Using To Make Graphs

Lesson Four

Now that you have made your Tally Sheet, your graph, and learned to open Excel and put data into cells, it is time for the fun to begin.  Below is how your Excel spread sheet should look, only with your data.  See Example 1.  In Excel you need to go to your A1  cell, click and hold you button as you drag a box over and include the information you wish to graph.  Be careful not to include any empty cells.  Empty cells will show in your graph and that would be a mistake.  See Example 2 below.  Your highlighted area should not look like Example 3.

Do not do this.

There are two ways to open your graph's programs.  The easy way is to click the graph's button in color.  See Example 4 below.  If you do not have the chart button as in Example 2 you can click on the insert button and click on chart as seen in Example 5 below.

When you click on the chart button the following window will open.  This is where you pick the type of graph you wish to develop.  We are going to make a bar graph so highlight the graph button shown, then hit Next at the bottom of the window.  This is step one.  See Example 6 below.  On the following window called step 2 click next.

That will take you to step 3 as shown in Example 7 above.  Step 3 you have (4) options that you need to do.  1) First you need to type in your Title.  You do this in the space called Chart title.  2)  On the next line down "Category (X) axis" you type in the title of your X axis.  On the third line down "Value (Y) axis" you type in what the numbers represent.  See Example 8 below.

The graph looks in good condition except: 1) red, yellow, and blue are not capitalized, 2) a box with the word series on the right hand side needs to be removed, and 3) the axis of the words for the car's colors can be changed.  For the easy part lets get rid of the word series first.  Click the button that says legend and that opens the window shown in Example 9 above.  Click the check mark in the show legend box.  The series box has been removed.  Now click the next button and on the following window click finished.  Your graph should look like Example 10 below.

By left clicking on any of the words (red, yellow, blue, Green, White, or Black) you will get a box to open "Category Axis."  See Example 11 above.  Then by right clicking the mouse you will get a window to open "Format Axis."  See Example 12 below.  Left click the "Format Axis" box, that opens a new window. 

In the window that opens.  See Example 13 above.  Click the red dot to the right of the word, "Text".  By clicking on the red dot you can rotate or pull the word around the arc to the desired position.  See Example 14 below.  Next, click the "OK" button to see the graph.  You have made a graph.

Above in Example 15 you will see in the graph that the colors of the cars now are at about a 45 degree angle.  Now, the names need to be capitalized.  Before cutting and pasting the graph from Excel if you go into the column with the names and capitalize the three words they will change on the graph.  Don't forget to save your work.  

Teacher:  Matthew T. Bates 

Subject:  Making a Graph in Excel 

Grade Level:  5 th. Grade  

Date:  June 20, 2003

Lesson Plan 4

Overview:  Whereas graphs are extensively used in our everyday lives, many students are unaware of how to take collected data and make graphs using Excel.  Discussion about data collection, graphs, inputting information into Excel. 

Purpose: Through this lesson students will create a graph using Excel and the data collected in Lesson One. 

Objective:  Students will be able to:

                  (a.) open Excel and input data into proper cells

                  (b.) select data to be graphed

                  (c.) open the graph program

                  (d.) choose the type of graph needed for their information

                  (e.) input the title, name of X axis, name of Y axis

                  (f.) change the axis of the names on the X axis

Input/Modeling:  Students will observe the making of a graph using the 6 steps of making a graph with Excel. 

Checking for Understanding:  Students will make a graph using steps on the web page.

Independent Practice:  The student will make a graph using their data.

Closure:  Students will take a quiz about making graphs with Excel and turn in their finished product during class time.