Chromebook Familiarity

Overview

Today students explore the key parts of a Chromebook, practise safe turning it on and off, and begin a marine animal poster project by choosing a marine animal and starting online research using agreed tool conventions.

Learning intentions

• Students will learn to turn a Chromebook on and off safely and correctly.
• Students will identify common peripherals: keyboard, touchpad, screen (display).
• Students will begin a marine animal poster by choosing a marine animal and starting research.
• Students will use core digital tool features to locate information and begin organising it for their task.

Success criteria

• I can turn my Chromebook on and log in safely.
• I can find and use the keyboard and touchpad to move and select.
• I can identify where to look for screen information and how to close or shut down correctly.
• I can start research and record a first fact about my chosen marine animal.

Curriculum links

• AC9TDI4K01 — explore and describe a range of digital systems and peripherals for different purposes (input/output/storage).
• AC9TDI4P06 — use core features of common digital tools to create, locate and communicate content, following agreed conventions.
• AC9TDI4P05 — discuss how existing and student solutions satisfy design criteria and user stories (starter check: “How will this poster help the audience?”).
• AC9TDI4P04 — use input in visual/interactive tasks (starter: responding to prompts by navigating and selecting).
• AC9TDI4K03 — recognise different types of data and that the same information can be represented differently (starter: facts in text/images for a poster).

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Think-Pair-Share). Teacher shows the class an image of a Chromebook and asks: “What parts do you think you need to use it successfully?” Students discuss in pairs and share one idea.

2. 5–12 min · Direct teach: Chromebook safety + power. Teacher demonstrates how to safely turn the Chromebook on, where to look on the screen, and how to shut down at the end (show “plugged in / no force / wait for the screen”). Students follow along on their own device, practising “open and wait” with teacher prompts.

3. 12–22 min · Guided exploration: parts and inputs. Teacher uses the introduction slides to introduce and point to: keyboard (typing/keys), touchpad (moving/selecting/clicking), and screen (reading and checking). Students take turns with a partner to do the “Find it” tasks: locate the keyboard, then touchpad, then the screen, while saying what each part helps them do (input vs output).

4. 22–31 min · Key practice: keyboard + touchpad moves. Teacher demonstrates two or three simple actions: moving the cursor with the touchpad, clicking to select, and using the keyboard to type a short search term (teacher models keeping hands calm and using the touchpad gently). Students practise these actions at their desks, then raise a hand when they can successfully select a result.

5. 31–38 min · Marine animal poster start (choose + plan). Teacher introduces the project purpose: “Your poster should help the audience learn about a marine animal and what it needs to survive.” Students choose a marine animal from a teacher-provided list on the introduction slides (or from the class brainstorm). They write the animal name on the marine poster research start worksheet.

6. 38–44 min · Online research initiation (first facts only). Teacher reminds students of agreed conventions: use the search tool carefully, only collect facts, and keep notes for your poster. Students open the research page suggested on the introduction slides and find one or two reliable facts (teacher may model what counts as a “fact” vs an opinion). Students record the first facts in the marine poster research start worksheet.

7. 44–45 min · Plenary + quick check. Teacher asks: “Which part helped you most today—keyboard, touchpad, or screen—and why?” Students answer with a one-sentence response to a partner; teacher listens and notes students ready for the next research step.

Resources

• the introduction slides
• the marine poster research start worksheet
• Student Chromebooks (ready for logging in)
• Teacher demonstration Chromebook connected to a screen/TV
• Classroom chart: “Keyboard / Touchpad / Screen” (brief, teacher-made)
• Headings on the board for: Choose animal → Find facts → Record notes (visible during work)
• Marine animal poster project overview sheet (if already part of unit; otherwise teacher reads from slides)
• Optional: earphones for reduced distraction during research (if available)

Assessment

• Ongoing observation checklist by teacher during device handling: turning on/off correctly, gentle touchpad use, and correct locating of keyboard/screen.
• Formative check during research start: student can locate and record at least one relevant fact on the marine poster research start worksheet.
• Quick verbal check in the plenary: students can explain how a device part helped them complete a task.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters on the marine poster research start worksheet such as “My marine animal is…”, “It needs…”, “A cool fact is…”.
• Support: pair students with a “device buddy” for the first login and first search attempt; rotate roles after one successful action.
• Extension: students who finish early add one extra type of data for their poster starter (e.g., label an image they found or record a second fact with a different category like habitat/food).
• EAL/SEN: keep instructions short, repeat key terms (“touchpad”, “keyboard”, “screen”), and allow pointing to the correct part before speaking.