Excel Spreadsheets for
the Classroom Teacher
• A workshop designed for
teachers, by teachers
Overview
• Excel is a spreadsheet program that is used
for a variety of purposes such as making
worksheets, performing calculations, and
creating graphs.
• Can you think of a personal way you could
use Excel?
Getting Acquainted
 One of the main features of Excel is that it consists of a series of
columns and rows. Columns are labeled by letters (A-IV) and rows
by numbers (1-65,536.) The intersection of a row and column is
called a “cell”.
 When you type information in a cell, it appears both in the cell and
beneath the toolbars in what is called the “formula bar”.
 When you finish typing in a cell, press “Enter” to have the computer
accept the data.
Vocabulary
• Cells:
the rectangles formed by the
intersection of a row and column
• Active Cell:
The cell with the black
border around it that you are
currently using
• Formula Bar:
The long white bar under
the toolbar that keeps track
of what you are typing
Formula Bar
Row
Column
Cell (Active)
Starting a spreadsheet
• Next, we’re going to create a sample grade book. Follow the
directions below:
•
•
•
•
•
Note:
In cell A1 type, “First”
In cell B1 type, “Last”
In cell, C1 type, “HW #1”
In cell D1 type, “HW #2”
In cell E1 type, “Quiz #1”
To make a column wider or a row higher, double click on the
heading separating it from the next row or column and it will
automatically adjust to the width or height of the largest item.
Double click here to make the column larger.
Continue adding information until
your spreadsheet looks like the
example below.
• To jazz up the look of your
spreadsheet you can apply a variety
of format changes such as borders,
shading, color changes, font changes,
font size, etc. To make a change,
select the cells you want to alter and
then click on the desired effect from
the formatting toolbar.
Font style
Font
Size
Italics
Center
alignment
Bold
Text color
Borders
Fill Color
Underline
Take a few minutes to enhance your sample grade book. Save your
file to your 3 ½ floppy with the name “Sample”
Check this out 
Using AutoSum
Next we use a math function to total the number of points
achieved by each student.
1. Type the heading “Total in cell L1
2. Select cell L2
3. Click on the AutoSum icon
in the top toolbar
4. Look for the “marching blank ants” to surround the range you want
to add. If the ants are not surrounding the correct group, simply
click and drag with your mouse to select the correct range.
5. Press the “Enter” key
6. Continue doing this to create each of the students’ totals.
7. After the last name create one extra row, this will list
the total possible points.
Formulas
This step will allow you to create the student’s average for the quarter.
1. Enter the title “Average” in cell M1
2. Click on cell M2.
3. Click on the = sign on the menu board.
4. Select “Average”.
5. After Average type in “L2/by the cell below your last student which would
be the total number of points. I.e.. L2/L26.
6. Click on “ok”
7. Continue this through the last name on your list, again the first cell will
change L3/L26…
Formulas
This next step will teach you how to conditionally format cells so they
stand out, and you will be able to tell at a glance the students that are not
performing well.
1. Double click the M column, this will select the whole column.
2. Go to format on the menu bar and select “Conditional Format”.
3. It will ask for a value, I recommend 0 and the second number 60.
4. Click “format”
5. Now select a color for the font, let’s pick blue.
6. Click “ok”
7. Now all students’ average that dips below 60% will be
highlighted in blue.
On Your Own
Using the information provided below, set up a grade book which
contains the following:
 Name, assignment, and average headings in bold text.
 20 student names
 3 test grades and an average grade for each student.

A conditional format to highlight averages less than 60.
Students:
Ch 1 Test
Ch 2 Test
Ch 3 Test
Adam Green
Amanda Smith
Laura Andrews
57
97
87
49
93
89
63
100
90
(Continue on with your own names and grades until you’ve reached 20
students.)
The Final Product
Your final grade book should look something like this: