Excel Lesson Plan - M&M Chart
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This Excel Lesson Plan Teaches Users How to Create and Format a Simple M&M Chart
The instructions are for Microsoft Excel 2007 version, but the data and chart can be recreated using any of the various Excel versions or even non Microsoft variants. I have used this successfully with 2nd and 3rd graders, but your mileage may vary.
This lesson builds on the Excel Bar Chart lesson by adding the following requirements:
- Formatting the chart by adding custom colors to the individual pieces.
- Formatting the chart background with a custom color.
- Using Print Preview to switch the print layout to landscape format.
Follow these instructions to make your Excel M & M Chart.
- Enter your chart title in C1.
- Click in cell C1 and drag mouse to H1. In the Home tab, alignment group, find and apply "Merge and Center" to the title.
- With the title still selected, on the Home tab, Font group, apply a new font color, font size and font style.
- Enter the color labels in colum A starting with cell A3. Enter the M&M quantities in column B starting in cell B3.
- Click in cell A3 and drag mouse down to select all the colors down to cell A7. Continue to drag across to select all the numerical values on column B.
- Create a pie chart. Go to Insert tab > Charts group > Pie > 3D Exploded Pie.
- Format the chart. Click to select the chart. Go to Design tab > Chart layouts group > choose a chart layout that will produce numbers and labels on the pie pieces.
- Add a Chart Title. Click on the chart.Go to Layout tab > Labels group > choose Chart title "Above Chart". Enter your chart's title.
- Click once on the chart. Click a second time on an individual chart piece to select it for a color change. Right click on the selected chart piece and choose Format Data Point. Go to Fill > Solid Fill > Color. Choose a color for your chart piece. Repeat process for each chart piece.
- Deselect the chart. Go to Print preview. The chart may be partially cut off if it overlaps column I or J. Choose Page Setup and change the layout to landscape. Print.
Excel M&M Chart:
Variation for a chart that can be hand colored:
1) Moving the data labels to the outside:
Click the chart to select it. Then Chart Tools > Layout > Data Labels.
2) Adding the border:
Click the chart to select it. Right click on the chart and select Format Data Series. Choose Border Color and Solid Line.
3) Remove the fill colors:
Choose Fill and No Fill.
