Planets on Spreadsheet

1. Anticipatory Set
- Focus/Transfer: Our adventure would consist of taking a tour of the planets! The are far away from the Sun, but how far away? How close are they to each other?
- Objective: Students will research the distance of the planets to the Sun and table the data using a spreadsheet program, for example, Microsoft© Excel.

2. Instruction
What is a Spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet is an arrangement of rows and columns of data used to enter, calculate, organize, and analyze information. Spreadsheets are used to prepare budgets, financial statements, inventory management, and calculate projections. Rows are identified by numbers, and columns are identified by letters of the alphabet.

- Check for understanding: Students will be asked questions like:
- Why are spreadsheets useful? (because calculations that were done by hand or with a calculator can now be done & tabulated by computer).
- What is a cell? (the point where a column and a row intersect).

3. Guided Practice
- Teacher reviews spreadsheet and its applications.
- Activity:
Have students work on making a table using Spreadsheet. The table should have a list of planets in the Solar System, and they are to find out (from the internet) the distance from the Sun.

Name of the Planet
Distance from Sun (in Km)
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto

Findingthe Diameter of the Planets:
Planet Name Diameter (in Km)
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto

Nowhave them make a bar graph to visually compare the size of the planets!

4. Closure
Students take quiz on Spreadsheet.

5. Independent Practice
Homework: Spreadsheet

Source: My COMPUTeachER, The Computer Book for Everyone. Get your copy at www.PaulRallion.com