Project: Pick the Right System for Each User
Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 24 deliverables In this computer science project, students choose the right operating system for a user and plan how to keep it safe. They pick a user, list the user's needs and choose the kind of system that fits.
● 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
What does this lesson cover?
Recommending a system is a real tech job, and this project takes students through it step by step. Students base each choice on the facts in their user's file, and they plan for malware as well as for the user's needs. The pitch shows you whether they can explain a choice to the person who will use it.
Recommend and Pitch
Students check their operating system recommendation against the user's needs, write a pitch and a trade-off, and give the pitch to a partner who plays the user.
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
04 Activities
- Needs First: pick one of three users, list the user's four needs and choose the kind of operating system that fits
- Open, Closed and Safe: weigh their user's open-source and closed-source options, choose one with two reasons and plan the user's updates and safe habits
- Recommend and Pitch: check their recommendation against the user's needs, write a pitch and a trade-off, and give the pitch to a partner who plays the user
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™
Why teachers love this lesson
Safety is part of the recommendationStudents plan their user's updates and safe habits, so the plan covers safety as well as the user's needs.
Students name a trade-offEach pitch says what the user gives up with the choice, the way an honest recommendation should.
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™.
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.
Written for your studentsEvery student page is checked for reading level, with plain words and complete sentences.
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 2 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.