Spreadsheet Basics Tutorial

A spreadsheet contains a grid of cells where each cell is a calculator. Each cell can work independently or link with other cells for more complicated calculations. A cell is identified by its column letter and row number.

In the spreadsheet below groceries for January can be found in cell C3.

Spreadsheets don't just contain numbers and calculations, but also contain labels so that the numbers are easily identified. By default, numbers are right aligned and labels are left aligned. Like in a word processor you have MANY formatting options.

Complete the Google Sheets tutorials, Spreadsheet Basics Links to an external site., at GcfLearnFree.org. There you will complete the challenges for tutorials 8, 9, 10, and 11, to start with.

Please complete each of the lessons below and their challenges. Create a folder (aka directory) to collect all of your files for these challenges. When you make a copy of a challenge be sure to choose a relevant name. For example, Appa Love named her first spreadsheet challenge "LovesSheetsLesson8". Don't forget to move the file to your new sheets directory; you can do this from the File menu, then Organize, then select the appropriate directory, and select move. For example, Appa Love made a directory in her cs0800 directory called "LovesSheetsTutorialChallenges".

• Complete Google Sheets challenge 8 Links to an external site. on Getting Started with Google Sheets Links to an external site..
• Getting to know Google Sheets
• The Google interface
• Cell basics
• Challenge! GCFLearnFree L8: Field Trip Checklist 
• Complete Google Sheets challenge 9 Links to an external site. on Modifying Columns, Rows, and Cells Links to an external site..
• Working with columns, rows, and cells
• Inserting, deleting, and moving columns and rows
• Wrapping text and merging cells
• Freezing rows and columns
• Challenge! GCFLearnFree L9: Houses to Visit 
• Complete Google Sheets challenge 10 Links to an external site. on Formatting Cells Links to an external site..
• Formatting cells
• Text allignment
• Cell borders and background colors
• Formatting text and numbers
• Challenge! GCFLearnFree L10: Garden Inventory
• Complete Google Sheets challenge 11 Links to an external site. on Working with Multiple Sheets Links to an external site..
• Using multiple sheets
• Challenge! GCFLearnFree L11: IT Service Log 

Don't forget; you need to make a copy of each of the challenges with relevant names in a new directory (aka folder). You will get to provide a shared link to this directory in the assignment following this tutorial.

Sample Spreadsheet Links to an external site.

If you want or need more practice with spreadsheets, then check out Google's tutorial, Google Sheets Introduction Links to an external site..