Lesson Plan: Spreadsheets
OBJECTIVE: Introduce/Review the use of spreadsheets in the classroom.
I. Sign in and overview of the module 10 minutes
II. Spreadsheets
A. Review the ribbon in MS Excel and toolbars
B. Discuss possible uses of spreadsheets for a teacher. 20 minutesIII. Select a simple idea and work on it. 20 minutes
IV. Share your activity with the rest of the group. 10 minutes
V. Lesson Activity: Jumping Jelly Beans *
Explanation of class activities 5 minutes
• Explain spreadsheet activities
• Select groupings
• Distribute jelly beans
Small Group Interactions 15 minutes
• Estimate total jelly beans
• Estimate total of each color
• Open spreadsheet software
• Enter names and colors
• Count each color and enter data
Graphic demonstrations 15 minutes
• Calculate the totals of each color
• Calculate the mean, mode and median for each
color
• Create a pie chart of the results
Evaluate/reflect 15 minutes
• Discuss what factors your group considered
when making the estimate of the total jelly beans?
• Discuss whether or not this activity turned out the way
you thought it would.
Applications 10 minutes
• Discuss ways in which this activity can apply to another
teaching situation.
*Taken and adapted from Dr. Cyrus’ MM’s activity.
VI. Using the Application 45 minutes
Assignment: Find data online and create a spreadsheet
template. Ideas: survey, a travel budget, food labels.
Teachers brainstorm an activity they wish to complete
In-class work on personal activity
VII. Evaluation/Feedback 15 minutes
Click on this link to download this lesson plan: http://griffinguam.com/spreadsheets_lesson_plan_griffin.pdf
The following is a helpful tutorial on Excel:
Click on this link to download this lesson plan: http://griffinguam.com/spreadsheets_lesson_plan_griffin.pdf
This short video shows you how to quickly generate a simple bar graph:
For the mail merge feature, I could send out mass letters to parents.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Excel program, I use it for grading. But it could also be used to teach my students how to make various kinds of charts and more importantly learn how to read graphs and tables since it is used widely in the SAT 10.
I use Excel to record my students daily Quick Checks and end of unit exams. Its a great way to identify reteaching that may need to occur. If we get to the point in 3rd grade where students have regular access to computers, it would be great to have their SFA team score sheets digitalized!
ReplyDeleteExcel has so many different uses for the classroom. How many different ways can you come up with to use it in a lesson plan?
ReplyDeleteTeachers can use excel as a grade book. Averages can be done quarterly. My first students can use the tally mark concept and create a bar graph or chart of what their favorite fruits are.
ReplyDeleteExcel is good to use as a grade book. I'd also use it to make labels and report cards comments.
ReplyDeleteMail merging would be the easiest and fastest way to print letters, certificates, etc. for students. Excel is an excellent tool for grading (which many of us use already); but, mail merge is something that I learned tonight. For lessons in excel, I could have my students create charts/graphs to average their grades (they love to compare & compete..!), reinforce "mean, median, mode" math concepts in a fun and "techciting" way, and much, much more!
ReplyDeleteI was excited to learn how to mail merge. I tried it and was able to do it on my own. Just need more practice.
ReplyDeleteErmie, I'm so glad! That's a productivity tool I don't think I could live without. It's amazing the things you can do with it and the amount of work it can do for you.
ReplyDeleteExcel spreadsheet module was exciting.
ReplyDeleteLearned how to use Excel! A whole new world is opening up and I am so excited to explore it.
ReplyDeleteUsing Mail merge is an interesting way to create mass number of the same documents for parents and students. I can see myself using it also as an advisor for a club when I have to send out letters to teachers and the faculty. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI can see how useful mail merge would be for teachers who are not using PowerSchool yet. However, once all schools are on the same page, this method will no longer be necessary because PowerSchool does all the work for you. There is no need to create spreadsheets or other Word documents because everything you'll need to communicate between the classroom, the office, and the parents are on PowerSchool.
ReplyDeleteThis is cool I now learn something different
ReplyDeleteSpreadsheet lesson today went very well. Again, I learned something new, mail merge, in connection with excel. Today was my first time using mail merge. I would definitely try out this application next school year.
ReplyDeleteLearning mail merge in Excel would make grading and sending out letters easier to do.
ReplyDeleteLearned Excel in a new way-Mail Merging...I would like to try and use this application for the upcoming school year.
ReplyDeleteWorking with Excel is always fun!
ReplyDeleteI learned now how to use spreadsheets in doing the students' grade and I learned how to make a cell and how to drag the columns. I will be doing a lot of practice in doing all these by summer.
ReplyDeletePreviously have hardly used the Excel program.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to use the M&Ms for the graphing exercise.
