💼Course Curriculum

Introduction to Microsoft Office

Digital Skills· Beginner· Ages 11–13· 30 Hours

Course At a Glance

Program Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1
Create and format professional documents using Microsoft Word.
2
Organise and analyse data using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, including formulas, IF functions, and charts.
3
Design clear and engaging presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint.
4
Apply digital productivity tools confidently for school and everyday tasks.

Module 1

Introduction to Microsoft Office & Word

Students learn the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and master Microsoft Word: the interface, text and paragraph formatting, page layout, images, tables, and headers/footers.

Approx. 7–8 hrs

#	Lesson Title	What Students Learn	Activity / Project	Key Skills / Features
1.1	Welcome to Microsoft Office	Introduce Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneDrive. Learn to open, save, and manage files in the cloud vs locally.	Orientation Tour: Open all three apps, create a file in each, and save to OneDrive with a descriptive name.	`Microsoft 365, Word/Excel/PowerPoint/OneDrive, File > New, Save to OneDrive, filename`
1.2	The Word Interface	Navigate the Ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, and document views. Use the Show/Hide ¶ button.	Interface Scavenger Hunt: A timed challenge to locate 15 key formatting and view buttons.	`Ribbon, Home/Insert/Layout/Review tabs, Quick Access Toolbar, Show/Hide ¶, Print Layout`
1.3	Creating & Formatting Text	Enter text and apply font styles (bold, italic, colour, size). Copy styles quickly using Format Painter.	Build: 'Formatted Fact Sheet' — style a text document with proper headings, highlights, and font colours.	`Font family/size, Ctrl+B/I/U, font colour, highlight, Format Painter, superscript`
1.4	Paragraph Formatting	Format alignment, line spacing, and indentation. Create numbered and bulleted lists.	Build: 'School Rules Document' — format a numbered list with left-aligned subheadings and 1.5 line spacing.	`Alignment (Ctrl+L/E/R/J), line spacing, paragraph spacing, bullets, numbered list, tab stops`
1.5	Page Layout & Margins	Control page sizes, orientation, and margins. Insert page breaks and header/footers.	Build: 'School Newsletter Layout' — design a 2-column newsletter with a Header, Footer, and Page Break.	`Page size, margins, orientation, Ctrl+Enter page break, Header/Footer, page numbers, columns`
1.6	Inserting Images & Shapes	Add images, control text wrapping, and insert/group shapes.	Build: 'My Hobby Profile Page' — combine an image with Square wrapping and a formatted Word shape.	`Insert > Pictures, text wrapping (Square/Tight/Behind), resize, Shapes, fill/outline, Group`
1.7	Tables in Word	Insert and style tables. Merge/split cells, align text, and apply Table Styles.	Build: 'Weekly Timetable' — create a 7x7 formatted table with a merged header row and thick borders.	`Insert > Table, Table Design/Layout, merge cells, split cells, Table Styles, borders`
1.8	Module 1 Project: School Report	Combine formatting, layout, images, and tables into a professional, cohesive document.	Project: '2-Page School Report' — draft a fully formatted report with a title page, table, image, and lists.	`Full Module 1 — formatting, layout, image, table, header/footer, 2-page document`

Module 2

Working with Microsoft Excel

Students learn data organisation and analysis in Excel: formatting, formulas, core functions (SUM/AVERAGE), logical IF statements, sorting, and charts.

