Lesson Plan

Subject: Date: Class: Unit/Topic: Teacher:

Computing Year 8 Data on the web
 Bandwidth and File Size
Class Context - Student Information
Number of boys: Number of girls: Total: SEN Students:

Unit Overview:
Students start this unit by looking at the different types of storage units: kibibyte, mebibyte, gibibyte, which then lead on to looking at bandwidth and how information needs to be small to
cross a network at a good speed. They then look at compression types, including lossy and lossless, to understand the difference in relation to images. Students can change the size of
images online and check how small they can make them without affecting the quality too much. This builds on learning from Unit 1, looking at colour depth, quality and resolution. A more
in-depth understanding of compression is developed, with the example of run length encoding, where students perform tasks to see if they can make image file sizes smaller.
This unit has a Scratch project running through it. Students are asked to make a file size calculator to calculate the size of a file using different measurement units, a bandwidth speed
calculator and a binary-to-denary calculator. The unit is completed with an activity to create a poster representing everything that has been learnt across the unit.
Design Thinking Lesson Approach
Dream Define Feel Discover Create Test
Learning Learning Starter / Hook / Collaboration / Shared Independent Tasks Plenary / Measure
Objective Outcomes AFL/ /Research Activities Evaluate/AFL

Learning Objective: Starter: Starter: Students can use calculators for this Kahoot Time:
Understanding bandwidth and Students to convert the Begin the lesson by asking activity. Students will answer a short quiz
examining how does file size given file size in various students to answer the in Kahoot about the lesson. They
affect files used on the Internet units to its equivalent in questions in mentimeter: Students will calculate the speed of will try to answer as fast as they
or on a network bytes. (Mentimeter) recapping information from file transfer for a range of given can and as many correct
previous lessons. scenarios. Remind students that they answers.
Learning Outcomes: AFL: need to check to make sure the data
ALL will be able to identify ABC Recitation Explain to students that in and bandwidth are using the same If time permits, ask students to
what bandwidth is Does your bandwidth its most basic form, unit, e.g. KiB, MiB or GiB, in order to share what they have learnt
affect data transfer information is sent by work out the speed of transfer. from this lesson and what they
MOST will be able to calculate speed? How? switching on and off. This would like to know in future
the time a file will take to can be related to a Core: lessons.
transfer using the same lighthouse, as messages can Students to calculate the speed
storage unit be sent by switching the transfers for a range of different
light on and off. The rate at scenarios
SOME will be able to calculate which data travels is
the time a file will take to essentially how many ons Support:
transfer using different and offs it can send in 1 Students complete the same tasks
storage units second. If a lighthouse can but includes number sentence frames
turn the light on and off four to guide them.
times (on, off, on, off) in 1
second then this is using 4 Extend:
bits per second. Students who are done will be
challenged to create three more
Explain what bandwidth is – scenario questions with answers.
the speed at which data can
be transferred per second.
 E.g., if the lighthouse can
flash on and off six times in
a second it is faster than
flashing four times in a
second.

(NOTE: Bandwidth is usually

represented using megabits,
but it may confuse students
at this time to start using
megabits instead of
mebibytes. For the purposes
of this lesson we are,
therefore, using MiBs. The
difference between
megabyte, megabit and
mebibyte are:
 megabyte = 1 000 bytes
 mebibyte = 1 024 bytes
 byte = 8 bits, therefore 1
megabyte = 8 megabits
 megabit = 8 000 bits
 mebibyte = 8 192 bits)

Explain to students that we

can work out how long files
will take to transfer if we
know the bandwidth and the
file size. To work out the
time a file will take to
transfer we can divide the
size of the file by the size of
the bandwidth.
Introduce the main activity.

Technology and Innovation Assessment for Learning Opportunities SEN Provision Resources
Phoenix Classroom AFL: N/A Desktop Computer
Mentimeter ABC Recitation Digital Devices
Kahoot Does a size of a file affect data transfer speed? How? Digital Worksheets
WheelofNames
G & T Provision
Plenary: N/A
Students will answer a short quiz in Kahoot about the
lesson. They will try to answer as fast as they can and as
many correct answers.
Data provided Yes Seating Plan Yes
provided