As a librarian I can use the mail merger to write letters to parents whose children have lost or overdue books.
I definitely need to practice what we learned.
To avoid headaches I never cared for Excel but after tonight's module (spreadsheet), I can only imagine how much easier our work will be next year using Excel!!!
ReplyDeleteI had fun working on spreadsheets. Maybe I can surprise my admin. or grade level team with spreadsheet info and a graph to go with it. Woohoo.
ReplyDeleteI wish I paid more attention when my colleagues were trying to teach the Excel program to me. It would've saved a whole lot of late nights in agony!
ReplyDeleteI plan to practice more and implement both Excel and Mail Merge when doing my multiple 16b forms now. YAY!
I LOVE Excel! I use it everyday! Thanks for the refresher on Google Docs. =)
ReplyDeleteI can use it with my students organizing data. They can use the spreadsheet for collecting data, manipulating data,analyzing data and making charts for presentations. I can see collaboration possibilities. Professionally, I can use it to track expenses, student info, etc. Obstacles could include time setting up the sheet.
ReplyDeleteMind Boggling...My first foray into the cloud was amazing! Tom immersed us with some amazingly useful technology. Many of our students are too afraid to say "I don't know" and simply nod their heads without understanding. By working on the cloud, it may enable them to respond anonymously without being seen as dumb. This would also help the teacher see if any students are not understanding the information being delivered. Professionally, sharing grades with parents, generating graphs, and organizing data would be my immediate applications. The obstacles I foresee mainly deal with security regarding the technology needed to utilize this technology. Also many times, children + CPU = massive headache.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mike, for the great lesson on Mail Merge!
ReplyDelete(; Christie
Mail Merger was a great refresher. This will help with letters to parents.
ReplyDeleteRyan
I enjoyed learning more activities in excel. I hope to use mail merge to notify parents of students who have exited the ESL program. Cecilia
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!! Thanks for the Mail Merge lesson...
ReplyDeleteBev says: I have used excel before but I am not very good at it. Now that I've learned some techniques, I'll be more comfortable in using excel more often.
ReplyDeleteHaving problems tonight
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting class. I learned how to use Microsoft Excel many new ways.
ReplyDeleteI never used the word excel before. I usually would rely on my Microsoft Word document and insert boxes. This makes my task go faster. I can use this by having each student learn spreadsheets so that they can keep track of their progress. I would use it to keep their parents informed on their progress. Any questions and/or concerns can easily, without explaining, be seen by just a glance.
ReplyDeleteHey Mike, Can you transfer to JFKHS and help out all my fellow teacher with your Mail Merge Tricks? Andrew
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Excel lesson and mail merge which I have never learned before.
ReplyDeleteLeynebel
I have doing spreadsheet in my quarterly skills assessment but I never tried doing graphs. Thank u for sharing a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have to practice more on the spreadsheet to be more confident in using it. So I guess practice, practice, and practice with the computer is on my schedule of more things to do before the new school year. I also learned more on how to mail merge. I now know you can merge with the word document and excel document but can it be done with Print Shop for certificates?
ReplyDeleteI have really learned a lot tonight on spreadsheet. I would really use spreadsheet with doing grades. Since I am teaching 5th grade I will use spreadsheet in Health where students could create a graph on students favorite fruits/vegetable. I could also use spreadsheet where students could take a survey on special elections and students graph the results. This is an excellent way for students who are visual learners. I could use spreadsheets professionally with sharing grades with parents on their child's performance. Sending grades to teachers. I would need to use spreadsheet more often so that I could get the idea and competency in using spreadsheet.
ReplyDeleteExcel is my best friend. Today, learned how to use google docs and mail merge. Can't wait to use it.
ReplyDeleteExcel was challenging. I have limited knowledge in such a useful technology tool. However, I learned that I can use it to organize, arrange and create graphs. It would be most helpful for inputting data for report cards. Thank you Tom and Grace for your patience.
ReplyDeleteI have been using spreadsheet but tonight the possibilities got expanded. I have more ideas about what I can do with my students now as we work with data. I think handling the data this way will help my students as they use higher order thinking skills.
ReplyDeleteHELLO!
ReplyDeletePeople are taking class at 5-8pm...Interesting things learned today..excel processing
ReplyDeleteby Jon MATH
Marc L.B. Tiong said..........
ReplyDeleteAlways wondered what the bcc was for. I learned something new :)
For someone who is beyond basic, I have learned a slew of information that I never thought I could learn.
ReplyDeleteRosita
June 14, 2011
5-8pm class
Marc L.B. Tiong said..........
ReplyDeleteAlways wondered what the bcc was for. I learned something new :)
that anna said...
