Beginning Excel 2010 Week 1 - The Basics

Ah...the basics. Where do we begin?

Well, I always start at the very beginning.

How do we locate and open the program?

Start by clicking on the Start button. If Excel does not appear on the list of pinned programs, click on the All Programs button at the bottom of the window.

After the All Programs button is clicked, a list of all the programs stored in your computer will appear. Scroll down to the list until you find Microsoft Office folder. Click on it once. A list of programs stored within the folder will appear. Choose Microsoft Excel 2010.

The program will open to a blank workbook with a blank worksheet displayed. This is the best time to go over Columns and Rows. It's also where I introduce cells and their names.

The Home tab will appear at the top and this is where I begin next. All of your students will be at different levels, but it's never a bad idea to refresh the memories of those who already know how to use the program. It's good for everyone to be on the same page.

Normally, I begin with the Font and Alignment tabs. Most people are familiar with these tabs even if they have only had minimal experience with Microsoft Office. I spend a lot of time here with them. If they can't understand how the basics work, they'll have a hard time moving onto Pivot Tables and Macros. 

After we go over each button, I ask them to create a small weekly budget. They must list all the things they have to pay for the next week in Column A and their corresponding amounts in Column B.

The reasoning behind asking them to make a simple budget is so they can start learning how to enter data into cells. I also take this time to teach them a really easy trick if your words run over into another cell. 

Place your mouse between the column the word is written in and the column the word spills over into. A black + will appear. Double-click and watch as the column resizes itself. 

It's at this point that I also teach them how to use Merge & Center and teach them how to Save the document. If you are using public computers, I find it easiest to have them save their Excel workbook to the Desktop in a folder marked with their name or Excel Level 1. 

If you are using Labyrinth Learning's Microsoft Excel Level 1 book, you can have them to work on Lesson 1: Reinforce Your Skills page 27 problems 1.1 and 1.2.

To see my syllabus for Beginning Excel, you can find it here. 

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below.

Happy Teacher,

Jessica