Our Favorite Cookies PowerPoint Presentation

Grade Levels: 3 - 5

This Project

In this project, your students will record data, input it into a spreadsheet, and create graphs. The topic that they will be working on will be one of their favorites—food! This activity uses cookies, but you can easily adapt it to be a seasonal activity by using holiday foods.

Computer Skills

• Building a spreadsheet
• Data entry
• Creating a graph

Before Beginning

• Review with your students how to gather and record data.
• Have each student or group complete the data on the Student Planning Page. They will be conducting a survey of students in your classroom or in another classroom at the school.
• Show students how to locate the Cookies template for this project.

Quick Steps

• Open the (Cookies) PowerPoint template.
• Click on the graph area to enter the data.
• Move across each row to input the number of students that like each kind of cookie best.
• Close the pop-up spreadsheet.
• Using the FORMAT menu, make any desired color or font changes to the graph.
• Save your slide with the file name (Your name's cookies).
• Print a copy of your slide.

Procedure

Step 1:  Open the (Cookies) PowerPoint template. This template is intended for readers who have a version of PowerPoint residing on their computer. This template does not contain the software application itself. You will be able to read the template file if you are using PowerPoint 97 for Windows, PowerPoint 98 for Macintosh, or a later version. If you do not have this software application, CLICK HERE to download PowerPoint Viewer 2007.

Step 2:  Template files are meant for you to open and immediately save under another name some where on your desktop, hard drive, or floppy diskette. So, if you open a template file, before entering any text or data, click on the FILE menu and select Save As. Navigate to where you want to save your file, rename it, and then click on the Save button. Then you can begin entering text and data.

Step 3:  Move the mouse over the blank graph on the slide. Then right-click your mouse if you are using a PC. Double-click your mouse if you are using a Mac.

Step 4:  Click on cell A1 and enter the number of girls who said chocolate chip cookies were their favorite.

Step 5:  Use the tab key or arrow key to move to the box on the right, B1. Input the number of girls who chose peanut butter cookies as their favorite.

Step 6:  Move to the next box, C1. Input the number of girls who chose sugar cookies as their favorite.

Step 7:  Move to the next box, D1. Input the number of girls who chose oatmeal cookies as their favorite.

Step 8:  Move to the next box, E1. Input the number of girls who chose a type of cookie not listed in the survey as their favorite.

Step 9:  Click in cell A2. Input the number of boys who chose chocolate chip cookies as their favorite.

Step 10:  Use the tab key to move along the rest of line 2. Input the numbers from your survey about the boys into the appropriate cells.

Step 11:  Click in cell A3. Input the total number of girls and boys who chose chocolate chip cookies as their favorite.

Step 12:  Use the tab key to move along the rest of line 3. Input the numbers from your survey about boys and girls into the appropriate cells.

Step 13:  If you are using a PC, close the pop-up spreadsheet by clicking on the "x" in the upper left-hand corner of the box. On a Mac, go to the FILE menu and select Quit and Return to Favorite Cookies.ppt.

Step 14:  If you are using a PC, double-click on the graph you have just created. You will see a menu where you can change the border or the background color of your graph. On a Mac, double-click on the graph, then go to the Graph in Favorite Cookies.ppt-Chart pop-up menu. Double-click on the graph again and you will be able to change the border or background color of your graph.

Step 15:  Once you have chosen a new color or border for your graph, click OK.

Step 16:  Pull down the FILE menu and select Save As. Change the file name to (your initials Favorite Cookies).

Step 17:  Pull down the FILE menu and select Print. Click on the Print button to print a hard copy of your graph. Click OK (PC) or Print (Mac).