Year 3 Desktop publishing worksheet

“Words, pictures or both” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 3 computing unit “Desktop publishing”, for children aged 7 to 8, and takes about 22 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 25 to 30 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Words, pictures or both

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 3 · Computing · about 22 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can decide when text, images or both make a message clearest.

A Look back3 min

1.
Number these steps to make a cup of tea. Fill the kettle first, and put the tea bag into the empty cup. Write 1 to 4 in the boxes.
1. Pour in the water
2. Let it brew
3. Fill the kettle
4. Put the tea bag in the cup
2.
A sign shows only a picture of a bike and no words. Does it use text or an image?
3.
A message on a game makes you feel worried. What should you do first?
Tell a trusted grown-upReply to the messageShare your passwordKeep it a secret

B Watch me, then you4 min

A red triangle road sign shows two children walking, with the word School under it. Does it use text, images or both?

Watch me

The two children drawn in the triangle are an image.

The word School is text.

The picture warns drivers quickly and the word makes it clear, so it uses both.

Now you

1.
A green square sign has a white arrow pointing right and no words. Circle the answer: text, images or both.
textimagesboth

C Your turn7 min

Each sign is different. Circle text, images or both for each one.

1.
A yellow triangle has a bump drawn inside it and no words. Circle one: text, images or both.
textimagesboth
2.
A white sign has only the words Shop closed on it. Circle text, images or both.
textimagesboth
3.
A red ring has a bicycle crossed out and the words No cycling. Circle one: text, images or both.
textimagesboth
4.
A blue square shows a tap and the words Drinking water. Circle one: text, images or both.
textimagesboth

Say it out loud: What changed between each sign? Did the words, the picture, or both change the answer?

D Spot the mistake3 min

A plain glass shop door with a small notice panel and daylight outside

Mia says: “A sign is best when it has as many words as it can fit on.”

1.
The shop door notice says: Sorry, we are closed all day today because the owner is away visiting family. Write a shorter message for shoppers.

E Think deeper4 min

1.
Design a sign for the school gate that tells visitors to sign in at reception. Draw it, then say whether it uses text, images or both, and why.

How did it feel?1 min

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Words, pictures or both · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. 1 Fill the kettle · 2 Put the tea bag in the cup · 3 Pour in the water · 4 Let it brew If your child pours the water before the tea bag goes in, ask: was the cup still empty? The tea brews last, once the water is in.

2. Look for: image, because there are no words on the sign

3. Tell a trusted grown-up If your child picks reply, ask how a stranger could use the answer. Always tell a trusted grown-up first.

B

1. images If your child circles text, ask which words are on the sign. There are none, so the arrow is doing the job alone.

C

1. images If your child circles text, ask them to find a word on the sign. A bump picture alone is an image.

2. text If your child circles images, ask them to find a picture on the sign. There is only writing, so it uses text.

3. both If your child circles images, ask them to read the words on the ring. There is a picture and there are words, so it uses both.

4. both If your child circles text, ask what the tap picture adds. It shows the message quickly, and the words make it exact.

D

1. Look for: A short message with only the key words, such as Closed today or Closed all day. If your child copies a long message, ask which words the shopper really needs to read at the door. Keep those and cut the rest.

E

1. Look for: A sign design with a clear reason for choosing text, images or both, and few words.

Words to use

Say“Which words does the reader really need? Could a picture show it faster?”

Instead of“Tell them the answer is always text, or that more words are always better.”

After the sheet

Walk round the house and find one label or notice. Ask whether it uses text, images or both, and whether it could be shorter.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Fonts, Sizes and Colours(with a plan)
Templates and placeholders(with a plan)
Copy, paste and choose wisely(with a plan)
Planning a certificate(with a plan)
Making your work better(with a plan)

Every Year 3 computing worksheet

The worksheets plan opens a printable sheet for every lesson in Years 1 to 6, each with its answers on a separate page for you. It costs £6.99 a month or £59 a year for the whole family, with no free trial.

The full StudyDen plan adds the lessons themselves, marked as your child works, with the worksheets included. It is 7 days free, then £29.99 a month.

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