Week 1: Home row for code: letters and keywords

Writing code is different from writing sentences: every keyword has to be spelled exactly right. This week lays the foundation. Most Python keywords are made only of letters, such as if, for, while, def and return. You practice them while keeping your fingers close to the home row. There are no symbols this week, so you can give your full attention to letters and rhythm. Calm, accurate typing matters more than speed right now.

What you will learn

This week there are no new symbols. You practice the keywords if, else, and, or, not, pass, True, False and None. Capital letters matter here: True works in Python, but true does not.

Here is how a few of these words look together:

True and False
not True

Type each word carefully and check it once more before moving on. One wrong letter is enough to break the line.

Technique tips

• Keep your fingers on the home row. Reach for a letter, then return to your starting position before the next key.
• Let your wrists float above the desk. Resting them on the edge slows down every reach.
• Look at the screen, not at your hands. Following the words on screen trains you to read code as you type it.
• Say each keyword once in your head before you type it. This builds a rhythm and reduces spelling errors.
• If you make a mistake, slow down, fix it, and continue. Correcting errors is part of the skill.

Lessons

1. Lesson 1 (10 to 15 minutes): Learn. Watch the keyboard demo and type each keyword slowly, one time through.
2. Lesson 2 (10 to 15 minutes): Practice. Repeat if, else, and, or and not in short sequences. Move to the next group only when the current one feels calm.
3. Lesson 3 (10 to 15 minutes): Review. Take the 2-minute test built from this week’s keywords. Note the words you misspelled and drill them again the next day.

This week’s goal

The goal is 12 wpm with 90% accuracy. The first star comes when you finish the lessons. The second star comes when you reach 90% accuracy, and the third when you also reach 12 wpm. Focus on accuracy first. Speed follows once the spelling feels automatic.