1 - Introduction

Welcome

You've already used SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, and COUNT in your {{code:06_project_budget}}. Today you'll add six more built-in functions that save time and stop small mistakes creeping in: ROUND, TODAY, NOW, LEN, UPPER, and LOWER. These are the everyday tools that make a sheet readable, dated, and tidy, the kind of functions you'll reach for on Work Experience without even thinking about it.

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

Use =ROUND, =TODAY, =NOW, =LEN, =UPPER, and =LOWER
Choose the function that genuinely adds value to your spreadsheet rather than decoration
Test each function in a scratch area before committing it to your project budget

Warm-up

You're on Work Experience at a local shop. On Tuesday you typed the date 14/03 into cell B2 of the stocktake sheet. On Friday your supervisor opens the sheet and asks, "Is that today's count, or last week's?" The date in B2 hasn't moved. What could you have typed instead so the sheet always shows the current date whenever anyone opens it?

Teacher Notes

Let students answer the warm-up in their heads. Anyone who says '=TODAY()' is already ahead — use that as a signal to push them towards the scratch-sheet comparisons during the exploration.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

2 - Key Concepts

Six built-in functions that every spreadsheet app ships with. To keep things manageable, think of them as two small groups of three: number and date helpers (ROUND, TODAY, NOW) and text helpers (LEN, UPPER, LOWER).

Number and date helpers

Concept	Why it matters	Example
=ROUND(number, digits) — rounds a number to a chosen number of decimal places	Keeps euro totals tidy so you don't end up showing a figure like `12.8479`	`=ROUND(12.847, 2)` returns `12.85`
=TODAY() and =NOW() — today's date; NOW() adds the time as well	Your sheet is always self-dated, so nobody has to ask whether the numbers are fresh	`=TODAY()` on a budget header shows the current date; `=NOW()` on a shift log records the exact minute a task finished

Text helpers

Concept	Why it matters	Example
=LEN(text) — counts the characters in a cell, including spaces	Tells you instantly whether a value fits a character-limited field (form, name badge, Eircode)	`=LEN("Siobhán Ní Mhurchú")` returns `18`
=UPPER(text) and =LOWER(text) — convert text to ALL CAPS or all lowercase	Standardises text so entries don't look different just because of a capital letter	`=UPPER("d02 ax80")` returns `D02 AX80`; `=LOWER("INFO@CENTRA.IE")` returns `info@centra.ie`

Sample scratch sheet — what your testing area should look like

Before you commit any of these functions to your real budget, you test them in a scratch sheet first. Here is what a completed scratch sheet looks like once all six have been tried. You'll build your own version of this in the next step.

Function	Test input (cell B)	Formula you type (cell C)	Result you see (cell D)
ROUND	`12.847`	`=ROUND(B2, 2)`	`12.85`
TODAY	—	`=TODAY()`	`14/03/2025` (auto-updates)
NOW	—	`=NOW()`	`14/03/2025 14:23`
LEN	`Centra stocktake`	`=LEN(B5)`	`16`
UPPER	`murphy`	`=UPPER(B6)`	`MURPHY`
LOWER	`INFO@CENTRA.IE`	`=LOWER(B7)`	`info@centra.ie`

Teacher Notes

If students freeze at six functions, remind them of the two-group framing: three number/date helpers, three text helpers. Nobody has to master all six in one go — the scratch sheet is the practice ground.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+10 XP

3 - Exploration — Try Each Function

Open your cloud storage and create a new spreadsheet inside your Digital_Portfolio folder called function_scratch. This is a throwaway testing ground: it is not a portfolio artifact and nobody will grade it. The point is to try each of the six functions in a safe place before you decide which ones deserve a spot in your real {{code:06_project_budget}}.

Set up four column headings in row 1: Function, Test input, Formula, Result — exactly like the sample scratch sheet in the key concepts section. Then fill in one row per function (ROUND, TODAY, NOW, LEN, UPPER, LOWER), typing a test value in column B and a formula in column C that references column B. The result in column D will appear automatically.

