What’s Inside This Thing Anyway?

What’s Inside This Thing Anyway? A lesson plan designed to show students what's inside computers
Goal: Students will better understand the physical structure of the technology they use
Grades: recommended for kids second through sixth grades
Materials: Get a few parts and components from old and recycled computers. These are usually available from recycling centers and perhaps your school’s storage room.
Various screwdrivers; some pans or pie plates.
Time: about an hour

Introductory lesson: Tell the kids that they are going to get to take a computer tower apart and look at the components inside. Explain that they are to work as a team to disassemble the tower of a computer. Show them pictures of the internal components (board, fan, memory cards, etc.). They are to locate the components and use the masking tape provided to label each one. Explain that they will be putting the parts back together so they must pay attention to their process and all parts, even the tiniest screws. [They will not be reassembling today.]

Form the students into small working groups (no more than four) and spread out around the room. Try to have ‘expert’ and ‘novice’ computer techies in each group and mix the genders. Each group member must use a screwdriver and must label a component. Have the towers on tarps or old sheets or blankets on the floor. Provide a pan or pie plate at each site for little parts.

As groups finish, they will have some fun written activity to do, such as a word search, an illustration of the tower components that needs to be labeled correctly, or the beginning activity that will explain the uses of the individual components.

Closure: All of the parts should be in or near the computers. Clean up the work spaces. Students need to share compliments with their group members about one thing they did well during the process and be ready to continue tomorrow with reassembling their towers!