SPREADSHEET SOFTWARE
The spreadsheet programs listed here are just a few of the many available spreadsheet programs on the market that are designed to help you analyze, organize and share data visually through tables, graphs and worksheets.
Software |
Description |
License |
Platform |
| Microsoft Excel | Analyze, communicate & share data | Commercial/Trial | Mac, PC |
| AppleWorks | Create and modify tables | Commercial | Mac, PC |
| Google Spreadsheets | Create, store and share spreadsheets on web | Free Online | Mac, PC |
The varied capabilities of spreadsheet software include, but are not limited to the following: create conditional formulas, automatically number rows, freeze or lock rows and columns, lock only a few cells on a worksheet, sort and filter data, templates for measurements/weight and fitness charts. These spreadsheet tools can be used across the curriculum and in varied grade levels.
- Applied Technology: Spreadsheet software in applied technology helps students to organize, contrast and calculate data. Spreadsheets can also help students in managing projects, planning work roles and finances.
- Art: Spreadsheet software in the arts can be used to organize and log data such as scheduling rehearsals, inventory lists, and to-do lists for productions.
- Health and Physical Education: Spreadsheet software in health and physical education provides a tool to organize and communicate measurements, weight and fitness rates through worksheets and charts.
- Foreign Language: Spreadsheet software in foreign language helps students organize data such as vocabulary lists.
- Language Arts: Spreadsheet software in language arts is a tool for organizing ideas and new vocabulary under different headings. Spreadsheets can be used to compare and contrast data such as a log of the weather for a period of time or a comparison of stories. Spreadsheets can be used to create a storyboard and an organizational table for research.
- Mathematics: Spreadsheet software in math helps students perform calculations and create conditional formulas in worksheets. Students can take measurements and use the spreadsheet to organize and compare the data.
- Science: Spreadsheet software in science helps students keep track of data, analyze, and represent the data through various kinds of charts and graphs. Students can compare and contrast features of different regions and cultures through a spreadsheet.
- Social Studies: Spreadsheet software in social studies is a tool to organize data such as keeping track of expenses for a planned trip to a geographical area. Students can also make maps and show charts.
Sample Lesson Plans
The following sample lesson plans provide a general idea on how the spreadsheet tool can be integrated in a content area and grade level. Although there may not be an example for every content area or at every grade level, the lessons from one content area or grade level can often be adapted to another due to its open-ended approach.
GRADE LEVELS K-2
Language Arts
- Pirate Map: Students will write directions explaining how to get from one location to another by using a map of their town.
Mathematics
- Perimeter: Students will measure the perimeter of a square by using a pipe cleaner.
Social Studies
- Pirate Map: Students will use simple maps to identify and locate places.
GRADE LEVELS 3-5
Health and PE
- Pulse Rates: AppleWorks will help you use the scientific process to answer the question, "How will the intensity of exercise effect your heart rate?"
Language Arts
- Ecosystem: Students will create an expository response in which ideas and details follow an organizational pattern and are relevant to the purpose by writing a report based on their observations and data.
- Weather: Students will watch the weather each day of the school year and compare weather from each season using AppleWorks Spreadsheet.
Mathematics
- Body Length Experiment: Students will make graphs that compare the length of your students' bones to the length of their bodies.
- Checkbook: Students use a checkbook system in conjunction with their classroom behavior system to develop life skills.
- Ecosystems: Students will solve a problem by generating, collecting, organizing, displaying, and analyzing data using a bar graph.
- Graphing Progress: Students will use a spreadsheet program to graph their progress for the year.
- Hermit Crab Races: Students will use the formula, distance equals rate times time, to find the speed of a hermit crab and a human.
- Luxury Hotel: Students will understand concrete and symbolic representations of fractions in real-world situations by designing a piece of property using specific fractions.
- Pie Graph Pictures: Students will create a pie graph using a digital camera and data from their classmates.
- Pulse Rates: Students will analyze real-world data to recognize patterns and relationships by compare data on graphs generated by a computer.
- Weather: Students will watch the weather each day of the school year and compare weather from each season using AppleWorks Spreadsheet.
Science
- Body Length Experiment: Students will make graphs that compare the length of your students' bones to the length of their bodies.
- Ecosystem: Students will know that there are many different plants and animals living in many different kinds of environments by observing similarities and differences within several different environments within their community.
- Hermit Crab Races: Students will measure the length of a hermit crab and a human.
- Pulse Rates: Students will know that the human body is made of systems with structures and functions that are related by studying the relationship between the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems.
- Weather: Students will watch the weather each day of the school year and compare weather from each season using AppleWorks Spreadsheet.
Social Studies
- Checkbook: Students use a checkbook system in conjunction with their classroom behavior system to develop life skills.
GRADE LEVELS 6-8
Language Arts
- Virtual Vacation: Students will learn about the culture and geography of a foreign city by creating a virtual vacation.
Mathematics
- Making a Map of the Classroom: Students will use map-making skills to create a map of the classroom.
Social Studies
- Making a Map of the Classroom: Students will use map-making skills to create a map of the classroom.
- Virtual Vacation: Students will learn about the culture and geography of a foreign city by creating a virtual vacation.
GRADE LEVELS 9-12
Language Arts
- You Are What You Eat!: Students will learn about healthy dieting by evaluating information on a website.
Mathematics
- Marketing Research Projects: Students will learn various marketing concepts through the use of wireless laptops.
- Occupational Outlook: Students will achieve a better understanding of careers through the collection and analyzation of spreadsheet data.
Social Studies
- Marketing Research Projects: Students will learn various marketing concepts through the use of wireless laptops.
- Occupational Outlook: Students will achieve a better understanding of careers through the collection and analyzation of spreadsheet data.