Excel Lesson Plan: Create, retrieve, modify, format, save and print a spreadsheet

Creating a Worksheet
1. Have students bring up a blank worksheet on Excel. Review the elements on an Excel
worksheet. Reviewing the ones they know from other programs and introducing them to the
new ones in Excel.
a. Title bar, Menu bar, standard toolbar, Formatting toolbar, Name box, Formula bar,
Scroll bars, Task pane, Sheet tabs, Status bar, and Worksheet area.
b. You may want to use matching quiz attachment to help review.
2. Explaining the difference between Workbook and worksheets.
a. A document created in Excel is referred to as a workbook.
b. An Excel workbook consists of individual worksheets or just sheets, like the sheets
of paper in a notebook.
3. Entering data in a cell
a. to enter data in a cell you first need to make the cell active by clicking on the cell and
then key the data.
b. to move insertion point to the next cell press the tab key
c. you may want to copy “commands for moving insertion point in a worksheet” table.
d. Using Exercise 1 table have students key in the data.

Saving Worksheets
1. Have students Save the worksheet
a. save with a name you choose to a place you choose.

Modifying a Worksheet
1. Editing Data in a Cell
e. have students double click cell A6
f. have students change the name to George
g. have students click once in cell A3 and then key Bryant.
h. discuss by clicking only once allows you to key over the existing data.
i. have students click once in cell B4, key 30 and then press Enter.
j. edit cell C7 by clicking Edit - Go To , at the Go To dialog box key C7 in the
Reference text and then click OK.
k. key $14.25 (over $10.00) and click once in any other cell.
l. Show students the print preview and print if desired.
2. Inserting data in cells with the Fill Handle
a. Create another worksheet using the example in Exercise 2
b. Begin at a clear sheet window and Key January in cell B1.
c. Show student the fill handle in the bottom right corner as the fat cross bar pointer
turns into a skinny one, and then drag across to cell G1 and release the mouse button.
d. Key the years and then make B2 active and key 100. drag the fill handle for cell B2
to E2
e. Finish the assignment and save. Print if desired.

Retrieving a worksheet
1. Have students exit out of Excel.
a. have students find and open the two documents they just created and saved.
b. Could be done the next day as you review what you did the previous day.

Formatting a Worksheet with AutoFormat

1. Have students open Exercise 2 worksheet
a. apply AutoFormat to the worksheet by selecting cells A1 through D10
b. click Format then AutoFormat at the dialog box scroll down until the colorful 1
sample is displayed and click it.
c. Save as a different file or just save.