Google Sheets Ledger Guide

Create the Spreadsheet

1. Go to sheets.google.com and click Blank spreadsheet
2. Name it "Horizon Bucks Ledger — Enrichment 06"

Set Up the Header Row

Type these headers in Row 1:

Bold the header row: select Row 1, then press Ctrl+B (or Cmd+B on Mac).

Enter Students with Starting Balance

Add each student's starting balance of $50. Example:

Record Transactions

Each time a student earns or loses Horizon Bucks, add a new row:

• Positive numbers for earnings: 10
• Negative numbers for fines: -5

Auto-Calculate Balance with a Formula

Instead of manually computing balances, use this formula in column E:

For the first transaction (row 2), the balance equals the amount:

=D2

For every row after that, add the new amount to the previous balance:

=E2+D3

Type the formula in E3, then drag the small blue square in the bottom-right corner of the cell downward to apply it to all rows below.

Add Color Coding (Conditional Formatting)

1. Select the entire Amount column (column D)
2. Go to Format → Conditional formatting
3. Add Rule 1: "Greater than" 0 → Set text color to green
4. Click Add another rule
5. Add Rule 2: "Less than" 0 → Set text color to red
6. Click Done

Now earnings appear in green and fines appear in red automatically!

Share with Students via Google Classroom

1. Click the Share button (top right)
2. Under "General access", change to "Anyone with the link"
3. Set permission to "Viewer" (students can see but not edit)
4. Copy the link
5. In Google Classroom, create a new Material post
6. Title: "Check Your Horizon Bucks Balance"
7. Paste the spreadsheet link