Use the prompts below to guide what you notice. There is no single correct answer — the goal is to decide which functions are worth keeping, not to produce a perfect sheet.

Exploration

Try =ROUND with different numbers of decimal places — 0, 1, 2, and -1. Which setting would you pick for a euro total in your budget, and which would be wrong?
Compare =TODAY() and =NOW() side by side. What's the difference, and which one belongs on a budget header versus a shift log?
Find a piece of text from your own 06_project_budget (an item name, a supplier, a category) and try =LEN, =UPPER, and =LOWER on it. Which of the three would actually tidy your budget up?
Notice what happens when you press F9 (or edit any other cell) after typing =NOW(). Why might that matter for a delivery docket or an apprenticeship hours log?
Which two of the six functions do you think you'll never use in your 06_project_budget, and why?
Pick the one function you'd keep using most often beyond this lesson. Be ready to say why in one sentence.

Teacher Notes

If students are stuck, encourage them to type something from their own budget (an item name, a category, a supplier) as the test input so the exploration feels less abstract. Watch for students who stack ROUND inside ROUND — gently redirect.

+15 XP

4 - Common Issues

Common issues

Issue	Solution
My `=TODAY()` shows a number like `45392` instead of a date	The cell is formatted as a number. Change it to a date format. In Excel Online: Home tab, Number format dropdown, Short Date. In Google Sheets: Format then Number then Date.
My `=LEN` returns `0` for a cell that looks full of text	Check you're referencing the right cell. If LEN genuinely shows 0, the cell is empty (or contains only spaces you can't see). LEN is working correctly.
`=NOW()` keeps changing every time I edit anything in the sheet	That's expected — NOW() updates on every recalculation. If you want a fixed timestamp, type it manually, or copy the cell and paste it back as a value (Paste special then Values only).
`=UPPER` or `=LOWER` put the converted text in a new cell, but I wanted it in the original cell	Formulas can't replace the cell they read from. Either use the new column as your tidy version, or copy the formula results and paste them as values back into the original column, then delete the formula column.
My `=ROUND` returns the right number but adds trailing zeros I don't want	ROUND and cell display format are two different things. Use Number format on the cell to control how many decimal places display, and use ROUND only when you actually need the underlying value to change.

Teacher Notes

The ROUND vs display-format distinction trips up nearly every student. Worth a 30-second class aside if several are stuck on it.

+10 XP

5 - Independent Practice — Add a Function That Earns Its Place

Independent Practice

Your goal: Add at least one of the six standard functions to your {{code:06_project_budget}} so the sheet is genuinely better afterwards — a live as-of date, tidier text, cleaner totals — not a function added for the sake of showing off.

Time: ~15 minutes

Task: Open {{code:06_project_budget}} from your Digital_Portfolio folder. Pick one or two functions from ROUND, TODAY, NOW, LEN, UPPER, and LOWER that would genuinely improve your budget — for example, a live TODAY() date in the header so the sheet is always self-dated, or ROUND on a calculated line total so the euro amounts display cleanly. Add the function(s), then check that every existing SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, or COUNT still works correctly.

Success criteria:

At least one new standard function is doing visible work somewhere in your budget
You can say in one short sentence what problem the function solved — not just that it's there
Existing totals and averages still calculate correctly after the change (test by editing a number and watching the totals move)
The sheet is still easy to read at a glance — no orphan functions or stacked ROUNDs added just to fill the page

Teacher Notes

Reject 'I added UPPER to everything' as a meaningful choice — ask the student what problem UPPER solved. If they can't name one, they haven't met the success criteria. This is the core point of the lesson.

+15 XP

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Standard Functions: ROUND, TODAY, NOW, LEN, UPPER, LOWER

Teacher Class Feed

1 - Introduction

Welcome

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

Warm-up

2 - Key Concepts

Number and date helpers

Text helpers

Sample scratch sheet — what your testing area should look like

3 - Exploration — Try Each Function

4 - Common Issues

Common issues

5 - Independent Practice — Add a Function That Earns Its Place

Independent Practice

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