Spreadsheet Intro

Why do I need a spreadsheet, anyway?

A spreadsheet is a tool to organize information in rows and columns. With a spreadsheet, you can analyze the data stored in those rows and columns, perform calculations on the data, and display the data in a graph. Later, if the data is changed, the spreadsheet program automatically recalculates and redraws the graphs.

Spreadsheets can help students visualize, understand, and predict data patterns. (Try using a spreadsheet and chart to show data patterns and changes in data.)
Spreadsheets are useful anytime that numeric and text data need to be displayed in columns and rows. (Think rows and columns... seating charts, calendars, grade books, check lists, tally lists.)

Teacher tools:: Try using spreadsheets for...; calendars - monthly, quarterly, and weekly
weekly lesson plan template
class lists
recording book reports and number of books read
recording grades
monitoring student progress i.e. behavior charts

K-1
Kindergarten and first grade students can begin to learn about rows, columns, and cell addresses. At this level, the spreadsheet program itself is a useful tool which will allow you to make bar graph templates for your students to color - either on the computer or on paper. Sorting and classifying activities can generate data for students to graph:
Teddy Bear's Picnic - big, medium, small or brown, black, other.
Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; weekly lesson plan template
class lists
recording book reports and number of books read
recording grades
monitoring student progress i.e. behavior charts

K-1
Kindergarten and first grade students can begin to learn about rows, columns, and cell addresses. At this level, the spreadsheet program itself is a useful tool which will allow you to make bar graph templates for your students to color - either on the computer or on paper. Sorting and classifying activities can generate data for students to graph:
Teddy Bear's Picnic - big, medium, small or brown, black, other.
Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; class lists
recording book reports and number of books read
recording grades
monitoring student progress i.e. behavior charts

K-1
Kindergarten and first grade students can begin to learn about rows, columns, and cell addresses. At this level, the spreadsheet program itself is a useful tool which will allow you to make bar graph templates for your students to color - either on the computer or on paper. Sorting and classifying activities can generate data for students to graph:
Teddy Bear's Picnic - big, medium, small or brown, black, other.
Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; recording book reports and number of books read
recording grades
monitoring student progress i.e. behavior charts

K-1
Kindergarten and first grade students can begin to learn about rows, columns, and cell addresses. At this level, the spreadsheet program itself is a useful tool which will allow you to make bar graph templates for your students to color - either on the computer or on paper. Sorting and classifying activities can generate data for students to graph:
Teddy Bear's Picnic - big, medium, small or brown, black, other.
Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; recording grades
monitoring student progress i.e. behavior charts

K-1
Kindergarten and first grade students can begin to learn about rows, columns, and cell addresses. At this level, the spreadsheet program itself is a useful tool which will allow you to make bar graph templates for your students to color - either on the computer or on paper. Sorting and classifying activities can generate data for students to graph:
Teddy Bear's Picnic - big, medium, small or brown, black, other.
Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; monitoring student progress i.e. behavior charts

K-1
Kindergarten and first grade students can begin to learn about rows, columns, and cell addresses. At this level, the spreadsheet program itself is a useful tool which will allow you to make bar graph templates for your students to color - either on the computer or on paper. Sorting and classifying activities can generate data for students to graph:
Teddy Bear's Picnic - big, medium, small or brown, black, other.
Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.
K-1
Kindergarten and first grade students can begin to learn about rows, columns, and cell addresses. At this level, the spreadsheet program itself is a useful tool which will allow you to make bar graph templates for your students to color - either on the computer or on paper. Sorting and classifying activities can generate data for students to graph:: Teddy Bear's Picnic - big, medium, small or brown, black, other.
Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; Color crayons/markers - sort colors, count by ones, fives, etc.

2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:
Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.
2-3
Second and third graders can create their own surveys, collect data, and talk about ways to organize data. Make a spreadsheet template for them to use to enter data and model creating graphs. As a class, you may:: Track number of minutes and/or books read with a spreadsheet and graph. Enter data and celebrate progress each week.
Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; Track lunches for a week by food group.

4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:
How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.
4-5
Fourth and fifth graders are ready to begin creating spreadsheets and adjusting them to meet the needs of the data. Any project involving collecting, organizing, and reporting data can have a spreadsheet component. Ideas include:: How do we spend our time each week - how many hours watching TV, reading, doing chores, sleeping, at school, playing, etc.
Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.; Ecology projects - track family water use for a week, combine class data into a spreadsheet, calculate totals, and averages. If each family used this much water every week, calculate totals for the year. Use data to estimate water use for the whole city, etc.

Built-in software helps:
Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.

ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.
Built-in software helps:: Microsoft Works 3.0 has templates! Select Use a Template and the template group AutoStart Education. These templates really are auto-start with step by step directions for customizing them to meet your needs. Templates are provided for keeping student records, grading, scheduling, and testing. WorksWizard is another place to find templates and step by step directions.; ClarisWorks has templates, too. They are called assistants or stationery. In ClarisWorks 2.0, open stationery from the new document window. In ClarisWorks 3.0, choose Start with Assistant or Stationery in the new document window. When you open a new document in ClarisWorks 4.0, click in the Use Assistant or Stationery box.

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To comment on this page, provide feedback or ask questions about Camp TLC
send an email message to: Joan Peebles,
jpeebles@madison.k12.wi.us, at Instructional Technologies

To access: MMSD InstructionalTechnologies Homepage
http://danenet.wicip.org/mmsd-it/

Madison Metropolitan School District
Instructional Technologies: Coordinator, Joan Peebles
545 West Dayton Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53703 USA

Last Modified: 2/20/97