Approx. 7–8 hrs

#	Lesson Title	What Students Learn	Activity / Project	Key Skills / Features
2.1	The Excel Interface & Workbook Structure	Navigate rows, columns, and sheets. Understand cell addresses (e.g. A1) and the Formula bar.	Excel Orientation: Rename, move, and color-code sheet tabs. Freeze panes to lock headers.	`Name Box, Formula Bar, cell address (A1, B3), sheet tabs, Freeze Panes, Ctrl+Home/End`
2.2	Entering & Formatting Data	Enter numbers/text and auto-fill patterns. Format cells as currency, percentage, and dates.	Build: 'Student Grade Sheet' — format headers, apply percentage formats, and use AutoFill for dates.	`Data types, number/date/% formats, Ctrl+1 Format Cells, fill colour, AutoFill, borders`
2.3	Basic Formulas	Write formulas using operators (+, -, *, /). Understand relative vs. absolute references ($A$1).	Formula Practice: Manually write Total and Average formulas. Test auto-recalculation by changing data.	`= prefix, +/-/*//, relative (A1) vs absolute ($A$1), copy formula, auto-recalculate`
2.4	Functions: SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT	Use built-in functions for faster calculations over large ranges. Use AutoSum.	Build: Add a summary table to calculate Class Total, Average, Highest/Lowest Score using functions.	`=SUM(), =AVERAGE(), =MIN(), =MAX(), =COUNT(), =COUNTA(), AutoSum (Alt+=), range B2:B11`
2.5	IF Function & Conditional Logic	Use =IF() to make decisions (e.g. Pass/Fail). Understand nested IFs for grade bands.	Build: Write an IF formula for a Pass/Fail column. Create a nested IF for A/B/C/D grades.	`=IF(test, true, false), nested IF, =AND(), =OR(), text in quotes, grade band logic`
2.6	Sorting, Filtering & Tables	Organize data by sorting alphabetically/numerically. Filter data, and format as dynamic Tables (Ctrl+T).	Sorting & Filtering Challenge: Sort by score, filter by failing grades, and convert range to a dynamic Table.	`Sort A-Z/Z-A, multi-level sort, AutoFilter, Ctrl+T Table, table filter, banded rows`
2.7	Charts & Data Visualisation	Visually represent data using Column, Line, and Pie charts. Add titles and data labels.	Build: Create a column chart (averages), pie chart (grade distribution), and bar chart (top students).	`Insert > Chart, Column/Line/Bar/Pie, chart title, axis labels, data labels, legend`
2.8	Module 2 Project: Grade Analysis Spreadsheet	Build a complete, linked, multi-sheet workbook analyzing a dataset with formulas and charts.	Project: 'Grade Analysis Workbook' — create a data sheet, summary statistics sheet, and linked charts sheet.	`Full Module 2 — multi-sheet workbook, formulas, IF, sort/filter, charts, cross-sheet references`

Module 3

Creating Presentations with PowerPoint

Students learn presentation design: themes, Slide Master, text hierarchy, images, SmartArt, charts, slide transitions (Morph), and animations.

Approx. 7–8 hrs

#	Lesson Title	What Students Learn	Activity / Project	Key Skills / Features
3.1	The PowerPoint Interface & Slide Structure	Navigate slides and views. Add, duplicate, and rearrange slides. Understand Outline View.	Interface Exploration: Build a 6-slide deck with varied layouts, rearrange via Outline View, export to PDF.	`Slides panel, slide layouts, Ctrl+M, Outline View, Notes panel, .pptx vs .pdf`
3.2	Themes & Design	Apply Themes and Variants. Make global design changes (like adding a logo) via the Slide Master.	Theme Exploration: Switch themes, then use Slide Master to embed a permanent logo on all slides.	`Design > Themes, Variants, Slide Master (View > Slide Master), global logo/font changes`
3.3	Text & Content Formatting	Maintain a clear visual hierarchy (titles larger than body). Use WordArt and structured bullet lists.	Build: 'About Me Slide' — manually structure a title, subtitle, and bullet list with correct font hierarchy.	`Text box, font hierarchy (36pt title/18pt+ body), WordArt, bullet levels Tab/Shift+Tab`
3.4	Inserting Images, Icons & SmartArt	Add visual interest with cropped images, background removal, and structured SmartArt diagrams.	Build: 'Process Slide' — create a 4-step SmartArt process diagram combined with a formatted image.	`Insert > Pictures/Icons/SmartArt, Remove Background, crop to shape, SmartArt styles`
3.5	Charts & Tables in PowerPoint	Insert charts via mini-Excel sheets or Link them from an existing workbook. Align multiple objects.	Build: 'Data Slide' — insert a bar chart and table, then align and distribute them evenly.	`Insert > Chart, mini-Excel editor, Paste Special > Link, Insert > Table, Align/Distribute`
3.6	Slide Transitions	Apply tasteful transitions (Fade, Morph) vs distracting ones. Control speed and apply to all.	Transition Comparison: Evaluate different transitions as a class, then practice the Morph effect.	`Transitions tab, Duration, Sound, Apply to All, Morph transition, professional vs distracting`
3.7	Animations & Presenter Tools	Use Entrance/Emphasis/Exit animations in the Animation Pane. Utilize Presenter View for speaker notes.	Build: 'Animated Timeline' — sequence elements to appear On Click, and rehearse using Presenter View.	`Entrance/Emphasis/Exit, Animation Pane, On Click vs After Previous, Presenter View, F5`
3.8	Module 3 Project: School Project Presentation	Build an 8-slide presentation showing mastery of design, hierarchy, transitions, and animations.	Project: '8–10 Slide School Presentation' — apply Slide Master, transitions, varied content, and speaker notes.	`Full Module 3 — theme/Slide Master, layouts, images, SmartArt, chart, transitions, animations`

Module 4

Final Project: Digital Presentation

Students integrate all three applications into a cohesive 3-part project: a Word report, an Excel data analysis, and a PowerPoint presentation.

