ICT resources for science teachers

4. Equation Editor

Equation Editor is an add-on installation to Microsoft Word. If your school has not installed Equation Editor, you should have it installed before proceeding with this activity. Most recent versions of Microsoft Office will include Equation Editor and schools that have taken advantage of the SA Schools Agreement will all have the required software.

Using equation editor can make a big difference in presenting worksheets to your learners and how you present equations in worksheets.

Some examples of the things you can do with Equation Editor are:

superscripts and subscripts
fractions
equations
trigonometry

Follow these steps to complete these activities. While practicing with Equation Editor, look for contexts that are meaningful to you in your classroom and create documents that you can adapt and use at a later stage. We will make suggestions about what documents to create, but if you prefer, you may create documents to suit your own needs.

1

Set up your word procesor so that the Equation Editor icon is visible in the standard toolbar. In this way you will simply need to click on the icon in order to start the Equation Editor.

How to set up the Equation Editor icon on your toolbar

2

Create part of a worksheet or test in which you include science equations and formulae. (90 min)

Examples of formulae to write are:

How to write equations in Equation Editor

Meet in groups or as a class (30 min)

• Showcase your work by displaying and sharing your worksheets and /or tests

4

Work on your own (between workshops)

• Plan some additional worksheets using equations and think about how you would construct them in Equation Editor. Next time you have the opportunity, create these worksheets using Microsoft Word's Equation Editor.

You have the option of using the South African National Portal (Thutong) to enhance this workshop activity.