Spreadsheets

The project that I looked at as an example on how to teach students to use spreadsheets and read graphs was for a second grade classroom. The students first had to predict the weight of the pumpkin and also predict how many seeds might be in there. Then, they put their predictions onto a spreadsheet and drew conclusions from their information.  The students then weight their pumpkins and cut them open and used their hands to feel the pulp, and separate and count the seeds. They put the information gathered onto the same spreadsheet where they had predicted the weight and number of seeds and compared them. The students presented their findings to the class.

I would love to work as a Kindergarten, or even preschool teacher, so my students will be very young. I would modify this experiment a little bit so that my young students can enjoy this, too. I would make sure to use little pumpkins and in a Kindergarten class, use it as a way to learn how to count as the students counted the seeds. Instead of predicting the weight, we would just weight them to see how different sized pumpkins weigh different weights. I think it would be a lot of fun to use this in a young classroom in the fall as everyone is getting excited for the fall season.