The Help Desk
Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 26 deliverables In this computer science lesson, students learn how a tech pro helps people the right way. They rate help desk calls against the steps of good customer service and rewrite the replies in the worst call.
● Instant download · Lifetime access · Editable & print-ready
Print + digitalPDF, PowerPoint, Word & Google
Answer keysA key for every page
Built-in assessmentExit tickets + lesson quiz
45-minute daysEvery day planned and timed
What does this lesson cover?
Customer service and workplace rules are hard to teach from a list. This lesson has students use them in help desk calls, tickets and role-plays. They learn that good service means helping within the rules, and that a tech pro never asks for, writes down or shares someone's password.
The lab on Day 2 has an online version that uses Tech Shop, our online game, in the Help Desk level. It practices taking the most urgent ticket first, then greeting, finding out and helping the right way. Every online version comes with a paper version, so no internet is needed. Our game is free, with no accounts or sign-ins.
Help Desk Shift
Students work four help desk tickets as role-plays, or in the Tech Shop game, and log the workplace rule each one called for.
Everything that's included
00 Start Here
- READ FIRST: every file in the lesson and when you use it
- Teacher guide and pacing: the plan for each day, what to print and how to grade
- Skills map: which standards each day teaches
01 Present
- One editable PowerPoint deck for all three days, 25 slides, with speaker notes
- Slide script: the speaker notes, printed
- Bell ringers: a short warm-up for each day
02 Student Handouts
- Guided notes for all three days, in PDF and editable Word, with the word bank on the page
- Vocab slip: the lesson's words and what they mean, on one page
03 Labs
- Help Desk Shift: work four help desk tickets as role-plays, or in the Tech Shop game, and log the workplace rule each one called for
04 Activities
- Rate the Help Desk: rate three help desk calls with the six steps, then rewrite the tech's last two replies in the worst call
- What Would a Pro Do? Decide what a pro would do in four workplace situations, on paper
05 Assessment
- Exit tickets, one per day: quick questions that show who needs more help
- Lesson quiz: 10 multiple-choice questions and 2 written answers about all three days
06 Answer Keys
- 5 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity and lab keys, plus the quiz key
Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™
- 4 Google Forms™ of the exit tickets and the quiz, ready to copy into your Drive
- The multiple choice grades itself, and you grade the written answers
- A Google Slides™ copy of the deck, with the same slides and speaker notes, for Google Classroom™
Online: Tech Shop
- Tech Shop, Help Desk level: the online version of the Day 2 lab
- Every online version has a paper version, so no internet is needed
- Free to play, with no accounts or sign-ins
Why teachers love this lesson
Students fix a bad help desk callThey rewrite the tech's replies in the worst call, so they practice clear, polite answers with no jargon.
Students practice workplace ethicsThey decide how a pro handles privacy, copyright, safety and requests that are unsafe, dishonest or against the law.
Print and digitalEvery page is a print-ready PDF, and the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ let you teach the same lesson in Google Classroom™.
Real online activitiesStudents can use Tech Shop on a computer or tablet, and every online version has a paper version that works with no internet.
A key for every pageEvery day has its own answer key, and every written question has a sample answer and what to look for.
Every day fits a 45-minute classEach day's plan is timed activity by activity against real reading and writing speeds.
What Teachers Say
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How do I get the files after I buy?
Instant download right after checkout: PowerPoint and Word files you can edit, print-ready PDFs, and links that copy the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ into your Drive.
Can I buy the whole unit or course instead?
Yes. This lesson is part of the Unit 1 bundle and the complete Computer Science Fundamentals course. Both cost less than buying the lessons one at a time.
Is this AP Computer Science?
No. It is a full-year, non-AP intro course for grades 9 to 12. For AP, see AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A.
What formats are the files in?
Every page is a print-ready PDF. The slides are an editable PowerPoint and the guided notes an editable Word file. The exit tickets and the quiz also come as Google Forms™, and the deck as Google Slides™.
Which standards does it cover?
Written for Florida's Advanced Information Technology course (9007610). The skills map in the lesson shows which standards each day teaches.