Meet a Physical Computer
Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 26 deliverables This computer science lesson introduces physical computing: how a small computer senses the world, follows its program and acts. Students sort the parts of a museum gadget into input, processing and output, then invent gadgets of their own.
● 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
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 with the lesson or instead of the paper activity.
Play itWhat does this lesson cover?
Many students believe a robot or a micro:bit thinks for itself, or that hardware is only for engineers. This lesson shows them that a small computer follows its program step by step, and that the order of the blocks matters. Students learn it without any hardware, so you can teach it even if your school has no micro:bits or robots.
The lab on Day 2 has an online version that uses Robot Maze, our online game, in the First Moves level. It practices building a sequence of Move forward and Turn blocks, running it, and fixing the block that went wrong. Every online version comes with a paper version, so no internet is needed. Our game is free, with no accounts or sign-ins.
First Moves
Students program a robot through four rooms and write each program, what the robot did and what they changed, on paper or in Robot Maze.
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, 28 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
- First Moves: program a robot through four rooms and write each program, what the robot did and what they changed, on paper or in Robot Maze
04 Activities
- Gadget Ideas: sort the parts of a museum gadget into input, processing and output, then invent two gadgets of their own
- Trace the Robot: trace a new program on a new map in a trace table
05 Assessment
- Exit tickets, one per day: quick questions that show who needs more help
- Lesson quiz: 11 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: Robot Maze
- Robot Maze, First Moves 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 learn to trace a programThey follow each block in a trace table, so they can predict what a robot will do and find the block that went wrong.
Students see how people and computers work togetherThey explain what they did and what the robot did, so they see that people plan the steps and the computer follows them.
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 Robot Maze 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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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 8 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.
Do I need micro:bits or robots?
No. Robot Maze is a free browser game, and every online version comes with a paper version.