Project: Build a Computer for a Customer
Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 24 deliverables In this computer science project, students choose the right computer for a customer's needs and budget. They pick a customer, write a needs list and build the computer from a parts catalog, keeping a running total.
● Instant download · Lifetime access · Editable & print-ready
Print + digitalPDF, PowerPoint, Word & Google
Answer keysA key for every page
Built-in assessmentExit tickets + project rubric
45-minute daysEvery day planned and timed
A short browser game practices this lesson with new examples. Students play on a computer or tablet, with no account and nothing to install. Use it as extra practice with the lesson.
Play itWhat does this lesson cover?
Students tend to think the fastest or most expensive computer is always the best choice. This project has them match parts to a person's needs and budget and explain every choice. Along the way, they see that a fast CPU with too little RAM still feels slow.
If there's time, students can play the Shop Day: Custom Build level of Tech Shop, our online game, on a computer or tablet. It practices building computers to customers' needs lists and budgets, then running a test to see if each need is met. It is extra practice only, so no part of the lesson needs it. Our game is free, with no accounts or sign-ins.
Build to the List
Students build their customer's computer from the parts catalog, keep a running total and justify each choice.
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, 22 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
04 Activities
- Needs First: pick one of three customers and write a needs list: must-haves, a nice-to-have, the software and the budget
- Build to the List: build their customer's computer from the parts catalog, keep a running total and justify each choice
- Check and Pitch: check their build against every requirement, write a pitch and present it to a partner who plays the customer
05 Assessment
- Exit tickets, one per day: quick questions that show who needs more help
- Project rubric: what the whole project is graded on, 16 points
06 Answer Keys
- 4 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity keys
Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™
- 3 Google Forms™ of the exit tickets, 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, Shop Day: Custom Build level: extra practice if there's time
- No part of the lesson needs it
- Free to play, with no accounts or sign-ins
Why teachers love this lesson
Students justify every partThey keep a running total and explain each choice, so the build sheet shows both their thinking and their math.
The prices are made up on purposeEvery customer and price in the project is invented, and students are told so. The project won't go out of date when real prices change.
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 activitiesTech Shop gives students extra practice on a computer or tablet.
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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Leave a reviewQuestions teachers ask
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 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.