Generalization: Technology enhances productivity.

Essential Question: How do computers change the work we do?

Unit Questions:

Why is it important to know the correct terms when talking to someone about technology?
If I no longer need a file in my user folder, how do I remove it?
How can I switch between two software applications when working in them both?
Why is it important to proofread your work? (to find and correct errors)
What are some ways can I get help if I don't know how to do something? (check with a classmate; ask the teacher; use help in the software program)
What projects would be best to create in a spreadsheet program?
What is the first thing we must consider when we choose font, color, or style? (readability)
How can changing font color or style help us to communicate better? (draw attention to important items)
How do charts and graphs enhance the communication between you and your audience?
What are the ways that we can share a document? (Monitor, email, printed copy, publish to Internet, save to user folder)
If I want to look at a project that I created in a previous year, how do I do that? (look in my user folder in that year's portfolio)
Why is it important to keep a timeline or checklist when completing my assignment? (to make sure that that my assignment include everything that my teacher asked me to do)

TEKS:

1(A) use technology terminology appropriate to the task;
1(B) save and delete files, uses menu options and commands, and work with more than one software application;
2(D) produce documents at the keyboard, proofread, and correct errors;
2(E) use language skills including capitalization, punctuation, spelling, word division, and use of numbers and symbols as grade-level appropriate; and
5(B) use on-line help and documentation.
7(B) use appropriate software to express ideas and solve problems including the use of word processing, graphics, databases, spreadsheets, simulations, and multimedia; and
9(A) use software features, such as on-line help, to evaluate work progress; and
10(A) use font attributes, color, white space, and graphics to ensure that products are appropriate for the defined audience;
10(B) use font attributes, color, white space, and graphics to ensure that products are appropriate for the communication media including multimedia screen displays, Internet documents, and printed materials; and
10(C) use appropriate applications including, but not limited to, spreadsheets and databases to develop charts and graphs by using data from various sources.
11(A) publish information in a variety of media including, but not limited to, printed copy, monitor display, Internet documents, and video; and
12(A) select representative products to be collected and stored in an electronic evaluation tool;
12(B) evaluate the product for relevance to the assignment or task; and
12(C) create technology assessment tools to monitor progress of project such as checklists, timelines, or rubrics.

Subject Integration:  Math

Lesson Topic: Students will learn how to open up a prepared Excel document, change data (words and numbers) to see how this effects the prepared graph or histogram (pictograph).  Students will also answer questions generated by the teacher about the data.

Terminology: Excel, spreadsheet, cell, row, column, tabs, histogram (pictograph)

Materials/Equipment: None

Instructional Activities:

1.      Key boarding warm-up for 5 minutes

2.      Have students go to Websites folder and click on spreadsheets

3.      Inside that will be a folder called third grade, click on that

4.      Inside the third grade folder, click on “Lesson 4 Data”

5.      Show students where the tab buttons are at the bottom of the worksheet and have them click on the tab labeled survey.  Explain that this shows the results of a survey taken on favorite kind of pizza.  Note the bar graph represents the same information as the data.  Generate some questions orally about favorite/least favorite kind of pizza.

6.      Model how students can change the data (by clicking on a cell and retyping a word or a number).  For example, change pepperoni to sausage.  When they press enter, that information is automatically changed in the data chart and the graph.  Be sure to model changing a number to a much larger number and have the students observe how the graph scale changes.  For example, change ground beef to 50.  Let students make some changes on their own.

7.      Instruct the students to go to the histogram tab and repeat steps 5 and 6.

Modifications:  There are none since this is a directed lesson.

Assessment:  Teacher observation.

Page last updated: 04/27/2007