Computer Skills

Beginner

60 mins

Teacher/Student led

+65 XP

What you need:
Chromebook/Laptop/PC or iPad/Tablet
IWB/Projector/Large Screen

Document Templates: When, Why, How

Learn what templates are, when they save time versus when a blank page is better, and how to browse your word processor's template gallery to find designs that match your project needs.

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1 Introduction
2 Key Concepts
3 Explore the Template Gallery
4 Common Issues
5 Portfolio Build: Template Survey

1 - Introduction ~5 mins

Welcome

Last lesson you built a professional filing framework inside your {{code:sm1}} folder. That {{code:sm1}} folder is the project folder you set up last lesson, and your Something Real project is the real-world project you're producing documents for. Today you learn about templates: ready-made document layouts that save you from starting every document from a blank page. A creator or small operator rarely builds a flyer, a CV, or a meeting agenda from scratch, and neither should you.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Explain what a template is and why templates exist
Judge when a template saves time and when a blank document is better
Browse the template gallery and pick templates relevant to your Something Real project

Warm-up

Think about the last time you needed to make something look official quickly, maybe a poster for a club, a certificate, or a form. Did you start from nothing, or did you copy a layout that already existed? Which was faster?

Teacher Notes

Open with a 30-second recap of the previous lesson's filing framework, then read the learning outcomes aloud.

Demo on the classroom screen: open the template gallery in both Word for the web and Google Docs so the class sees the two galleries side by side before they explore on their own.

This lesson scaffolds the Vocational Preparation Task (CV and cover letter can start from a template) and the Vocational Education Task (promotional and pitch materials).

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins

A template is a starting point someone else already designed so you don't have to. In the class poll your teacher runs next, you'll test the trickiest part: knowing when a template helps and when a blank page is faster.

Concept	Why it matters	Example
Template — a pre-built document with layout, styles, and placeholder text already in place	You skip the fiddly layout work and focus on your actual content, which is faster and looks more professional	A CV template already has sections for education, experience, and skills, so you just type into them instead of designing a CV from scratch for a local employer
Placeholder text — the dummy words in a template (like "Your Name Here") that you replace with real content	If you forget to replace it, the reader sees "Company Name Here" and knows you didn't finish, which undercuts your work	A flyer template for your enterprise pitch says "[Product Name]" until you type your actual product in
Template gallery — the built-in menu of ready-made templates in your word processor	Browsing it before you start saves you re-inventing a layout that already exists	Searching "agenda" in the gallery finds a meeting-agenda template ready for a community project committee meeting

Teacher Notes

The when-to-use judgement is the hardest bit for students, so run it as a poll rather than more reading. Name a document type, ask "template or blank?", and discuss the split answers. Steer the class toward the rule: use a template when the document has a well-known standard shape (CV, invoice, agenda, newsletter, flyer) and you want it polished fast; start from blank when the document is short, one-off, or so specific that no template fits, because editing a template to match then takes longer than building your own. Let the idea of the blank document emerge through the poll.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+10 XP

3 - Explore the Template Gallery ~15 mins

Open your word processor's template gallery and explore what's available. There is no single right answer here, so notice, compare, and choose rather than following a fixed path.

How to open the gallery:

Word for the web: go to the Word start page through the Microsoft 365 app launcher or office.com, then browse the templates strip across the top. The Blank document tile sits on the left. (See the Word gallery screenshot.)
Google Docs: click Template gallery at the top of the Docs home page, or open the Template gallery from the New menu inside Drive. (See the Google Docs gallery screenshot.)

As you browse, jot down the names of two templates you find that catch your eye, so you have something to bring to the survey next.

Exploration

Find three different template categories in the gallery. What kinds of documents does each category cover?
Compare a CV template with a flyer template. What is different about their layouts, and why?
Which template in the gallery looks closest to the next document your Something Real project actually needs?
Notice the placeholder text in one template. What would you have to replace before it was ready to send to a real person?

Teacher Notes

Circulate and prompt students to say why a template suits a document type, not just which one they like. Weaker readers may need help decoding template names, so pair them with a confident partner. The two jotted template names give a quick, visible output you can check mid-activity before the survey begins.

+15 XP

4 - Common Issues ~5 mins

Common Issues

Issue	Solution
I can't find the template gallery	In Word for the web, clicking New from OneDrive usually just opens a blank document. Instead, go to the Word start page through the Microsoft 365 app launcher or office.com and browse the templates strip across the top; the Blank document tile is on the left. In Google Docs, click the Template gallery link at the top of the Docs home page, or open the Template gallery from the New menu inside Drive.
The gallery only shows a few templates	Try the search box inside the gallery and type a keyword like "CV", "agenda", or "flyer". Many more templates appear once you search.
The template looks nothing like what I need	That's useful information. If nothing fits, a blank document is the right choice for that document. Note it on your survey.
I opened a template but I'm worried I'll wreck the original	Opening a template always creates a brand new copy. You cannot damage the original template in the gallery, so explore freely.

Teacher Notes

Reassure nervous students that opening a template never overwrites the gallery original. This fear is common and stops them exploring.

+10 XP

5 - Portfolio Build: Template Survey ~20 mins

Independent Practice

Your goal: Pick the templates that will actually speed up your Something Real project, so when you build a document later you already know where to start.

Time: ~20 minutes

Task: Open your {{code:sm1}} project folder in your cloud drive (the one you built last lesson) and create a new document inside it. In Word for the web, save it as {{code:03_template_survey.docx}}; in Google Docs, name it {{code:03_template_survey}}. Browse the template gallery and choose three templates that are genuinely relevant to your Something Real project, and for each one write a single line saying what it is for. If a document your project needs has no good template, note that too and say why a blank document is the better choice. If your Something Real project isn't fully decided yet, use the document types your project is likely to need — a CV, a flyer, an agenda.

Success criteria:

Your survey lists three templates, each named clearly with a one-line note on what it is for
Every template you picked links to a real document your project will actually need
The survey shows you can tell template-worthy documents from blank-page ones (at least one clear reason given)

Teacher Notes

This is the lesson's portfolio artefact. The file is {{code:03_template_survey}} (add .docx in Word for the web; Google Docs has no extension), saved in the student's single {{code:sm1}} folder so KA evidence is easy to bank across the class. Check each student's survey ties to their own project, not a generic list. A survey full of party invitations for an enterprise pitch has missed the point. This is a 20-minute in-class task; if you prefer to set it as homework, remove it from the in-class timing block and say so explicitly. Feeds the Vocational Preparation Task where a CV template choice is genuinely useful.

+15 XP

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Document Templates: When, Why, How

Teacher Class Feed

1 - Introduction ~5 mins

Welcome

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Warm-up

2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins

3 - Explore the Template Gallery ~15 mins

4 - Common Issues ~5 mins

Common Issues

5 - Portfolio Build: Template Survey ~20 mins

Independent Practice

Unlock the full learning experience

XP