GCPS Wiki-Wiki | Handouts / Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets: Using both AppleWorks and Excel in the Classroom

I am developing an online (Moodle) course to cover this topic in depth. In the meantime, here are some resources for using spreadsheets.

Sample Data:

Attach:read_data.xls

Early Elementary Students

Students at this level can:

Students can practice opening and closing the application.
Students can manipulate the spreadsheet window.
Students can type into spreadsheet cells.
Students can print their work.

Students at this level should learn this spreadsheet vocabulary:

sheet,
cell,
click,
drag,
open,
close,
print,
menu.

Upper Elementary

Students in the third and fourth grade begin approaching the spreadsheet as something that can hold data, sort the data, and can make pictures from the data. Students require practice in:

Entering data,
Sorting data,
Adding numbers, and
Creating Simple Charts.

At this age level, there becomes a large collection of things students can observe, collect, and turn into data for using the spreadsheet. At this age level, we begin transforming our use of the spreadsheet “for the sake of learning how to use a spreadsheet” to a “tool” for seeing trends. Students can be asked questions about graphs they create using a spreadsheet application, practicing graph-reading skills.

Middle School through Adulthood

At this level we are manipulating data, and using the spreadsheet as a database, and as a problem-solving tool. We use formulas to control the application, and continue to use graphs (charts) to visualize data. At the middle school level, it helps when students are provided with templates to start with.

Use these websites across grade levels for classroom support: