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Wildlife Injury Spreadsheet Directions
Description: Use a spreadsheet to enter your wildlife injury data. Work in groups to make charts that describe one feature of the data (injury rates for different months, different species, survival rates, causes of injury, and so forth).
Step 1: Enter data into the spreadsheet.
Open a worksheet in spreadsheet software. In cell A1, type the title of your study (for example, type Wildlife Injury). In row 2 beginning in cell B2, type the types of data you gathered (for example, # of injuries, # of survivals, species, causes of injury, and so forth). In column A, beginning in cell A3, list the months of the year. Enter your data in columns B, C, D, and beyond to add data below your category headings.
Step 2: Create a formula in the Formula Bar.
Formulas can be used to calculate data in spreadsheets. To add a formula to a spreadsheet, follow these steps:
- In a new column, type a column heading, such as survival rate as shown in the sample graphic above.
- Click the cell under the new heading, next to the row of data you want to calculate.
- Click in the Formula Bar, and type an equal sign (=) to begin your formula.
- Determine which operation or formula you need to use to calculate your data. For example, to obtain the survival rate in the sample, the # of survivals should be divided by the # of injuries.
- To create the formula, click the cell location that contains the first part of the equation, such as C3 in the sample, type the division sign (/), and then click the cell containing the second part of your equation, such as B3. The sample formula looks like =C3/B3.
- Press Enter. The formula calculates and then displays the results.
- Repeat this process for all rows you want to calculate, or copy and paste the formula into the appropriate cells.
Step 3: Choose and create graphs to represent your data.
To create a chart or graph:
- Highlight the cells that you want to use to create a graph or chart.
- Choose Chart on the Insert menu.
- Choose the chart type that you think best represents your data (see the following examples), and then click Next.
- Follow the directions for your type of chart, such as:
- Add titles for the chart or graph and axes if appropriate.
- Click the Gridlines tab and experiment with gridline options if gridlines apply to your type of chart. Choose gridlines that make understanding your data easier.
- Click the Legend tab and choose a location for the legend.
- Click Next.
- Place the chart or graph as an object on the original worksheet, so that you can see the worksheet entries as you examine the object, or place the chart or graph in a separate sheet of your worksheet and label it. Have fun displaying your information—explore several types of charts and graphs to see which one best represents your data!
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