Activity
Creating and Analyzing Challenging Data Patterns series: Excel with JAWS
Explore Excel with JAWS through the Number Jumbler game—featuring tips and tools to make data exploration both accessible and engaging.
The Creating and Analyzing Challenging Data Patterns series is a 3-part collection of accessible lessons that guide students in exploring number patterns and using digital math tools. Part 1 focuses on navigating Excel with JAWS to access and interpret challenging number patterns. A previous post, Making Sense of Patterns with Algebraic Thinking sets the stage with the foundational Number Game activity.
Objective
- You will learn to navigate Microsoft Excel with JAWS to understand challenging number patterns
Required digital tools
- JAWS screenreader installed in Windows
- Microsoft Excel
Navigating large number patterns in Microsoft Excel
When working with more complex number patterns, navigation of such patterns becomes easier if we use digital tools such as Microsoft Excel. We will understand to navigate a pattern of numbers that appear in a game called “Number Jumbler”.
Number Jumbler:
(Idea from NRICH)
Imagine a table with numbers from 0 to 99. Each number is associated with a symbol. Open the Excel workbook “Number Jumbler” with JAWS. The Excel workbook has two worksheets, Trial 1 and Trial 2. Each worksheet has a column of numbers and a column of symbols to its right that is associated with that number. Watch the video to learn to use JAWS to navigate Excel to play the Number Jumbler.
Follow the instructions below.
- Choose any two-digit number from the first worksheet “Trial 1”
- Add together both the digits
- Subtract the total (that you got from “#2”) from the original number
- Read the symbol that goes with that number on the right column
- Go to the tab “Magic Symbol for Trial 1,” and it should be the symbol you got in “#4”.
Let’s take an example:
Say we chose number 38.
- Choose a 2-digit number: 38
- Add the 2 digits: 3+8 = 11
- Subtract this sum from your original number: 38 – 11 = 27
- Look up the symbol for this number, which is a house.
- Try this with more numbers. What do you notice? Why do you think this is happening?
Navigating Excel – Playing Number Jumbler video tutorial:
- Navigating Excel – Playing Number Jumper transcript
- JAWS keyboard commands needed to navigate Excel
- Number Jumbler.XLSX
Resources
Creating and Analyzing Challenging Data Patterns series:
- Creating and Analyzing Challenging Data Patterns: Excel with JAWS (Part 1)
- Creating and Analyzing Challenging Data Patterns: Algebraic Equations (Part 2)
- Creating and Analyzing Challenging Data Patterns:Excel Formulas (Part 3)
Additional Resources:
- TEAM Initiative website page (Full list of TEAM Initiative digital math resources)
- Making sense of patterns with algebraic thinking (Number Game using JAWS and Microsoft Word)
This post was created as part of the TEAM Initiative to support Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVIs) in teaching foundational technology skills—such as using Excel and other digital tools—through math lessons and video tutorials designed to help students access and succeed in digital math along side their peers.
Written by TSVI Anitha Muthukumaran and content expert, Kanchana Suryakumar. If you would like more information about the TEAM Initiative, contact Leslie Thatcher at [email protected].
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