Approx. 7–8 hrs

#	Lesson Title	What Students Learn	Activity / Project	Key Skills / Features
4.1	Project Briefing & Planning	Plan a complex, multi-tool workflow. Select a topic and define data requirements.	Project Plan: Outline the Word report structure, Excel data needs, and PowerPoint slide flow.	`Project planning, 3-tool integration, data connection, outline, teacher sign-off`
4.2	Data Collection & Excel Workbook	Execute the data analysis phase using formulas and charts.	Build Sprint: Populate an Excel workbook with data, calculate summary stats with IF/SUM, and build 2 charts.	`Data entry, IF formulas, SUM/AVERAGE/COUNTIF, 2 charts, 3 named/coloured sheets`
4.3	Word Report: Structure & Content	Draft the written report using Styles to automatically generate a Table of Contents.	Build Sprint: Write the report, apply Heading 1/2 styles, and insert an auto-updating Table of Contents.	`Heading 1/2 styles, Insert > Table of Contents, header/footer, page numbers, data table`
4.4	Word Report: Images & Final Formatting	Embed Excel charts, format paragraphs, and run spell-check/Find & Replace tools.	Build Sprint: Paste charts from Excel, standardize spacing, run a spelling check, and export to PDF.	`Paste Special > Picture, S&G check (F7), Find & Replace (Ctrl+H), PDF export, final polish`
4.5	PowerPoint Presentation: Structure & Slides	Scaffold the presentation framework using Slide Master and speaker notes.	Build Sprint: Apply a theme, create 8 slide headlines, enforce the 5-bullet rule, and add speaker notes.	`Slide Master, 8-slide structure, Fade to all, speaker notes, 5-bullet rule`
4.6	PowerPoint Presentation: Charts & Visual Content	Integrate visual data and apply tasteful animations to structure the narrative.	Build Sprint: Embed Excel charts, add SmartArt, apply On Click animations, and verify font hierarchy.	`Paste from Excel, SmartArt, On Click Fade animations, visual hierarchy check, 28pt+ headlines`
4.7	Review, Consistency & Linking All Three Tools	Perform QA (Quality Assurance) checks across multiple file types for consistency.	Final QA: Run a 15-point quality checklist across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, followed by peer review.	`Print Preview, Slide Sorter view, cross-document consistency, QA checklist, peer review`
4.8	Final Project Presentation Day	Deliver a cohesive digital presentation spanning 3 distinct tools and data types.	Final Presentation: Deliver a 3-minute presentation, then showcase the connected Word and Excel documents.	`Full course — Word report, Excel workbook, PowerPoint presentation, 3-tool integration`

Teaching Notes & Tips

Pacing Guidance

Each module is ~7-8 hours. The IF Function (2.5) in Excel is consistently challenging for 11–13 year olds—take time with basic logical examples. Don't skip the Slide Master (3.2) as it is essential for professional design.

Differentiation

Advanced students can explore VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, Word Mail Merge, and complex PowerPoint Morph transitions. Core students should heavily use the 'Tell Me' search box to locate features easily.

Assessment Criteria

Final project assessed holistically: Word (formatting, styles, ToC), Excel (formulas, charts, accuracy), PowerPoint (visual hierarchy, Slide Master, animations), and integration (data coherence).

Software & Environment

Microsoft 365 student licence recommended. LibreOffice or M365 Online (free, limited) are alternatives. Encourage saving to OneDrive to prevent data loss. Display keyboard shortcuts visually in the classroom.

Final Project Topic Options

School Survey Results, Sports Team Statistics, Environmental Data, School Event Budget, or Country Comparison. Ensure the topic requires both written analysis and statistical charts.

Key Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+S (Save), Ctrl+Z (Undo), Ctrl+B/I/U (Font style), Alt+= (Excel AutoSum), F5 (Start Slideshow), Shift+F5 (Current slide), F7 (Spell Check), Ctrl+Enter (Word Page Break), Ctrl+T (Excel Table).

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