*Please note that the screen shots used were created while using Microsoft® Word 2001, and they may not appear exactly the same if you are running a different version.
 

This innovative tip helps you to create worksheets, quizzes, and other documents that allow students to choose from several responses with a simple mouse click. Basically, you will be creating your own drop-down menus where students can select an answer.  This can be very useful for students who struggle with writing and could use an alternative method of responding that would enable them to concentrate on the task at hand rather than the act of writing.
 
 

When you have finished, your questions will look something like this:

1.  The capital of Arizona is 
 

Once you or the student select the down arrow, a drop down menu will appear:

After selecting the response, it will look similar to this:

Instructions
 

First you will need to create the template for the students.

1.  Open Microsoft® Word.

2. Add the “Forms Toolbar” to your workspace.  To do this:
 

a. Go to the Tools Menu
b. Select “Customize…”
c. Under the “Toolbar” heading, click the box next to “Forms” to put a check mark in it.
d. Click “OK”.  At this point a small toolbar will appear in your workspace.

 

4. To insert the answers
 

a. Double click on the first “Drop-Down Form Field” (the shaded box you inserted earlier).  This will bring up a window entitled “Drop-Down Form Field Options”.

b. Type a space in the “Drop-down item” box.  This will ensure that the first line of your drop-down list will be blank so that no answer will be visible in the shaded space on the student’s document
c. Press Return or Enter to add the item to the “Items in drop-down list” box.  Of course, since you entered a space, you won’t see anything there this time!
d. Type the first/next answer option in the “Drop-down item” box.
e. Press Return or Enter to add the item to the “Items in drop-down list” box.
f. Repeat steps “d” and “e” until all the desired answer options are entered.
g. Once you are done typing answers, click the “OK” button.
h. Repeat these steps for each spot you have placed a drop-down form field.

5. Now we need to protect the form so that students cannot alter it and can only choose answers from the drop-down lists.
 

a. Click on the “Protect Form” icon which is the small picture of the lock on the right side of the small Forms Toolbar you created in step 2.   You will not be able to see the little down-arrow icons that mark the drop-down fields until you have protected the form.  They look like this: 
b. Go to the “File” menu and select “Save As”
c. Name your file and save the file as a “Document Template”.

Further information and instructions may be found at our source for this material:  http://aacintervention.com/tipofthemonthone.htm#Nov

Julie Maro of aacintervention.com has created a set of instructions covering this that may be found at http://aacintervention.com/mswordform.pdf

Screen shots reprinted by permission from Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.