Microsoft Excel 97 Basics

These exercises are to help you become familiar with what Excel has to offer.  Our school has a site license for Microsoft Office.  It would be a waste if all we used it for was to word process.  There are many types of classroom activities that teachers have written using Excel.  Use a search engine and see if you can find an activity that you can use in the classroom or in the computer lab.  Share the activity with a colleague.

BINGO | VOCABULARY LISTS | CHECKLISTS | CLASS BOOKKEEPING | GRADES

Bingo
Introduction to Excel		 Vocabulary Lists Making Checklists Grades
Rows, Columns and cells Practice basics Reviewing formatting basics Basics one more time
Resizing Cells Changing Text orientation Inserting columns/rows Defining more formulas
Putting a Darker Border Around Cells Sorting Moving Contents of Cells Moving rows
Formatting the Worksheet to Print Auto formatting row/columns Setting print area Moving Decimals
Entering Text Copy/paste data Bookkeeping Formatting Dates
Formatting Text Scaling to print Basics, again Protecting your data
Setting the viewing area Printing gridlines Defining formulas d
Saving as a template d Auto Fill d
Using Format Painter d Hiding/unhiding d
Adding a header and footer d d d

Creating a Bingo Playing Board
Formatting Rows and Columns for  height and width.

  1. Open the Excel Practice Workbook.  Normally you wouldn't open a file from the Internet without scanning it for viruses but we know the source. You can go back and forth between this window and the Excel workbook.  Save the worksheet as an Excel Microsoft Workbook.
  2. An Excel file is called a workbook.  A workbook has worksheets in it.  These worksheets have been renamed. The default names are Sheet 1, Sheet 2, etc.  You can navigate the sheets by clicking on the arrows on the lower left side of the bar.

  3. Rows and columns make up Excel.  The rows are numbered and the columns are lettered.  The name box will show you which cell is active.

  4. Highlight cells A1 to E5 by left clicking on one of the corner cells and dragging.
  5. Go to <Format>, <Cells>, and click the <border> tab.
  6. Place a double line border for the outline and a single line for the inside border. Click OK.
  7. Resizing Rows.  Go to <Format>, <Row> and click <Height>.  Type in the number 90.  Click OK.
  8. Resizing Columns.  Go to <Format>, <Column> and click <Width>.  Type in the number 15.  Click OK.
You have just customized adjusted row height and column width.  If you want formatting to apply to the entire sheet and not just a portion.  Do this.  Highlight the entire worksheet by clicking on the uppermost left square in the sheet between the column and row markers.  Any formatting you make will apply to the entire worksheet.

Formatting Page Set-up

  1. Click on the <Print Preview Button (magnifying glass)>.  Click <Setup>

  2. Go to the <Page> Tab.  Click <Landscape>. This selects paper orientation.
  3. Go to the <Margins> Tab.  Click to check <Horizontally> and <Vertically>.  You have just centered the data on the page.
  4. Go to the <Header and Footer> Tab.  Click the <Custom Header> button.  Click the <A> (text) button to change font to 20 pt.  In the middle column type Vocabulary Bingo.   Click <OK> twice.
  5. Click the <Custom Footer> button.  In the right column type your name.  <Enter>.  Click the calendar button to place the date.  Click <OK>.
  6. Click <Close> to go back to the worksheet.
You have just set up the page formatting by selecting the paper orientation, centering your work, and creating a custom header and footer.

Formatting and Adding Text to the Cells

  1. Highlight cells A1 to E5 by left clicking on one of the corner cells and dragging.
  2. Go to <Format>, <Cells>, and click the <alignment> tab.  <Center Horizontal> <Center Vertical>. <Shrink to fit>
  3. Go to <Font> tab.  Click on <Size 18>.  Change the font if you wish.  <OK>
  4. Click on cell C3.  Type FREE SPACE.  The words should be centered in the middle of the cell and not overlapping into any other cells.
  5. Still in cell C3 go to <Format>, <Cells>, <Patterns>.  Choose a light gray.
  6. Fill in the cells from A1 to E5 with color names.
You have just changed the font size and text alignment for multiple cells and added text.  With the shrink to fit command the vocabulary word will stay in one cell.  With the pattern format you can change the shading of your cell(s).

Setting the viewing area

  1. Highlight A1 to G5
  2. Go to <Zoom> box.  Choose <Selection>.  The entire selection now fits in the viewing area.  Experiment with the different sizes.

Using the worksheet PLAN A
  1. Templates.  Save your file as a template in a directory that can be assessed by the students. <File> <New> and choose the template that you created.
  2. Students can randomly insert vocabulary into the chart when the  file is opened as a new Excel file using the template as a pattern.  Have students print  their personalized bingo board.
  3. The contents can be cleared by highlighting the cells and hitting the <Delete> key.
  4. If the file is inadvertly changed then it can be closed and reopened using the template.
Saving a file as a template allows you to create a worksheet skeleton that you might want to use over and over again without doing all the formatting.  After saving the workbook as a template, a new workbook can be created using this template.  <File> <New> and choose the template that you created.    This way your template is not changed.   When the new workbook is saved it is saved as a regular Excel file.

Using the worksheet PLAN B - Students can play the game on the computer if there are enough computers in the following way.  This was actually dreamed up for you to learn a couple more features.

  1. Create a copy of the worksheet.  Go to <Edit> <Move or copy a sheet>.  Check <create a copy>.  You now have a copy of your worksheet named Bingo (2).
  2. Time to format paint.  Go to G1.  Pull down in the color fill menu and choose a color.

  3. Format Painter.  Click on the <Paintbrush>.  This is the format painter.  Cell G1 should have a dotted box around it.  You should have a paintbrush.  Click on any cell.  This will transfer alignment, shading, borders, and font preferences but not cell size and contents.  Click on <Edit> <Undo>
  4. Practice using the paintbrush.
You have learned to make a copy of a worksheet and format paint.  Time to practice on another project and learn a few more things.

VOCABULARY LISTS
 

Problems?  Come find me.  High School Campus Rm. 201.   I arrive at 7:30 and stay until 4:30 usually. I don't hide out in my room.  You might have to ask around.  As senior sponsor the concession stand might be an area to look for me.
E-mail me.

This page was prepared by Nancy Hein, Hawley ISD, Hawley, TX
July 2000
 
 

This web site was made possible by funding through the Texas Education Agency