1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Your proposal is starting to look like a real document. Today you shape how each paragraph sits on the page: alignment, spacing and indentation. These choices decide whether a Work Experience supervisor, club treasurer or placement mentor can skim your plan in under a minute, or has to fight the layout.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Apply left, centre and right alignment for the right purpose, and recognise when justified text helps or hurts
- Set line spacing, paragraph spacing and indents
- Fix common paragraph formatting mistakes using worked examples
- Add three full paragraphs to {{code:03_proposal_draft}} with clean spacing and alignment
Warm-up
Think of the last long message or document you read on a phone. What made it easy to scan, and what made your eyes bounce off the page? Hold that answer in your head while you work today.
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
Paragraph formatting controls how blocks of text sit on the page. Use the table as a quick lookup only — do not read every cell now. Your teacher will show the short model and the double-Enter habit live first.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Alignment — how text lines up: left, centre or right (Justify is optional awareness only) | Wrong alignment makes a proposal look accidental | Left body; centre title; right-align a short date |
| Line spacing — gap between lines inside one paragraph (1.0, 1.15, 1.5) | Tight lines tire a reader; loose lines look empty | Body at 1.15 or 1.5 for easy reading and notes |
| Paragraph spacing — gap before/after a whole paragraph (not double Enter) | Blank Enter lines are hard to keep even when you edit | Spacing After about 8–12 pt between sections |
| Indentation — shifting a paragraph in from the margin | A light indent can mark a new idea; heavy indents waste space | Same light left indent on matching body paragraphs, or none |
Model shape (one short sample)
This is the layout shape you will paste and format in the guided task, then rewrite for your own project:
Title (centred): Proposal: Weekend baking orders for St Mary's GAA club
Date (right-aligned): 12 March 2026
Purpose (left-aligned, light indent): This project sets up a weekend baking service for St Mary's GAA club fundraisers so I can raise money for underage gear and practise costing and reliable delivery.
Notice: title centred; date right-aligned; body left-aligned; even gaps from paragraph spacing (not double blank lines); one clear indent style only.
Live contrast: double Enter between paragraphs looks messy and shifts when you edit. Spacing After keeps the same gap every time.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Follow the steps for your word processor. You will paste a short sample block of five labelled paragraphs (Title, Date, Purpose, Plan, Outcome), then apply alignment, line spacing, paragraph spacing and a simple indent. This is practice layout only. You will write your real project paragraphs in Independent Practice.
If a button seems to do nothing, check you selected the right paragraph first — that is the usual snag, not a broken file.
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| My whole document is centred, not just the title | Click inside each body paragraph and choose Left align. Next time, select only the Title paragraph before you centre it. |
| Big empty gaps appear between paragraphs | You probably pressed Enter twice. Delete the blank lines and use paragraph spacing After (about 8–12 pt) instead. |
| Justified text has huge spaces between words | Switch short body paragraphs back to Left align. Keep Justify for longer printed pieces if your teacher asks for it. |
| The indent button moved the whole document | Click once inside a single paragraph before you indent. Use Increase indent once only, then check the left edge against the title. |
| Line spacing will not change | Select the paragraphs first, then open the line spacing control. If nothing is selected, the change may apply only where the cursor sits. |
| My date line is still left-aligned | Select only the Date paragraph, then click Right align. Do not select the title or body at the same time. |
5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins
Independent Practice
Something Real means the real project you are building in this course (Work Experience, club, community help, or skills demo). If you have not picked one yet, use the board picker and the stems below.
1. Open your file
Open {{code:03_proposal_draft}} in your Project Portfolio {{code:03_documents}} folder.
2. Replace the sample with your three paragraphs
Delete or overwrite the practice Title, Date, Purpose, Plan and Outcome lines. Write three full paragraphs about your own project. Rough wording is fine on the first pass; clean layout is the win today.
If wording is hard, turn each bullet into 2–3 sentences:
- What is it and who does it help?
- How will you do it, step by step?
- What does done look like?
3. Apply layout (must-hit first)
- Must-hit: left-aligned body text; even spacing with no random double blank lines; three real paragraphs that a supervisor could skim
- Should-hit if time allows: centred title (if you keep one); right-aligned date line (if you keep a date); light indent on body paragraphs the same way (all matching, or none)
4. Filename check
Keep the file named {{code:03_proposal_draft}} in {{code:03_documents}} (not Untitled).
- {{code:03_proposal_draft}} contains three full paragraphs covering purpose, plan and outcome for your real project (not the sample text)
- Body text is left-aligned and easy to scan, with even spacing and no random double blank lines
- Any title is centred on purpose; any date line is right-aligned on purpose; body indents match each other if used
- File is named {{code:03_proposal_draft}} in the {{code:03_documents}} folder (not Untitled)
6 - Reflection ~5 mins
Think about
- Which control made the biggest visible difference on your proposal: alignment, line spacing, or paragraph spacing?
- If a Work Experience supervisor opened your page for thirty seconds, what would they notice first about the layout?
Discuss with your class if your teacher opens the floor. You do not need to type or save an answer.
7 - Lesson Summary ~5 mins
What you covered
- I can choose left, centre or right alignment for a clear purpose, and I know when justified text can hurt a short proposal
- I can set line spacing and paragraph spacing so body text is readable
- I can use a light indent carefully and fix common spacing mistakes
- I added purpose, plan and outcome paragraphs to {{code:03_proposal_draft}}
Extension challenge
If you finish early, try a first-line indent on your body paragraphs only (not the title or date). In Word Online, open paragraph options and set a small First line indent. In Google Docs, use {{menu:Format -> Align & indent -> Indentation options}} and set a first-line indent. Compare it with the left indent you already used and keep whichever looks cleaner for your project audience.
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