Fourth Grade
Internet Math Practice, Excel, and Graphs
Math Baseball
(Activity Steps)
Use your browser to get on the Internet. You can double-click the browser’s icon or find it in the start menu. Begin on Mrs. Cannon’s Computer Lab, www.computerlabkids.com. Click the link on the April homepage to access the Math Baseball* site. Remember that this is a web site, so it is available at home if you have Internet access.
Once on the Math Baseball site, click a radio button to select Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, or All of the Above. Then use the drop down menu to choose a level – Easy, Medium, Hard, or Super Brain. Choose the settings specified by your teacher.
Click the Play Ball button to get started. Three outs, incorrect answers, and the game is over. (Teacher, be aware that it is possible to click the Back button on your browser’s toolbar. Students quickly figure that trick out to avoid getting three outs.)
Play for a consistent time each lab session, recording your score after each time. Allow time to post your scores in your Excel document and save. A kitchen timer is handy if you want to set it for the time you can allow. You can play for the entire lab session or set "innings" such as 10-minute sessions, recording your score at the end of each.
Excel
After playing the first round, inning, of Math Baseball, open Microsoft Excel by double-clicking the icon on the desktop or locating it in the start menu. Excel uses columns and rows to calculate data. Each section of the document is called a cell. Click in the first open cell. It places a thick outline around the cell. This cell is A1, meaning the first cell in column A. Notice A1 is shown above in the drop down menu. Type the amount of runs you scored in the first inning of Math Baseball inside cell A1.
Save your Excel document by clicking file in the menu bar and then Save As. Save as usual, remembering the 2 things you should know when saving, #1 – What it’s called (the filename) and #2 – Where it’s going (the drive and folder). Give it a filename you can recognize later such as Baseball ---and your first name---. Save to the location specified by your teacher such as My Documents, a floppy disk, or your network. Leave the Excel document open while you play another inning of Math Baseball.
Click the Math Baseball button in your task bar to get back to the site. Everyone make sure the settings are still on the operation and level of difficulty as before. When everybody is set, call out, "Play ball!" and play again for the set amount of time. At the end, record your number of runs on your Excel document. Click below your first score to activate cell A2, the second cell on column A. Type the number of runs you scored. Click the Save button on the standard toolbar. There is no need to click Save As again since you already specified a filename and location. Do you still remember what those 2 things are so that you can locate your Excel document next week? If not click File and Save As to see what they are. Continue playing and recording your score until the lab session is over. Save and exit Excel and Internet Explorer.
Week #2
Open Microsoft Excel by double-clicking the icon on the desktop or locating it in the start menu. Open your previously saved score sheet by clicking the Open button, browse to the location to which you saved, click your filename and open. How many innings did you play last week? Notice the numbers along each recorded score.
Get on the Internet by double-clicking the browser’s icon on the desktop or using the start menu. Another option is to click the Internet Explorer icon in the Quick Launch toolbar. It’s in the taskbar next to the start button. Click those icons only once. Begin on Mrs. Cannon’s Computer Lab, www.computerlabkids.com. Click the link on the April homepage to access the Math Baseball* site. Choose the same settings as before. When everybody is ready, the teacher has a timer set, call out, "Play ball!" and begin playing. When the timer goes off, record your score, runs only, in your Excel document below the last score shown. Click the save button in the toolbar after recording each score. It’s wise to save often. Continue as time allows.
Week 3:
Allow time to create a graph of the scores on your Excel document showing your progress. In your Excel document highlight your scores by dragging from top to bottom. The top score selected will not be highlighted, but will be within the thick outline. Locate the Chart Wizard button in the toolbar. Rest your mouse over the buttons to see the popup clues. The Chart Wizard button looks like a colored column graph. Click it once. Notice all the chart types offered. Click once on a few to see additional options appear. Select the Line Graph and the Line With Markers chart type. It’s the first type on the second row. Click it once and notice the description saying, "Line with markers displayed at each data value." Click the next button, and next again. There you’ll see a Titles tab. Click it and enter information for your graph. Click in the Chart Title field and type ---your name--- and Math Baseball. Click in the X-axis field and type Inning. Click in the Y-axis field and type Runs. Continue clicking next and finish, not making any further changes. Your graph will appear on your document.
If the Y-axis is automatically divided into increments of 10, you can change the range so that it is less broad. To do that, point to the Y-axis (the straight up/down line along the runs, also called the value axis if you rest your mouse over it) and click to place handles on it. With it marked with handles, click format in the menu bar and then Selected Axis. That opens a new window with options for making changes. Round your lowest score down to the nearest ten and enter that in the Minimum field. Round your highest score up to the nearest ten and enter that in the Maximum field. Set the Major Unit to an appropriate number such as 2. Try 5 if your scores cover a wide range. Click the ok button to see your graph. Click once near the outline of the graph to place handles and an outline around the entire graph. While it is marked, go to print preview by clicking file and print preview. Print your graph.
Try other graphs. Press the delete key on your keyboard to remove your graph while it is marked with handles. Click the Chart Wizard button in the toolbar to begin creating a different type of graph.
*Math Baseball, www.funbrain.com/math
Posted on Mrs. Cannon’s Computer Lab, Math and homepage.
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