Basic Bar Chart

Bar charts create a visual representation that helps students understand the relationships and meanings of numbers. Creating charts in spreadsheets is easy and fun. Students enjoy changing formatting options such as bar colors, making the bars 3-D, and creating titles.

Bar charts are called column charts in Excel. Highlight the information you want on the chart. Include title information. Click, hold down the mouse button, and drag the mouse to highlight information.

If you want to select non-adjacent columns, click on the columns while holding down the CTRL key.

Follow the 5 steps in the Chart Wizard

• Step 1 Check the selected data that is organized in columns. Hit the (Next>) button.

• Step 2 Select chart type. Select a column chart. Hit the (Next>) button.

• Step 3 Select format for chart type. Select #6 for a basic column bar chart. Hit the (Next>) button.

• Step 4 Select data for labels. Select Data series in Columns. Use one column for X. Use one row for legend text. Hit the (Next>) button.

• Step 5 Create legend and titles. Decide if you need a legend. Type in the category of your first column for the X axis label (in this sample it is the words Length in Inches). Type in the category label of your second column for the Y axis label (in this sample it is the words Quantity or Amount). Hit the FINISH button. If you made the chart on the spreadsheet you may grab a corner and increase its size. You can also move it around the page.

 

Teacher Note: You can COPY the spreadsheet and PASTE it into a word-processing document. If do not have a color printer you will want the students to format their colors for black and white or select no colors at all.