When we started writing HTML in the previous lessons, they were very plain. If you wrote any paragraphs they all ran together into one long page. Today's lesson will show you how to create paragraphs out of your text. Plus, we'll look at creating headlines and how to emphasize text within your paragraphs.
As always, you should read all the articles in the Required Reading section, and the articles in the Optional Reading section are for more information.
Required Reading
Correct Use of the P and BR Tag
The P tag creates paragraphs and the BR tag creates line breaks. These two tags are very useful for breaking up the flow of your web page text into sections just like you would a print document.
Headings, Bold, and Italic
Headings are a useful way to divide up your web page into different sections. Headings in HTML are in a hierarchy: H1 is the first, H2 the second, and so on down to H6. If you think of these headlines like writing an outline, you will better understand how to use them. It's best practice to have only one H1 headline on a page—this defines the entire page.
Bold and italic is rendered in HTML with the STRONG and EM tags. You use them to surround blocks of text that you want to display as either bold or italic.
Nesting HTML Tags
Now that you have learned several new HTML tags (p, br, h1-h6, strong, and em), you need to learn about nesting these tags. Nesting means the placement of one HTML tag inside another HTML tag. Items are said to be inside a tag when they appear after the start tag and before the end tag. In other words:
<p>this text is nested in the P tag.</p> this text is not.
Optional Reading
Working With Paragraphs
If you're interested in learning more about HTML paragraphs, this is a great article to read. It includes references to common mistakes and some ways to style paragraphs using CSS. While CSS is beyond the scope of this class, this article will give you an idea of what is possible to do with paragraphs.
Heading Tag Definition
Learn more about the <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>, <h5>, and <h6> tags by reading their definition.
BR Tag Definition
Understand the BR tag and how it works by reviewing the definition. All HTML tags are listed in the HTML Tag Library.
Homework
Lesson 4 Homework
Homework for the HTML class is not graded. Each lesson will include a quiz with questions to answer, and a project you can try to get more familiar with the concepts taught in that lesson. If you want help with the quiz or project, you can post questions to the HTML forum.
