Microsoft Office has several tools that can be timesavers for the busy classroom teacher. Exploring some of these can open your eyes to the possibilities and help you with your record keeping and other “housekeeping” duties that go along with your instructional tasks. Let’s look at a few:

Templates and Wizards in Microsoft Word

Open MS Word and click on File, then New.

This should take you to the “New” window where you will see several tabs. These tabbed menus contain templates and wizards that are pre-formatted for you to make some tasks easier. Here are some that would be useful for a teacher:

Letters and Faxes Memos

This group contains templates for various letter designs that have all the letter components appropriately spaced. All you do is click in or highlight a section and change the text to your needs. No more calculating how many lines to skip for the greeting, etc. A template is already done for you. A wizard is a “helper” who asks you questions about how you want your task set up, and then gets it started for you. You can use the fax template to prepare a fax cover sheet. You simply tab from one section to the other and “fill in the blanks.” Explore the mailing label and envelope wizards to help you in addressing correspondence. The memo templates will also help you get out a note in a hurry

Publications

This tab contains a newsletter wizard that will help you produce a simple publication in your class. You simply answer questions and Word sets up a newsletter for you.

Other Templates

This contains templates and wizards for resumes – especially helpful if you are teaching resume writing or job skills. Notice also in this tab are suggestions for locating additional templates. If you do not have all the templates you need, reinsert the MS Office installation CD and install the ValuPak on you computer.

Web Pages

Explore this tab to find a quick way to develop simple web pages without purchasing additional software.

Textboxes

To create your own newsletter-type layout you can either use the newsletter wizard in Word, or you can start with a blank document. You will need to have the Draw toolbar visible on your screen. Usually it shows up at the bottom of the screen, below the document. If it is not visible, click on View on the menu bar, then Toolbars, then select Drawing. Take a few minutes to explore the various tools in the Drawing toolbar by resting your mouse arrow on the buttons one at a time.

To draw a textbox, click on the textbox button. Position the cursor where you want the upper left hand corner of the textbox to be, then hold down the left mouse button and drag until the box is the size you want. Once you have done this click inside the box and start typing. You can resize the textbox by dragging one of the handles at the edge. You can move it by accessing the four-sided arrow. To find the four-sided arrow, just move your mouse around until it appears, then hold the left mouse button down and grab the box. Move it where you want it to be, then let go!

To make changes in the appearance of a textbox, right click on the border of the box, then select Format Text Box. The Colors and Lines tab allows you to choose a fill color if you wish. You can customize the line border of your box in color, weight, style, and size. If you choose to have no edge showing around your text box, click Color then no line.

You should also explore the Layout tab. This will give you options for how your text box fits into other text that may be on the page.

Finally, be sure to look at the Text Box tab. This will allow you to set up margins within the box.

If you have overlapping textboxes or other objects, right click on the textbox's or object’s border. Select Order to allow control over which object is on top.

Other “stuff” on the Drawing toolbar:

You can create rectangles and ovals using the Drawing toolbar. Simply click on the shape on the toolbar and follow the procedure for textboxes. These shape, however, do not automatically allow for text. To insert text in them, you will have to place a textbox within the shape.

Click on the Word Art button to create fancy text.

Auto shapes will give you several different shapes you can use to call attention to areas of your document.

Textboxes can be used in dozens of ways in the classroom: Newsletters, Instruction sheets, Mapping and ……

Test and Retest

Do you ever get tired of setting up tabs for a test? Do you get tired of numbering multiple-choice answers? Well, weep no more. You can format a test once, and have it done forever. You can even create Form A and Form B of the test in a few simple clicks.

Bring up a new document.

Type your desired heading, including things like subject, test topic, name, date – just the usual ingredients you use on a test header.

Use the tab button to position these elements. Select the type of tab in the small square on the left. You can select a left-aligned tab, a right-aligned tab, or a centered tab. When you find the type of tab on the toolbar, click on the ruler where you want that tab to be positioned. You can set your tabs line by line, but it is easier to do a section at a time if all the lines are going to have the same tabs. Type in your text first, then highlight the whole sections and set tabs. They will then apply to all the lines highlighted.

Now for the questions –

Before you begin this, be sure the auto number button is off on the toolbar.

Type:

Question

Answer

None of the above

Right click in front of “question.”

Choose Bullets and Numbering.

Choose the Numbered tab.

Choose a style of numbers you like.

Click on the Customize button.

Set the number position at "right" and aligned at .25".

For text position, set indent text at .35".

Now highlight the first set of “answers.”

Right click in this highlighted area. Choose Bullets and Numbering.

Choose the Numbered tab.

Choose a style of letters you like.

Click on the Customize button.

Set the number position at "left" and aligned at .35".

For text position, set indent text at .5".

Hit Enter twice.

Highlight the entire block of text from including the question and all 5 answers and the two line spaces. Hit control-C on the keyboard to copy this text. Click at the end of the last line.

Hit control-V on the keyboard to paste this.

Repeat this until you have as many questions as you would have on a typical test. Let’s say, twenty this time. (When you set up your own template, go ahead and do fifty or even a hundred. That way you will have plenty no matter how many questions you have on a test.)

Save your new test form as a template

Click File on the menu bar. Click Save As… When the save as dialogue box appears, name your file Test Template. In order to create a permanent template, you must select the file type as Document Template.

This will create a template that will appear in the general template window when you access New File in Word.

Making the template into a real test

When you get ready to create a test, access your test template through File, New.

The template will pop up. Double click in the word question and start typing your question. Continue until all the answers and questions say what your want. When you are finished with the test, click File, Save As and give your test a name. Note that the file will be saved as a Word document. Your template will still be safe and waiting for the next time.

