KS3 Excel Lesson 1 – Introduction to Spreadsheets | Battleships Activity | Computer Science & ICT

A fun and fully-structured KS3 Computer Science / ICT lesson introducing students to Microsoft Excel and spreadsheets.
This interactive first lesson helps learners understand cells, rows, columns, and models, while developing confidence with cell referencing and formatting.

Students will:

Discover the origins and purpose of spreadsheets

Practise cell referencing through an engaging Battleships game

Learn to identify rows, columns, and headers

Explore how spreadsheets model real-world systems (e.g. cinema bookings)

Complete comprehension, recall and challenge tasks

Included in this download:

Fully editable Word worksheet / student booklet

Links to interactive spreadsheet activities (e.g. Battleships.xlsx)

Clear lesson structure with starters, main tasks, challenges & plenary

Key vocabulary and reflection checks to support progress

Designed to engage all learners while building key spreadsheet and data-modelling skills.
Perfect for KS3 Computer Science, ICT, or Digital Literacy lessons.

Part 1 of a 6-Lesson “Learning Excel” Series – ideal as a complete introduction to spreadsheets or as a standalone lesson.