Computer History Lesson Plan: Science, Technology, and Society

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Computer History Lesson Plan. 

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Computer History, and supports the standard of evaluating the impact of technology on society. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students:

  • What do you use computers in your everyday life? What would our life be like without computers
  • How do you think computers have changed over time? 

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read the description on the Computer History topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
  • Assign Related Reading. Have students read one of the following articles: “Quirky Stuff” or “Famous Faces.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign Computer History Challenge and Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about computer history while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Create a documentary tracing the evolution of computer technology. 
  • Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying significant events in computer history, and their impacts. 
  • Creative Coding: Code a meme that makes a statement of how computers have changed our lives over time. 
  • Primary Source Activity: Examine the first advertisement for the Apple computer and cite evidence to answer the accompanying questions.

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of computer history with these topics Grace Hopper, Ada Lovelace, and Alan Turing.  

Time Zone X: Computer History: Place historical events in chronological order in this interactive timeline game.

Teacher Support Resources:

 

 

 

 

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, 6-8, BrainPOP, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3