How the Internet Carries a Message
Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 26 deliverables In this computer science lesson, students learn how the Internet carries a message across the world in packets and how TCP and IP work together. They trace messages between the made-up town of Brightmere and other countries, then check how people get online and if each web address uses HTTPS.
● 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?
Students use the Internet every day, but many can't explain what happens after they press Send. This lesson gives them a clear path to follow, with real terms like router, packet, IP address and protocol. Nobody signs in, makes an account or changes a setting on a real device.
The lab on Day 2 has an online version on Connect and Check, a free page on our website. Students open it on a computer or tablet, read four people's cases and fill in the same log. Every online version comes with a paper version, so no internet is needed. Our page is free, with no accounts or sign-ins.
Connect and Check
Students log how four people get online and if what each one types is encrypted on the way, on paper or on our free Connect and Check page.
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
- Connect and Check: log how four people get online and if what each one types is encrypted on the way, on paper or on our free Connect and Check page
04 Activities
- Around the World: trace three messages between Brightmere and other countries and describe how the Internet helps people communicate
- Candle Order Check: trace a message and check a page's protocol in a new case 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: Connect and Check
- Connect and Check, a free page on our website: the online version of the Day 2 lab
- Every online version has a paper version, so no internet is needed
- Free, with no accounts or sign-ins
Why teachers love this lesson
Students follow each message step by stepFor each message, students name the parts it passes through in order and say what the Internet makes possible for the people in the case.
Students check a page before they typeStudents learn to read the protocol at the start of a web address and to look for HTTPS before they type anything private. They can use this habit on any device.
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 Connect and Check 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 4 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.