Excel Graphing Tutorial

Background: Now that you have done a quadrat study, you may want to graph your data. Sometimes a graph gives you another way of "seeing" what is going on. Comparing your graph to other graphs helps you "see" how your area compares to other areas sampled. This data comparison allows everyone to get a good idea of the entire study area.

The following tutorial will help you take the data from your school lawn quadrat study data sheet and make a bar graph using the "Percent Covered" numbers for each object you found. (The numbers in the last column on the right!)

You will need:

  • A computer with the Excel program installed on it.
  • The data sheet from the school lawn quadrat study.
  • If your computer cannot run this program and the Excel program at the same time, you will need a printout of the tutorial. Ask your teacher.

Steps to graphing data using Excel:

Step 1. Entering Data in a Worksheet

Step 2. Selecting Data to Graph

Step 3. Selecting the "Chart Wizard

Step 4. Selecting the Type of Graph

Step 5. Changing the Size of a Finished Graph

Step 6. Creating Different Types of Graphs

Conclusion: Analyzing and Interpreting the Graph