The Parts of a Computer System
Computer Science FundamentalsTeach the parts of a computer through the job each part does. Students sort everyday actions into input, processing, output and storage, then read the startup lights of computers that won't start and name the part each one is missing.
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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 as extra practice with the lesson.
Play itWhat does this lesson cover?
Students often learn part names from a labeled diagram and forget them after the test. In this lesson, they use what each part does to solve problems, like a computer that won't start. Their written work shows you whether they understand how the parts work together.
If there's time, students can play the Open It Up level of Tech Shop, our online game, on a computer or tablet. It practices putting each part in the slot for its job, then watching the computer start one step at a time. It is extra practice only, so no part of the lesson needs it. Our game is free, with no accounts or sign-ins.
Power-On Reports
Students read the startup lights of four computers that won't start, then name each missing part and its job.
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, 27 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
- Which Job Is It? Sort everyday actions into the four jobs and explain each choice
- Power-On Reports: read the startup lights of four computers that won't start, then name each missing part and its job
- Explain the Path: trace a new action through the parts 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 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: Tech Shop
- Tech Shop, Open It Up 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 diagnose computers that won't startEach computer is missing a part, and its startup lights give the clue. Students name the missing part and explain its job.
It clears up common mix-upsStudents learn that the CPU is a chip inside the case, and that the monitor is an output device and not the whole computer.
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.
Questions teachers ask
Is this lesson really free?
Yes. Lesson 1.1 is completely free. Enter your email to get the library password, then use it to download this lesson and every other freebie on the site.
How do the downloads work?
Enter your email once and we send you a single library password. Type that password in any "Unlock" box and every download turns on. Your device remembers it.
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.