Scalability
Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 2-day lesson 21 deliverables This computer science lesson teaches how a system can grow to handle more users and more data and still work well. As a made-up puzzle game grows from a few players to a huge crowd, students decide if each change scales up or scales out.
● 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?
Scalability is a hard word for students until they see an example. This lesson follows a game and a school page as they grow, so students can see what changes and name it. Nobody opens a game, a website or a cloud service.
One Game, Two Sizes
Students study Boxwood Lane Games' puzzle game at two sizes, say what has to grow, decide if four changes scale up or scale out, and define scalability in their own words.
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 both days, 18 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 both 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
- One Game, Two Sizes: study Boxwood Lane Games' puzzle game at two sizes, say what has to grow, decide if four changes scale up or scale out, and define scalability in their own words
- Weather Page, Two Sizes: explain a school's weather page at two sizes, 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 both days
06 Answer Keys
- 4 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity keys, plus the quiz key
Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™
- 3 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™
Why teachers love this lesson
Students learn how the cloud helps at busy timesStudents learn how cloud servers help a business at its busiest time, when many players use the game at once.
Students connect growth to new technologyStudents learn why emerging technology, like smart sensors that send readings all day, makes it more important for a system to grow well.
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 5 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.