Using MS Excel 1. First, click on the "Start" button and then Programs, and Microsoft Office (or wherever it is that you installed it. It might be somewhere in your list of Programs rather than in a separate folder). Now click Excel! 2. You can put in words or numbers. The words/text are automatically left-justified and the numbers are always right-justified. If you need to change these, click on the cell and then click on one of the buttons in the third row at the top of your screen. There are three buttons next to the bold, italics and underline buttons that change the justification from right, to center, to left. 3. To sum a column of numbers, pick a cell and put in an equals sign followed by the starting cell designator a parentheses, then a colon and then the ending cell designator with an ending parentheses. For example, say you want to sum up all the numbers from A2 to A10. To do this, you'd type something like the following example: =sum(A2:A10) (Note: you need to follow the syntax exactly...the equals sign, parentheses, and colon are required! However, the case of the letters does not matter in the least.) 4. You can also sum a row in the same way. =SUM(A14:K14) 5. If you want to just add certain cells, then you could do either of the following: =A2+F4 or =SUM(A3,f4,G10) 6. If you want to subtract, add, multiply or divide some numbers, you can put into a cell the following: "=A2+A3", "=A2-A3", "=A2*A3", or "=A2/A3". (You always need the equals sign, and no, the quotes aren't needed!) 7. Copy, cut, and paste all work the same way. There is an exception. If you want, you can copy something like a SUM formula cell and paste it into multiple cells thus summing up multiple columns. So, to do this, you'd select and copy (CTRL+C) the formula cell you want, then select the other cell(s) that you want to paste into. 8. To insert a new row or column, point at the spot you want to insert it and right-click your mouse. Then choose insert. Now you can choose what to insert. Alternatively, you can also go into the menu system at the top and click on the insert menu to view the same things. 9. If you want to change the column's width, then you need to point your mouse at the top of the column. You will notice that at the top, it's gray with a letter. If you put your mouse at the line that separates the columns, it'll change into a dark black double-arrow that points right and left. Now you can change the column's width! You can also widen it by going into the Format menu and choosing Column and then Width. 10. So, you don't like plain numbers and you'd like them to have a currency symbol and the decimal at two points, eh? Then select the cells that are bugging you and then click the $ symbol at the top of your screen. It's to the right of the bold/italic/underline buttons and it ought to be close to the middle of the screen. Alternatively, you can also select said cells and then go to the Format menu and click Cells then choose the Currency from the list. If you need another copy or an updated version of this paper, go to the homeschool website and download it: http://iowahomeschool.tripod.com