Excel Lesson 2

Excel Activity 2:

Getting Fancy with Column Charts

Essential Learning Skills:  comparing data, setting up a column chart, changing chart formats including labels, grid lines, titles, colors, and legends. 


 

1.    Open a new spreadsheet file.

2.   Mrs. Jones recently polled all the students attending Baker Middle School.  One of the questions she asked was, “What is your favorite cafeteria lunch?”  The choices students could select from included hot dogs, burgers, tacos, pizza, or spaghetti.  There were some interesting differences when the results were examined by gender.

Favorite Lunch             Boys                     Girls

Burgers                            60                         40

Hot Dogs                         70                         20

Pizza                               60                         60

Spaghetti                         20                         60

Tacos                              35                         5

         

Create a spreadsheet file that includes this information.  You should have data in cells A1 to C6.

Note: Expand Your Column A by clicking on the line next to the letter A hold down the mouse button while dragging it.  This will make it bigger so you can add your foods in this column.

3.    Select the contents of cells A1 through C6 for inclusion in a column chart.  Use the Insert à and go to the Chart section and select Column --> 2D Column (the very first one.) 

4.    Chart Customization

• Once the chart appears, you will then need to click on the white area of the chart.  Then you will then need to look at the Chart Tools that appears at the top of your ribbon. 
• You will then select Chart Layout drop down menu on the left. Click on the dropdown menu and select the second one down that says Centered Overlay Title.(Layout 1)

·         In the chart title on the chart type in: Favorite Lunch.

·         After the column chart is created, Click again on the white area of your chart and go back to the top of your ribbon.   Go back to the Chart Tools section and then click on Axis Titles -à Primary Vertical Axis Titles à Vertical Title and select it.

·         Click the Rotated Title selection, and type in “Number of Items”.

Your Spreadsheet should now look something like this:

  

Change the Colors on Your Chart

• Right Click on one of the columns in your charts and select Designs from the Chart Tools at the top of your ribbon.  Select the first selection (The one’s in grey tones.)
• All of your bars should now be in grey tones. Your chart should look something like this:

Save and Print your file

·         Click on Cell A 15 and type in your name.

·         Save your file to (Z:) Common Drive à 10^th GradeàExcel Lesson 3 File

·         Print up and turn in your file