From spreadsheet table to chart
Computer ScienceDigital ApplicationsAges 13–14
Use it with your class: students open it from a link or a QR code, with no account needed.
Next in Digital Applications
The data table can be edited right on the page: change a number and the chart beside it redraws instantly. Students choose a bar, line, or pie chart to see which type suits which purpose, click a column header to sort ascending or descending, set a filter threshold to hide small rows, and click a bar in the chart to highlight the matching row in the table.
Lesson: Presenting and visualizing data with charts in spreadsheet software; sorting and filtering data
What it shows
Charts turn a table of numbers into a picture, and each chart type answers a different question. A bar chart compares quantities between categories, a line chart shows how a value changes across an ordered sequence such as months, and a pie chart shows each part's share of a single whole. Here the chart stays linked to its source table, so editing, sorting or filtering the data redraws it at once, and the summary (total, average, largest value and its percentage of the total) updates with it. This supports discussion of how to choose a chart that fits the data and the purpose.
How to use
Choose a Dataset and edit a few numbers in the table to show that the chart depends on the data. Switch between the Bar chart, Line and Pie buttons and ask which one suits this data and why. Use Sort data to rank the rows, then raise Only show rows with value at least and notice how hiding rows changes the total and the pie chart's percentages. Click a bar to highlight its row in the table.
Parameters you can change
- Dataset Number of students per Grade 8 class, Number of books borrowed by month, Number of students choosing each sport
- Chart type Bar chart, Line chart, Pie chart
- Sort data Keep original order, Ascending by value, Descending by value
- Only show rows with value at least 0–80
- Show data labels on chart
Questions to explore
- Which chart type best shows the number of books borrowed each month, and why?
- How do the pie chart's percentages change when the filter hides the smallest rows?
- Does sorting the rows change any data values, or only their order?