ReplyDeleteLots of stuff to use for our students. Like how we work in pairs. Helps a bunch. Still learning. Lookin forward to learning more!
...Second day of Gateway to Technology course and learning lots of things that I didn't know beforehand. Thanks so much Pauline...
ReplyDeleteCharina said...First day...Text processing was awesome for someone as below basic as I am! It's not as intimidating as I thought.
ReplyDeleteL.. said.....At first I was hesitant to enroll in the course...After the first day so glad my friend convinced me to join after all....Learned lots of things that I can use and create on my personal computer....Thanks Pauline...
ReplyDeleteCharina said...Second day...Hooray for Excel!!! I can get rid of my calculator!!! I can even present grades in and with graphs.
ReplyDeleteSo that's why we need M&Ms...EXCEL! Excel was yummy, j/k :) Today was a really good reminder of how to use excel (and word) in the classroom. Teachers-gradebook, teacher-created resources (worksheets, tests, activities, etc...things school are supposed to provide but don't); Students-Science Project (for graphic organizers) or Math Graphing/analyze tables Unit, and too much to mention...
ReplyDeleteLaura said....
ReplyDeleteThe Excel activity was really interesting and fun. A lot of new info that is useful that I did not know about. Thanks:)
Debra said...
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the spreadsheet lesson today. I can definitely could use the information when creating at-risk listings for my grade level. I also learned how to create charts by extracting information from excel spreadsheets. NICE!
Jack Larimer says, Very informational!!! I love the idea of using candy to learn excel. I know I still have a lot to learn and this is the first step.
ReplyDeleteMarcy said,Wow! How bout that?! Kudos and hoot-hoot to Pauline!EXCEL will now be a user friendly tool for rubrics, grades, calendars, and much more! Never believed all the info. was right on the tip of my fingers!Lol.
ReplyDeleteLel said...
ReplyDeleteThis M&M activity is really fun. I'm getting the hang of this program. I'm learning a lot in this class. I can't wait to try this with jelly beans. I better remember to brush my teeth after all these sweet goodies.
Sandy said...I'm familiar with Excel, but, I still learned some new basic skills that I could incorporate into my classroom instruction.
ReplyDeleteCharisma says - I don't know what happened, but I thought I had posted my comment, so I'm a bit disappointed that the first one didn't go through..Overall I learned so many more techniques that will expand my Excel Abilities...Had fun with the activity...I think I have a sugar high...LOL
ReplyDeleteSheena said...
ReplyDeleteI am quite familiar with excel but it was nice to have this refresher course.
Sonya said...
ReplyDeleteToday was a good refresher course with using MS Excel.
I learned so many things in Excel. Excel is not as complicated as I thought and it is very useful.
ReplyDeleteSpreadsheets are very good to use in calculating grades and other data
ReplyDeleteToday I learned how to use Excel for grading I would normally use grade keeper, but now I know how to use excel
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about the excel graphs. I did not know that I could change the color on my graphs to represent the color that it said.
ReplyDeleteI have previous experience in using the Excel program, but I still learned 2 new things today!
ReplyDeleteNow I know how to make my graphs even more customized and colorful! :)
Great Math activity for young students to visualize their work and make it colorful and exciting to show.
ReplyDeleteI learned many things today. I still need to play with excel a little more to become more comfortable with it. Thanks! Had fun making the M&M graph.
ReplyDeleteI learned this a long time ago and today was a great review for me. I learned how to play around with different graphs. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the class today. Very informative. Thank You.
ReplyDeleteI've always been interested in learning more about spreadsheets. I get so frustrated with many things I would like to do but, can't seem to figure out. Thank you for the tips. I found them to be most helpful.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting day in this tech class. I'm so glad that I learned how to double click on excel to expand the line. I was always dragging the line and it'll mess up the whole sheet. Still need to practice on using excel more.
ReplyDeleteTech class Day 2: AWESOME!! Was amazed with all the interesting functions I learned in Microsoft Excel!! Can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Module 2:Spreadsheets today! It was very informative and great refresher to incorporate into my classroom. I also loved the M&Ms!!:)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Tuesday's class! I am not proficient with computers. I have always been told that Excel is wonderful and great, etc, but frankly I don't use it because I am not familiar with it. Thus I was really happy with today's class which introduced us to the program. I've always thought that charts and graph displays were something really difficult to put together. Thus I really enjoyed the M&M activity! I know my student will love this aspect incorporated into our lessons. We already do it--on the blackboard. But displaying it in different forms (pie chart, bar graph, etc.) makes it so much more visually appealing which will make learning more fun for my preschoolers.
ReplyDeleteI love the class:)
ReplyDeletelearning some interesting information.
ReplyDelete