1 - Introduction

Illustration for Introduction

Today's rule: A chart that doesn't change anything is just decoration.

Welcome

Last week you turned your Something Real into a working spreadsheet full of prices, quantities, dates, or survey results. Today you make those numbers do work. You'll sort, filter, chart, highlight, and classify a sample dataset, then use one chart built from your own data to change a real decision about your project.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Sort and filter a table to answer a specific question
Build and label column and pie charts and pick the right one for the story
Apply conditional formatting to highlight values that matter
Write an IF formula to tag rows automatically
Use a chart from your project budget to change one decision about your Something Real

Warm-up

Think about a chart or graph you've seen recently: a weather forecast, a league table, a match stats graphic, a step-counter ring on your phone. Did the picture let you see something at a glance that a list of numbers would have hidden? What shape of chart was it (bars, a pie, a line)? You don't need to write anything; just have the example ready in your head.

Teacher Notes

The warm-up is purely discussion/think-about. Students should not be writing.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

2 - Key Concepts

Here are the five moves you'll make in today's step-by-step and in your portfolio build.

Concept	Why it matters	Example
Sort — reorder rows by the values in one column, keeping whole rows together	Rankings become obvious without you having to scan every row	Sort a TY bake sale table by revenue (high to low) to see which cake earned most in the top row
Filter — temporarily hide rows that don't match a rule, without deleting data	Lets you focus on a subset (best sellers, one supplier, one week) and un-hide later	Show only bake sale items tagged 'Best seller' while you plan next month's order
Chart type — different chart shapes answer different questions; picking the wrong shape hides the story	A pie chart makes shares obvious but buries rankings; a column chart makes rankings obvious but buries shares	See the chart-type chooser below
Conditional formatting — automatic cell colouring based on a rule the spreadsheet checks for you	The reader's eye jumps straight to the numbers that matter; no one has to read every cell	Highlight any day on a TY trip attendance sheet where fewer than 20 students signed up, in red
IF formula — a classifier that writes a label based on a rule you set	The spreadsheet tags rows for you, so categories stay consistent and update if the numbers change	{{formula:=IF(D2>=50,"Best seller","OK")}} labels every row as 'Best seller' or 'OK' based on its revenue

Choosing the right chart

Pick the chart that matches the question you need answered:

Column or bar chart — compare items (which is biggest?). Column = vertical, bar = horizontal. Same chart, rotated.
Pie chart — show shares of a whole (what percentage came from each item?). Keep to 5-6 slices maximum; past that, a pie becomes unreadable.
Line chart — show change over time (how did attendance grow across 5 weeks?). Only use if your horizontal axis is time or another ordered sequence.

Rule of thumb: if your chart doesn't answer a specific question you could ask out loud, you picked the wrong shape.

How an IF formula works

IF has three parts, separated by commas: =IF(condition, value if true, value if false). Read it left to right as: 'IF this is true, write the first value, otherwise write the second.' For =IF(D2>=50,"Best seller","OK"):

Condition: D2>=50 (is D2 fifty or more?)
Value if true: "Best seller"
Value if false: "OK"

Swap those three parts and you can classify anything (Pass/Fail, Cheap/Mid/Premium, In-budget/Over-budget).

The Name Box (new tool today)

The Name Box is the small white box at the very top-left of the sheet, above column A. It normally shows which cell you have selected (like 'A1'). You can also type cell references or ranges into it and press {{key:Enter}} to jump to them or select them. You'll use it today to select two non-adjacent columns at once without any tricky modifier-key gestures.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+10 XP

3 - Step-by-step Task

Work through a TY charity bake sale dataset: enter data, add two formulas (one arithmetic, one IF), sort, filter, build two chart types, and apply conditional formatting. At the end you'll read the chart and state a decision the numbers made for you.

Focus and fallback: The must-master skills today are data entry, the revenue formula, the sort, the column chart, and the decision sentence. If you're running short on time, the pie chart, conditional formatting, and IF formula can be finished at home — do the must-master skills first.

Teacher Notes

Walk the room during the Name Box selection step (step 9); that's the main stall point — students often type into a cell instead of the Name Box. Priorities if the clock gets tight: must-master = data entry + revenue formula + sort + column chart + decision sentence. 'Finish-for-homework if time runs short' = pie chart, conditional formatting, IF. The Focus-and-fallback callout now surfaces this to students directly.

+15 XP

4 - Common Issues

Common Issues

If something in the step-by-step didn't behave the way the instructions expected, check this table before asking for help.

