kindergarten to grade 8. It tells you what to teach in each grade band, how many minutes a week to give it, and which RiteType lessons and games match each step. Everything linked here runs in a browser, works on Chromebooks, and doesn't need student accounts.
Use it as written, or lift the parts that fit your schedule. Prefer a tighter band? Jump to the K–2 typing curriculum, grades 3–5 typing curriculum, or grades 6–12 typing curriculum.
Common Core typing expectations
Official writing standards that mention keyboarding:
- Grade 3 — W.3.6: use technology to produce and publish writing.
- Grade 4 — W.4.6: type at least one page in a single sitting.
- Grade 5 — W.5.6: type at least two pages in a single sitting.
There is still no national WPM cutoff. Teach technique and accuracy first; use the grade-band tables below as guides, not report-card rules.
If you're new to teaching typing, read how to teach typing in the classroom first for the week-one routine.
Scope and sequence at a glance
| Grade band | Main goal | Minutes per week | RiteType units |
|---|---|---|---|
| K–1 | Find letters, posture, mouse and keyboard basics | 10–30 | Kids Corner, kids games |
| 2–3 | Home row and top row with correct fingers | 30–60 | Home Row, Home Row Mastery, Top Row, Top Row Reaches |
| 4–5 | Whole keyboard, capitals, punctuation, accuracy | 30–60 | Bottom Row, Bottom Row Reaches, Capitals, Punctuation, Common Words |
| 6–8 | Speed, numbers, symbols, real writing | 20–30 | Numbers, Symbols, Paragraphs, Speed Builders, Accuracy Builders, Email and Everyday Typing |
The minutes are a starting point, not a research-backed rule. Short, frequent sessions (10 to 15 minutes, three or more times a week) tend to work better for a motor skill than one long lab period.
Grades K–1: find the keys
Young children aren't ready for full touch typing. Their hands are small and many are still learning letters. The goal at this age is comfort: sitting well, finding letters, and knowing that each hand has its own side of the keyboard.
- Teach: posture (feet flat, back against the chair), the two bumps on F and J, left hand on the left side and right hand on the right.
- Practice: Key Hop, Bubble Pop, Treasure Dig and Balloon Pop. These are gentle, no-fail games with no timer pressure.
- Lessons: the five Kids Corner lessons use short, simple words when children are ready to type whole words.
Grades 2–3: the home row and top row
This is where real touch typing starts. Spend the first weeks on technique, not speed. Students who learn the right fingers now avoid years of hunt-and-peck.
- Weeks 1–3: the Home Row unit (F and J first, then D K, S L, A ;, G H and home-row words).
- Weeks 4–5: Home Row Mastery drills, one hand at a time and then mixed.
- Weeks 6–9: the Top Row unit, then Top Row Reaches.
- Games: Key Hop for home-row reinforcement and Falling Words on Easy as a reward.
- Check: eyes on the screen and the right finger on each key. Accuracy matters more than speed at this stage.
Grades 4–5: the whole keyboard
By grade 4, US Common Core writing standards expect students to type a page in one sitting (W.4.6), and grade 5 raises that to two pages (W.5.6). That needs the whole alphabet plus capitals and punctuation.
- Review: two weeks of home and top row to rebuild habits after the summer.
- New keys: Bottom Row and Bottom Row Reaches.
- Shift and punctuation: Capitals (Shift with the opposite pinky) and Punctuation.
- Fluency: Common Words, Tricky Letter Pairs and the kids typing test every two weeks.
- Games: Word Zombies, Asteroid Blaster and Type Racer.
Grades 6–8: speed and real writing
Middle schoolers type for real work: essays, research notes, online tests and code. The focus shifts to speed, numbers and symbols, and moving their skill into actual writing.
- Numbers and symbols: Numbers, Symbols, and the Number Pad unit if students use full-size keyboards.
- Stamina: Sentences and Paragraphs and the 3-minute typing test.
- Speed and accuracy: Speed Builders and Accuracy Builders.
- Real-world typing: Email and Everyday Typing, and Coding Practice for computer science classes.
- Games: Daily Challenge (everyone gets the same words each day, so it makes a fair class race), Pizza Rush and Ghost Racer.
Suggested goals by grade band
There is no official national typing-speed standard, so treat these as rough guides. Grade technique, accuracy and growth from each student's own baseline more than raw speed. Our average typing speed guide summarizes what the research does say.
| Grade band | Technique goal | Accuracy goal | Speed guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| K–1 | Finds letters, sits well | Not graded | Not graded |
| 2–3 | Home and top row by touch | 90%+ | Growth from baseline |
| 4–5 | Whole keyboard by touch, Shift on opposite hand | 90%+ | Roughly as fast as handwriting, then faster |
| 6–8 | Numbers and common symbols by touch | 92–95%+ | Steady growth on 3-minute tests |
How to assess progress
- Baseline: give a 1-minute typing test in week one and save the result.
- Every two weeks: repeat the same test length. Compare each student to their own baseline.
- Technique checks: walk the room with a simple checklist: fingers on home row, eyes on screen, posture, Shift with the opposite hand.
- Stars: each RiteType lesson awards up to three stars for speed and accuracy, which makes a quick weekly check.
- Class view: with a free teacher account, students join your class with a code and you can see their progress in one place.
Grade-band deep dives
- K–2 typing curriculum — posture, letter finding, home-row readiness
- Grades 3–5 typing curriculum — Common Core page-typing expectations
- Grades 6–12 typing curriculum — speed, symbols, real writing, job tests
- Parent pages: kindergarten, first grade, second grade
Printables and extras
- Using this at home? Homeschool version →
- Printable keyboard finger chart (free PDF, letter and A4). Tape one next to each screen.
- Finger placement guide with an interactive keyboard.
- Classroom typing games: how to use each of the 15 games in class.