Week 1: Home row for code: letters and keywords

Typing code uses the same rhythm as typing a sentence. Your fingers rest on the home row, reach for a key and return. The difference is that every character becomes part of a program, and one wrong letter can stop the whole thing from compiling. That is why accuracy matters as much as speed this week. You are not learning any new symbols. Your focus is the home row letters and the words that C# reserves for itself.

What you will learn

C# keywords are words the language keeps for its own use, so you cannot name a variable with them. This week you practice two:

• as tries to convert an object to another type safely. It is typed entirely on the home row.
• string names the type that holds text, as in string name. It reaches a few letters away from the home row.

This week has no new symbols. You only type letters and the space bar.

Technique tips

• Rest your fingers on the home row (a s d f g h j k l) and return there after every reach. Steady returns keep your rhythm even.
• Keep your wrists floating above the keyboard instead of resting them on the desk.
• Look at the screen, not your hands. When your eyes move ahead to the next word, your fingers tend to follow.
• Enter fills in the next line’s indentation for you. Do not retype the spaces; just continue the code.
• Type words like string in two or three chunks rather than letter by letter.

Lessons

1. Learn (10 to 15 minutes): Watch the keyboard demo, type the home row letters in order, then repeat as and string a few times.
2. Practice (10 to 15 minutes): Type this week’s text at a steady pace. If you notice a wrong letter, fix it and keep going.
3. Review (10 to 15 minutes): Take the two-minute test. Note which letters slowed you down and focus on them in the next lesson.

This week’s goal

The goal this week is 12 WPM with 90 percent accuracy. Stars work like this: finish the lesson for 1 star, reach 90 percent accuracy for 2 stars, and reach 12 WPM as well for 3 stars. Build accuracy first. Speed comes naturally once your lines are clean.