Spreadsheets Although work with spreadsheets does not appear in the QCA ICT scheme until Y5/6, they are a useful tool for teachers in several contexts throughout the primary years: –Record keeping and administration; –Recording data from experiments and activities; –Models to explore “What if … ?” situations; –Practice tasks and tests for numeracy.

cell Cell nameFormula bar row column Spreadsheet terms

Spreadsheet functions

QCA IT Scheme of Work Unit 5D Introduction to spreadsheets –Tell the class that they are going to plan a party and that they will use a spreadsheet to calculate the cost of materials for the party. Explain that they will be given a budget and that they are to decide what materials to buy so that they don’t go over the budget. Unit 6B Spreadsheet modelling –Ask the children to use a spreadsheet model to find out the maximum area that can be included in a rectangular field of fixed perimeter. Ask them to set up formulae in a spreadsheet and to try whole numbers for one side first. Ask them to look at a graph of the areas to see where the maximum point is.