Project Based Learning Electives provided by the Berrien Springs Virtual Academy
Click, Type, Calculate: Your Guide to Spreadsheets Fall 2025
All students must complete a project for these classes.
Instructor: Mark Pelfrey
Email: pelfreyfamilyschooling@gmail.com
Day & Time: Asynchronous course; students complete assignments by weekly deadlines.
Start Date: Week of September 2nd
Location: Online, Google Classroom
Grades: Grades 6 – 12 (younger students may need more assistance than older students)
Course Description: n this hands-on course, students will gain essential spreadsheet skills using Google Sheets and, optionally, Microsoft Excel – some of the most powerful tools for organizing, analyzing, and presenting data. Whether tracking a budget, planning a schedule, or building a gradebook, students will learn to confidently navigate spreadsheet platforms, input and format data, use formulas and functions, create charts, and produce polished reports.
With a focus on Google Sheets (due to accessibility and cloud-based features), we will also make comparisons to Microsoft Excel, ensuring students are prepared to work in either program. Weekly assignments build real-life skills, and introductions to advanced topics like pivot tables and IF statements help students explore deeper functionality. By the end of the course, students will complete a final project that showcases their spreadsheet abilities in a format of their choice. No prior spreadsheet experience required – just curiosity and a willingness to learn more about these powerful programs!
Students will need regular access to a computing device that can run these applications, and will probably find the course easier with a keyboard/mouse as well.
*Please note: it is important to make as informed a decision as possible when choosing your student's Community Resource classes. Most locations will allow a student to drop a class after one meeting, at no charge if it wasn't a good fit for the student, but not all. Some classes plan ahead based on the number that have signed up and have purchased materials, hired teachers, etc. and there might be a fee for class time or materials given to the student if the student drops after one or two meetings. The school cannot pay for classes that students do not complete, so choose wisely; if you do not take the class off of your student's schedule by the deadline, you may be asked to pay for the class time incurred prior to dropping the class.
Teacher of Record: Mark Ring