Creating Form A and Form B

If you want to create different versions of the test, you can move the answers to different positions by highlighting and dragging. Be sure to use Save as and designate the different forms. You will need to save each form as a separate file.

Creating Tables in Microsoft Word 2000

You can create tables in Word that allow you to set up text squares. This is useful for creating rubrics for scoring, calendars, lesson plan forms or many other uses. This is also the best way to type text in columns that do not wrap.

The fastest way to make a simple table is to click the Tables button on the toolbar and click the number of cells you want to have in your table. However, for more precise choices, follow these guidelines:

In your Word document, click on Table on the menu bar.

Click on Insert > Table

Choose the number of rows and columns you want. (Leave other settings on the default, unless you want to make specific changes. Auto Table format has some pre-made templates for different types of table.)

If you move near the upper left-hand corner of the table, you will see a box with a four-sided arrow. This is the table selector box. Click in this box if you want to highlight the entire table. (You can also move the table by this box.) If you want to highlight specific cells, click and drag through those cells. If you want to highlight an entire row(s), click in the selection area (in the left margin space).

To adjust cell height and width, select cells, then click Table then Table Properties. Click on the row tab. Check specify height, then enter a height. You can choose "exactly" or "at least."

To adjust cell width, click on the columns tab, then specify the preferred settings.

Cell height and width can also be adjusted by dragging the border of the cells. Rest the mouse arrow on the border until it changes to a double-sided arrow, the click and drag. This is not as precise as the above method.

Click on the cell tab to determine alignment of text in the cell. Look at the options button for other choices about your text display. You can make more specific alignment choices by right clicking on the table selector box. Go to cell alignment, and choose the preferred look.

Click on the table tab and experiment with the choices for how the table aligns on the page. You can choose to wrap text or not. Move the table around by the selector box. Clicking on the Borders and Tables tab will allow you to customize the look of the table.

Moving through the table: Once you have created and formatted your table, you can click in a cell to enter text. Clicking the tab key will move you to the next cell, or you can navigate through your table with the arrow keys. If you want to save the table as a template, you should designate document template in the File type box during the Save As process.

Merge Cells – highlight multiple cells you want to merge. Click on Table, then Merge.

Split Cells – Click in a cell. Click Table, then Split cell. Choose the number of rows and columns for the split. Click OK.

If you want to create columns without showing gridlines, highlight the table, right click, then choose borders and shading. In the borders and shading window, click NONE. You will see a gray shaded line, but it will not show up when you print.

You can format the text in a table the same way you do in a Word document.

You can add clip art to the table. Just experiment and have fun!

Making a List and Checking it Twice

You’ll think Santa put time in your Christmas stocking when you discover the ways that Excel can help you keep up with all those student lists you need during the year.

You can literally type one list at the beginning of the year and never write your students' names again.

Open the Excel program. It is the spreadsheet component of MS Office.

Click on New on the Toolbar. A new spreadsheet will appear.

In the first cell type "name." Hit enter.

Type in about ten of your students' names in the cells below the Name cell.

Follow the usual formatting procedures for formatting cells. If you are not familiar with these, ask for the TSS training module for Making the Most of Microsoft Excel.

Once you have created a list you can use it for any occasion that comes up requiring a list of students' names – collecting money, field trip lists, behavior lists and so on.

You may want to save the original list as a Master List and copy it to create other lists.

You will want to name this worksheet Master List. To do this, right click on the tab at the bottom. It should say “Sheet 1” at this point. A small menu will pop up. Click on Rename. Sheet 1 will be highlighted and you can type in "Master List."

Now, let’s say you have to collect money for room fees. Right click on that same tab. This time, select Move or Copy. A menu will pop up. Check in the box beside Create a copy and choose where you want the copy to be. Click OK. A copy of your master list will appear. You will need to rename it Fee Money.

You can set up additional columns on this worksheet such as date collected, amount, etc.

Use this same copy and rename method for as many lists as you need during the year. You will then have all your lists saved in the same workbook for easy reference.

If you get a new student, no problem. Simply insert the name at the bottom of the name list. Highlight all the cells, then click the Sort Ascending button on the toolbar and your list is re-alphabetized! What could be easier? Caution: Be sure to highlight all the cells, not just the name column or your list may be jumbled up. (The fastest way to do this is to hit Cntrl + A on the keyboard. This is the "Select all" shortcut.)

To print the list, highlight only the cells you want printed. Click on File on the menu bar, then Print Area, then Set Print Area. Click on the print preview button to be sure all of your desired worksheet is going to print on one page. You may need to make adjustments in the column widths to get it to fit.

You can also insert a list into a Word document. Just highlight the column(s) you want to appear in the document. Copy from Excel, then Paste into Word at the point where you want them to appear.

If you want to exclude names from the list, you can do it in two ways. You can delete the row with the student’s record from the worksheet by clicking on the number of the row then hitting the delete button on the keyboard. However, if you want the row to remain, but just not show at the time or in the printed copy, right click on the row number. A pop up menu will appear. Click on Hide and it will no longer be visible. To see it again, highlight the rows before and after the hidden row, right click and select Unhide.

If you need to list names in an attendance book, adjust your row height to fit the book and paste it in place. Neat and clean!

If you need to combine lists of classes, you can cut and paste the names from one into a Grand Master List. If you have a problem copying and pasting an entire list at one time (sometimes Excel gets grumpy here), just copy and paste about five at a time. It is still faster than retyping the whole list.

Excel is EXCELlent for your list-keeping duties. Have fun!

Remember, if you think there ought to be a way to do something easily, there probably is in Microsoft Office!