1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Today you open the template gallery and learn when a ready-made layout is the smart start, and when a blank page is better. That choice matters for every document you produce for your Something Real project and for other LCA coursework.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Explain what a template is and when it saves time versus starting from blank
- Browse the template gallery in Word Online and Google Docs
- Select three templates relevant to your Something Real project and justify each choice
Warm-up
Pick the next document your Something Real project needs. If you are still deciding, pick one from this list as your default for today: CV, cover letter, Work Experience log, pitch one-pager, flyer, meeting notes, Practical Achievement log, invoice or pricing sheet.
On a show of hands (or quiet point): would you rather start that document from a blank page, from a template, or are you not sure? Hold your answer. You will test it against real gallery options in a few minutes, and we will return to the same three choices at the end.
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
Your teacher will talk through these ideas and show the sample rows on the board. Use the tables as the quality bar for your own survey. You do not need to copy Jordan's project.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Template — a ready-made document with layout, styles, and placeholder text already set | You skip rebuilding headings, columns, and spacing from scratch, so more time goes into your real content | A CV template gives you name, contact, education, and experience blocks before you type a word |
| When a template saves time — the document type is common and the layout already matches your purpose | Standard jobs (CV, invoice, meeting minutes, flyer) rarely need a unique structure from zero | Work Experience weekly log, enterprise pitch one-pager, club AGM minutes |
| When blank is better — your layout needs are unusual, or every template fights the content | Forcing content into the wrong skeleton wastes more time than starting clean | A multi-section Practical Achievement log with custom photo captions and a non-standard section order |
Worked example: quality bar for your survey
Template names vary by school account. The rows below show the level of detail expected, not exact titles you must find. Map each idea to the closest layout in your gallery.
Jordan (small enterprise: custom phone-case printing for local schools and GAA clubs):
| Template name | Where I found it | What I would use it for |
|---|---|---|
| A clean one-page flyer (illustrative) | Word Online gallery, search: flyer | One-page promo for the phone-case range to hand to a club secretary |
| A simple invoice or pricing layout (illustrative) | Google Docs Template gallery, Work section or search: invoice | Pricing sheet when a customer orders a batch of cases |
| A short proposal or report (illustrative) | Word Online gallery, search: proposal | Short pitch document for a teacher or local mentor reviewing the enterprise idea |
CV / Work Experience pathway: if your Something Real work is a garage placement, interview prep, or similar, you might shortlist a resume or CV layout, a formal letter, and a weekly log or basic report instead of flyer and invoice.
Notice each row names a layout type, says which app and search or category it came from, and links the choice to a concrete next document. That is the standard your survey must meet.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Tour the digital template gallery in your word processor on screen. Your teacher demonstrates the path once; then you follow the steps for your own suite.
Browse for document types your own Something Real project needs next (CV or letter, log or report, flyer, proposal, invoice, meeting notes). Note three candidate layouts. Open at least one gallery template fully as a new on-screen document so you can study placeholder text and one layout feature. Thumbnails and search hits count for the other two if time is tight, as long as each note has enough detail for the survey table.
Before you close anything, write three short notes on scrap paper or in a blank note (one set per candidate):
- Template idea (name or layout type)
- App + search or category where you found it
- One layout feature and what you would use it for on your project
You are not filling a printed handout. The work that counts is the Template Survey document you build next and save in your {{code:sm1/}} folder.
4 - Independent Practice ~24 mins
Independent Practice
- {{code:sm1_template_survey}} is saved inside {{code:09_specialism/sm1/}} (created from inside the folder, not left in the Drive or OneDrive root)
- The page names your Something Real project in plain language at the top
- A three-column table has a header row plus exactly three template rows, each with name, where found, and a one-line project use
- Each use links to a document you could realistically need next (not vague lines like "for my project")
5 - Reflection ~5 mins
Think about
- Look back at your warm-up hands choice (blank, template, or not sure). For your Something Real project, which upcoming document is clearly faster from a template, and which one might still need a blank page?
- What nearly tricked you in the gallery (colours, fancy fonts, a layout that looked busy), and how will you judge templates more carefully next time?
Your teacher may run a short whole-class bounce (about one minute) with two students: one template-worthy document and one blank-page document. You do not need to type this reflection.
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