1 - Introduction ~6 mins
Warm-up
Think first, leave the laptop closed for a minute. Of the two documents you have been building ({{code:sm1_doc1_from_template.docx}} and {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter.docx}}), which one would you be happier to hand to a real adult tomorrow, and what still makes you hesitate about the other?
Before you start
Open {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm1/}} and confirm you can see both {{code:sm1_doc1_from_template.docx}} and {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter.docx}} (latest versions). If a file is missing, check {{code:01_drafts}} and {{code:03_finished}} if you used those folders, then tell your teacher now so you can recover the last saved version before the workshop.
Why today: you stop adding new features and prove these files are ready for a supervisor, a community contact, Work Experience, or the next Specialism module.
By the end of today
- Check both documents for column layout, page orientation, leftover review markup and spelling slips
- Fully tighten one priority file; shorter consistency-and-proofing pass on the other
- Name the one skill that most improved your documents
2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins
Today's workshop in one line: check → fix → name one skill. You will stress-test the documents you have already built, make sharp fixes (not a full rewrite), and leave with work you can explain to someone later.
Six checks:
- Columns and layout
- Orientation or wide-object fix if needed
- Consistent project name
- Special characters (€, fadas)
- Review markup resolved
- Proofed (software + manual)
Tightening means small, deliberate fixes that raise polish: unify a project name, insert €, resolve leftover review markup, catch a homophone. Three sharp fixes beat a rewrite that never finishes.
A worked example
Fictional student Aoife is building a small enterprise pitch for custom phone cases sold locally in Galway. Here is how the six checks came out on her newsletter {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter.docx}}:
| Check | Status | Fix made |
|---|---|---|
| Two-column body with a full-width heading | Pass | — |
| Landscape section for a wide price table | Fail then Pass | Section break before and after the table; landscape on that middle section only (Word). Docs users resized the table instead. |
| Project name consistent throughout | Fail then Pass | Find and Replace: "Case craft" to "CaseCraft" |
| Special characters used where needed (€, place names) | Pass | € on all prices; fada kept in Gaillimh |
| Tracked changes and comments resolved | Fail then Pass | Accepted three peer edits; replied to one comment then resolved it |
| Software proofing plus one manual pass | Pass | Spell-check run; two "their/there" fixes software missed |
In a minute you run the same six checks on your file. Mark each one Pass or Fix, and keep one real fix in mind to write up in the reflection later. Notice the depth in Aoife's table: what the status was and what she actually changed, not "looks grand".
3 - Step-by-step Task ~16 mins
Top rules: This guided pass is on one file only (prefer {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter.docx}}). Run all six checks. Only click the fix steps that Fail. If a check Passes, tick it and skip those clicks. You are not rewriting the piece: you are stress-testing it. Three sharp fixes beat a perfect spiral.
Orientation: only if you have a wide table or image that is squashed. Otherwise skip the orientation steps entirely.
Keep portfolio files clean. Do not type checklists or working headings into {{code:sm1_doc1_from_template.docx}} or {{code:sm1_doc2_newsletter.docx}}. Use the six checks your teacher projects (or a paper slip). Fail/Fixed notes go into {{code:sm1_unit2_reflection}} later.
Six checks: Columns and layout · Orientation or wide-object fix if needed · Consistent project name · Special characters (€, fadas) · Review markup resolved · Proofed (software + manual)
4 - Common Issues ~2 mins
Keep this table open as a help sheet during Independent Practice. Do not work through every row now.
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I cannot find one of my two Unit 2 documents | Search inside {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm1/}} for {{code:sm1_doc1}} or {{code:sm1_doc2}}. Check {{code:01_drafts}} and {{code:03_finished}} if you used the professional filing folders. Tell your teacher if a file is genuinely missing so you can recover from the last saved version. |
| Find and Replace changed a word I wanted to keep | Use Replace carefully, not Replace all, when the short word appears inside longer words. Undo with {{kbd:Ctrl+Z}} or {{kbd:Cmd+Z}}, then replace match by match. |
| Tracked changes or suggestions will not disappear | You must Accept or Reject each edit (or Accept all after a careful scan). Hiding markup is not the same as resolving it. Ask your teacher to show the Review pane if the buttons look different on your screen. |
| Landscape orientation changed every page after my table (Word Online) | You need a section break before and after the wide object. Place the cursor after the table, insert another Next Page section break via {{menu:Layout -> Breaks}}, click into the following section, then {{menu:Layout -> Orientation -> Portrait}} so only the middle section stays landscape. |
| I need a wide table in Google Docs | Docs applies orientation to the whole file via {{menu:File -> Page setup}}, not per section. Resize columns, simplify the table, or (with teacher agreement) put the wide piece in a separate landscape one-pager. Note the choice in {{code:sm1_unit2_reflection}}. |
| Find and Replace shortcut hid my browser on a Mac | In Word Online use {{kbd:Ctrl+H}} even on a Mac, or open Find and Replace from the ribbon. Reserve {{kbd:Cmd+H}} only if you are on desktop Word and have checked it works on that build. |
5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins
Independent Practice
Work inside {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm1/}}.
- Priority file (about 8 minutes). Full tighten on your priority document: layout, name consistency, special characters, review markup, software plus manual proofing. If time is tight, use this order: (1) resolve markup, (2) name consistency plus € and fadas, (3) software plus manual proof, (4) columns or orientation only if something is clearly broken.
- Second file (about 8 minutes). Light pass only: names, € and fadas, proofing, and markup. Skip columns and orientation unless something is clearly broken. If you are behind, still finish these shorter checks. If one file is missing, finish the file you have and write a short recovery plan in the reflection instead.
- Reflection file (about 4 minutes). Create a new document in the same {{code:sm1/}} folder named exactly {{code:sm1_unit2_reflection}} (Word Online or Google Docs). Paste the frame below and fill it in.
Paste this frame:
Skill that helped most: …
Document it changed: …
Before and after: …
Why this matters for Work Experience or a real reader: …
Model only: "The skill that most improved my documents was Find and Replace. I had three spellings of CaseCraft across the newsletter. One whole-document pass fixed them all, and the piece suddenly looked like one brand instead of three drafts glued together."
- One priority document from {{code:sm1/}} shows clear tightening (layout, consistency, review, or proofing), not a blank rewrite
- The second document has at least a shorter pass (name consistency, special characters, proofing, markup resolved) or the reflection includes a recovery plan if that file is missing
- Neither document still contains temporary audit headings or checklist lines; unresolved review markup is cleared where track changes or suggestions were used
- {{code:sm1_unit2_reflection}} sits in {{code:09_specialism/sm1/}} beside the two documents, names one specific skill, and links it to a real before-and-after change
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