Issue	Solution
My sort scrambled the rows — item names no longer line up with their prices	You sorted only one column. Press {{kbd:Ctrl+Z}} (Windows/Chromebook) or {{kbd:Cmd+Z}} (Mac) to undo. Then select the full table ({{cell:A1}} to {{cell:E6}}) before you sort.
Autofill copied the same value (e.g. 60) into every cell instead of recalculating	Your formula probably used dollar signs ({{formula:=$B$2*$C$2}}) which lock the reference. Retype the formula without the $ signs, then autofill again.
My IF formula shows {{code:#NAME?}} or {{code:#ERROR!}}	Check the quotes around your text labels. They must be straight double quotes ({{code:"Best seller"}}), not curly/smart quotes. Retype the formula directly in the cell — don't copy-paste it from a chat or document.
I typed the ranges into a cell instead of the Name Box, and now my sheet has 'A1:A6,D1:D6' sitting in cell A1	The Name Box is the small white box at the very top-LEFT of the sheet, above column A — NOT inside any cell and NOT the formula bar. Delete what you typed, click the Name Box specifically, then type {{code:A1:A6,D1:D6}} and press {{key:Enter}}.
My chart shows the wrong data, or item names appear as numbers on the y-axis	Delete the chart. Click the Name Box, type {{code:A1:A6,D1:D6}}, press {{key:Enter}} — check that both ranges are highlighted in blue — then insert the chart again.
Conditional formatting didn't highlight anything	Check you selected {{range:D2:D6}} (not the whole column or a single cell) before opening the rule, and that your rule says 'Greater than 49' — not 'Equal to 49'.
In Excel Online: the filter dropdown shows a search box, not tickboxes	Same result, different layout. Type {{code:Best seller}} into the search box and press {{key:Enter}} — the filter applies just the same.
In Excel Online: Conditional Formatting opened a sidebar on the right, not a dialog box	Same rule-maker, different layout. Fill in the 'Greater than 49' value and the green fill in the sidebar, then click {{btn:Apply}} or {{btn:Done}}.
In Excel Online: I can't find the Filter button under Home	Try the {{btn:Data}} tab instead — Filter is also listed there in some Excel Online layouts.

+10 XP

5 - Portfolio Build — Your Decision Chart

Independent Practice

Your goal: Build one chart from your own project numbers that actually changes a decision about your Something Real, so your plan is shaped by the data instead of by a guess you made in week 1.

Time:~15 minutes

Task: Open your {{code:05_numbers_sheet}} from {{code:Digital_Portfolio}} and make a copy of it in the same folder named {{code:06_decision_chart}}. In Excel Online use {{menu:File -> Save a Copy}}; in Google Sheets use {{menu:File -> Make a copy}}. Work in the copy only — don't edit the original. Inside the copy, write the specific question you want the chart to answer in a cell above your data (for example 'Which week has the most costs?' or 'Which option gives the best value for money?'). Then build one chart using the right shape for that question: column or bar for comparing, pie for shares of a whole, or line for change over time (for line, the steps are identical to column — just pick Line from the chart-type dropdown or the Chart editor sidebar). Below the chart, type one sentence in the pattern {{code:The chart shows [what the numbers say], so I'm going to [specific change to your project plan].}}

Success criteria:

Your {{code:06_decision_chart}} file exists in {{code:Digital_Portfolio}} as a copy (not as an edit to {{code:05_numbers_sheet}})
The file contains one chart with a clear title that names the question it answers
The chart type matches the question you wrote above the data, and you could justify the choice out loud in one sentence
Your decision sentence appears below the chart and names a specific change to your project, not a vague 'think about it' or 'maybe later'

Teacher Notes

Walk the room. The single most common miss is students who pick the chart shape first and the question second — push them to write the question first. Also check early that they've actually made a COPY (File > Save a Copy in Excel or File > Make a copy in Sheets) and aren't editing 05_numbers_sheet directly. If a student's project budget has no comparison worth making, let them add a column (e.g., cost per person, yes/no votes, hours per week) rather than forcing a chart on data that has none.

+15 XP

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Seeing the Story — Charts, Filters & IF

Teacher Class Feed

1 - Introduction

Welcome

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Warm-up

2 - Key Concepts

Choosing the right chart

How an IF formula works

The Name Box (new tool today)

3 - Step-by-step Task

4 - Common Issues

Common Issues

5 - Portfolio Build — Your Decision Chart

Independent Practice

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